"Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." Colossians 4:5,6 NASB
In an article published by Dumb Runner, Mallory Keaton, 36, relayed the account of her first (and probably last) dinner date with 42-year-old Nick on Tuesday night. Prompted by photos on Nick's social media, Mallory made the mistake of asking him about his running habits and if he had ever run a marathon. And that's when witnesses say the date went sour as Nick replied with a 16-minute monologue chronicling in detail his past three marathons including his 5k splits, the weather conditions and so on. And as if that weren't enough to spoil her appetite, he went on to a summation of the debate of maximalist and minimalist footwear. It's no wonder that Mallory soon asked for the check and ended the date early is it?
And you know as much as I admire Nick's passion for the sport and his attempt to convince his date to share his love for running, coming on too strong had the opposite effect. Yet coming on too strong is the same mistake many of us make when telling others about Jesus (with the same disastrous consequences). Which is why the Bible is crystal-clear that our speech should always be graceful, tasteful and balanced "as though seasoned with salt". You see, just as too much salt can ruin the taste of the most wonderful meal, coming on too strong can ruin the taste of the most wonderful Message. Instead we would do best to salt our message lightly and courteously making it so "tasty" to the individual listener that they would ask for more.
So may we always make the most of every opportunity to tell others about Jesus but "conduct ourselves with wisdom" while doing so that our message might be individually seasoned to each persons' taste. In other words, let us be careful not to come on too strong.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that gives us everything we need to be an effective witness in this world. Help us to always be open to situations where we could tell others about Christ but to do it in a way that makes the listeners crave more. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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