The Art of Seeking, Part 11

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Paul gives us three commands here to produce the desired result. The first command takes center focus in the text, with the second and third commands being subordinate to the first.

These commands continue the theme of seeking the heavenly where Christ is through the power of his resurrection working in us.

The first command is to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders”.

The second command is “making the best use of the time”

The third command is to “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt”.

If these three commands are applied, Paul says we will know how to answer each person.

What is the wisdom Paul is talking about?

Paul defines this wisdom in his prayer for the church in Colossians 1:9-10

Colossians 1:9–10 ESV

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

He is talking about a spiritual wisdom that comes from God.

James reminds us that this wisdom is free to all who ask in faith (James 1:5-6).

This wisdom is in contrast to worldly wisdom. Paul makes this contrast in 1 Corinthians 2:1-13. Verses six through seven summarize it well.

1 Corinthians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

The world’s wisdom centers on oneself and human understanding.

James describes it as bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, boasting, and misrepresenting the truth. He says that this wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic (James 3:14-15).

In contrast, spiritual wisdom centers on Yahweh and spiritual understanding, which are gifted through the Spirit.

James describes spiritual wisdom as pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, producing good works, impartial, and sincere (James 3:17-18).

How does one walk in this spiritual wisdom?

To walk in spiritual wisdom we need a personal relationship with God. We need to be in connection with him through the diversity of prayer.

It is also helpful to be alert to the creep of worldly wisdom into our thinking.

We need to ask ourselves if our decisions are being motivated by worldly wisdom or spiritual wisdom.

Are my actions or words spoken pure, sinless?

Are my actions or words spoken seeking the peace defined by the gospel?

Are my actions or words spoken gently?

Are my actions or words spoken open to reason?

Are my actions or words spoken full of mercy?

Are my actions or words spoken producing good works?

Are my actions or words spoken impartial?

Are my actions or words spoken done with sincerity?

If our engagement with outsiders or with each other does not embody spiritual wisdom then we need to stop engaging and reorient ourselves to God so that we can reengage in spiritual wisdom.

The gut reaction for most of us is not spiritual wisdom, but earthly wisdom. Therefore, we need to discipline ourselves to pause before we respond to outsiders or to each other.

This disciplined pause is our opportunity to receive the spiritual wisdom from God to engage in life well.

This is how we walk in wisdom in the art of seeking the heavenly.

The second command is “making the best use of the time”.

One thing I have learned about the culture of the Midwest is that you guys are productive. So, in many ways, this command has been taken to mean to always be productive.

The cultural value of productivity being the best use of one's time, though, does not reflect spiritual wisdom.

It is not wrong to be productive, but it is wrong to allow productivity to be your god and dictate how you spend your time.

Paul, then, is not talking about productivity when he says to make the best use of the time. Rather, he is talking about mostconnectivity with Yahweh.

If productivity is our focus, we will have difficulty connecting with God, especially when he has called us into quiet spaces to be with him.

When was the last time you were still, just knowing he is God?

Making the most of the time is to connect with God.

This is walking in spiritual wisdom.

Please be intentional in connecting with him through the diversity of prayer.

The third command is to “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt”.

We have seen how gracious speech demonstrates spiritual wisdom.

If we are going speak graciously with outsiders and with each other, we need to be connected to the Spirit who resides in us.

He is also the one who will help make our speech seasoned with salt. He is the one who helps make our message and our actions palatable to the world.

Social media can be the most challenging place to be gracious and winsome in our speech. May each of us choose to post in all spiritual wisdom, rather than in the wisdom of the world which feeds the outrage of social media.

When we walk in spiritual wisdom by pausing and maintaining our connection with Yahweh, he reveals to us how to answer each person. Go, walk in the spiritual wisdom given by Yahweh.

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