"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

How we live our lives and the manner of our speech is to be unto the Lord.
I would like to share some verses of Scripture for you to ponder concerning these things.

Look again at of our opening Scripture,
Vs. 5 says, "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders..."
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 behavior to the outside world..."

Clearly Scripture is telling us to be wise concerning our conduct. We are redeemed and sanctified; set apart -- we are 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..."

Our 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

Notice what our opening Scripture is saying, conduct comes first, then our speech. One of my favorite quotes is, "Preach the Gospel, if necessary use words." St. Augustine

Colossians 4:6b goes on to say,
"...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 someone described as 'spouting information without living the transformation.'
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed 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 so that we would be the expression of Christ Jesus to all who are watching how we live.

Be glorified Most Holy God in each of Your own. Amen