Dec 17

Colossians 4:5
Memorise Matthew 10:16
“…walk in wisdom…”

Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” This verse refers to how we should relate to unbelievers (“them that are without”), such that they by our testimony may be attracted to Christ. Our witness for Christ is not just in the message that we preach, but also from the life that we live. Our testimony must always be congruent with the gospel that we preach. Our duty must never be only to preach the gospel; we are not salesmen selling a product we do not use! Therefore Paul tells us to walk in wisdom toward them: we need to think of how our testimony can effectively witness to them as well and not just through our words alone. Remember the word ‘walk’ refers to behaviour or conduct. The worst case scenario of failing to walk in wisdom is to instead fall into the same sin that unbelievers enjoy, which ruins both our testimony and our evangelism. Paul also adds the phrase “redeeming the time”: because we only have a limited time window with any of these unbelievers, we must not foolishly conclude that we have all the time in the world to reach out to them.

There are many who come to Christ during their teenage years. In secondary school, most of you only have four years of contact with your school mates. Do not ruin these years of opportunity by indulging in worldly activities like dating or smoking that unbelievers crave. Instead, wisely consider how you should relate to those unbelievers. It is not wise going around verbally condemning them, or turning your nose up when they pass by, as it will most likely cause them to hate Christ more. Instead, do all you can to show Christ in you: live a life that is different from the world, a life clearly guided by God; then when they are attracted to your Christian character, lovingly share the gospel to them. There is no point if the smoker breaks the smoking addiction by sheer determination or the counsel of others but does not find Christ, for he is still dead in sin. In contrast, the smoker that finds Christ will find both salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin and addiction. Help them see that Christ alone is the answer; share your own testimony of how Christ saved you from sin, and pray for them that they may be able to realise their own need to be saved from sin.

Thought: Is your life a lie? Will it surprise unbelievers to find out you are a Christian?
Prayer: May I always pray for wisdom to relate to every unbeliever.