Where are you walking?

Colossians 4:5
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

As a Christian we are so blessed! We have been adopted into God's family, that brings with it a huge windfall. We become rich, in so many layers, spiritually, mentally, physically, and on and on.

With great wealth, comes great responsibility. God has given His children access to the provisions of heaven. Jesus Christ has all power and through Him we have unlimited resources in doing what He would want us to accomplish for His glory.

There is a wealth of instructions contained inside of this verse. A simple command that is far from simple in application. Along with prayer and preparation we are now instructed to put into practical work this command. Lets look a little deeper at this verse.

Walk.

We are told to walk! We are to move forward, we are to walk and not run, it is a marathon and not a race. We are to go deliberately with purpose. we should never get ahead of God. Walking takes more time, but is more rewarding as we get to see the beauty of God's hand in the journey.

Walk in wisdom.

Our walk is not without purpose! We are to be prepared in wisdom. The implication is not any old type of wisdom, but the wisdom that comes from an intense personal relationship with God.

To be effective in witnessing we must be sharp and tuned into the subtile leadership of the Holy Spirit. We must be able to read the situation and adapt our methods to the leadership of God in our approach to the lost.

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without.

We are to walk in wisdom toward them. Most people approach the lost like they are hunting deer, they want to sneak up on them, shoot a live round, and bag their prey! then thay want to hang them upside down showing off what they done!

As a Christian, we should approach the lost with a meek spirit, not in a campaign to bag as many as we can. Personal soul winning is a laborious process. The great commission tells us to go and then teach them.

The lost are without, and don't want what most Christians have to offer (no real change, hope, or reason to live for God.) We must change our approach, bringing our methods in complete surrender to God's will.

Redeeming the time.

Most Christian quote this part of the verse as if it is their responsibility to do the redeeming. This part of the verse hinges upon the first part of the verse. We are told to "walk in wisdom toward them that are without," This is our responsibility. This is God's command to His children. God places a comma after the word without, then the rest of the verse is God's pronouncement that IF we take the walk His way He calls our time spent as "redeemed"

Where are you walking?