From: "Beverly French" <frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us>
To: "Heritage" <gheritage@juno.com>
Subject: Blessings to All
Date: Sunday, February 04, 2001 9:16 AM

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the
opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were,
with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person."
Colossians 4:5-6

Last week we looked at doing all our work heartily as unto the Lord.  It is
not only the work of our hands; how we live our lives and the manner of our
speech, too, is unto the Lord.  I would like to share just a few verses of
Scripture for you to ponder concerning these things.  Look again  at the
above
Scriptures of Colossians:

Vs.5 says, "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most
of the opportunity."  Conduct yourselves refers to the walk of a Christian
which has often been mentioned in these Sunday messages.
Other translations read:
"...with wisdom toward outsiders..."
"...with wisdom toward non-Christians..."
"Show tact in your behaviour to the outside world..."

Clearly Scripture is telling us to be wise concerning our conduct.  We are
redeemed and sanctified; set apart -- in the world, but not of it.  We are
new creations who are indwelled by the Spirit of God whose fruits are to
be manifested in us for the world to see.
"Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in
which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds,
as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."  1 Peter 2:12

Vs 6 says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with
salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person."

Awhile back we looked at the tongue and the evil it can bring.  This verse
admonishes us to speak always with grace.  Other admonitions concerning
speech are,
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is
good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give
grace to those who hear."  Ephesians 4:29

"In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in
doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that
the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us."
Titus 2:7-8

"He who restrains his words has knowledge,
 And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding."  Proverbs 17:27

Colossians 4:6b says, "...so that you may know how you should respond to
each person."

"...Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a
defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in
you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
1 Peter 3:15

"To talk the talk, you must walk the walk!"   Let us not be like those a
friend described as 'spouting information without living the
transformation.'
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transfored by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable and perfect."  Romans 12:2

May the Lord have His perfect way in each of us.  Amen.