Made in His Image

Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV):

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

As Christians we believe that we are made in the image of God, and that we are a reflection of God’s love and grace. These two verses in Colossians give us valuable guidance as to how we can reflect the love and truth of Christ to others.

First, use care and wisdom in dealing with others; use every opportunity to display acceptance and understanding.

Second, as Christians we are encouraged in our speech to be respectful, kind and considerate and to season our conversation with the salt of wisdom and love.

Third, we are encouraged as Christians to be ready to respond to both believers and non-believers in an intelligent and gracious manner.

In other words, we are called to be earnest in our religious beliefs, but do it with love, understanding and grace.

While we all fall short from time to time in living up to these guidelines, we should endeavor to apply these Christ-like principles in our day-to-day interactions with others.

Apply these teachings of Colossians 4:5-6 in your life, and you will grow in your faith, deepen your relationship with God, and positively influence those around you.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, thank you for showing us how to live with love, compassion, and humility.

Lord, help us to embody the teachings of Christ in our daily lives. Since we are made in God’s image we must strive to make our actions reflect his love and kindness, his patience and understanding. Grant us wisdom to discern opportunities where we can make a difference in the lives of those around us. Lord help us to “season with salt” our speech so our words are filled with grace, speaking truth in love, and that our deeds be a reflection of your unconditional love for all people.

Empower us, Lord, to live in such a way that others are drawn closer to you. Use us as instruments of your peace and love to positively impact those around us. Amen.

This devotion was written by Gary Hensley and read by Sage Jonas.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.