Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Last week, we briefly considered Ephesians 5:16 and its relation to marriage and family: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Colossians 4:5 employs the same key phrase: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” The context is not family but “them that are without” – that is, those who are not Christians. Of course, much to our concern and consternation, this group may include some of our closest loved ones. Verses 2-4 are a call to prayer, something that we can always do: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: that I may make it manifest [clear], as I ought to speak.” The Apostle Paul, then, felt the continuing need for prayers (his own and those of others) so that he would speak to unbelievers in a winsome way. Verse 6 applies this principle to all of us: “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” “With grace” means more than with kindness or gentleness; it means according to God’s principle of grace – unmerited favor – and about that everlasting giving that characterizes our Savior. Opportunities to speak will arise. Lord, help us to redeem the time as we should.