Walk in Wisdom

We are told to walk in wisdom towards those who are outside. We are often given a visual of those in the world on one path completely leading away from and not intersecting with the path of the Christian. How terribly misguided this visual is. We must live among our lost fellow traveler. God commissions us in Mark 16:15-16 to:

“Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

I would like to encourage us to redraw that path in a manner where we are walking on a path that is labeled ONE WAY, but many people we encounter on this path are going in the wrong direction. If we saw a car driving in the wrong direction, we would blow our horns, wave our arms, yell at them. We would do anything we could to warn them of the dangers that lie ahead. Yet, when we encounter people on the path of life who are “foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3) we nod, say hello and keep walking.

God tells us to redeem the time. This literally means to buy back one who is lost or to pay a ransom for someone. When we walk in wisdom towards those who are on the outside, we are given the opportunity to buy back their souls from Satan.