Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Paul is near the end of his letter to the church in Colossae and is giving practical guidance for daily life. 'Outsiders' refers to people who are not part of the Christian community — neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, strangers. Paul is coaching believers on how to conduct themselves in the broader world, around people who don't share their faith. 'Be wise' suggests thoughtful, unhurried intentionality — not naïve, not fearful, not aggressive. 'Make the most of every opportunity' means treating ordinary encounters as potentially significant rather than just background noise.
God, open my eyes to the people I walk past every day without really seeing. Give me the wisdom to know when to speak and when to simply be present. Help me live in a way that makes you look real to someone who isn't sure yet. Amen.
You probably know someone — a neighbor, a coworker, someone you see every Tuesday — who is quietly watching how you live without you knowing it. Not suspiciously. Just noticing. People notice more than we think, especially when they're somewhere in the back of their mind wondering whether there's anything real to this faith thing. Your life is more visible than you feel like it is. Paul's nudge here is less about having the perfect answer ready and more about having your eyes open before the moment arrives. Making the most of every opportunity looks like patience in a slow checkout line, honesty when you could fudge the numbers, showing up for someone's bad week without needing credit for it. It looks like genuine curiosity about a person's actual life — not as a strategy, but because they matter. Wisdom here isn't a technique. It's a decision you make in advance: that people are worth your full presence, and that how you live is always saying something.
What do you think Paul means by 'outsiders,' and how should followers of Jesus think about and relate to people who don't share their faith?
Think about your most regular interactions with people outside your faith community. Would they describe you as wise, approachable, and genuinely interested in them? Why or why not?
Is there tension between being strategically wise in how you present yourself and being authentically yourself? How do you navigate that?
How does the way you treat people — in traffic, at work, in frustrating service interactions — reflect on your faith to people who are watching?
What is one specific 'opportunity' in your regular life that you've been treating as background noise, that you could start paying more attention to?
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:17
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
James 3:13
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
John 9:4
That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
1 Thessalonians 4:12
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure , then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 3:17
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Ephesians 5:15
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8
Conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity [treating it as something precious].
AMP
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
ESV
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
NASB
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
NIV
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
NKJV
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.
NLT
Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity.
MSG