Kindness Opens Hearts to Jesus
Month 9: The Spirit's Power for Witness · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Colossians 4:5-6
5 Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Memory Verse
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”— Galatians 5:22-23 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalms 136-138
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 267 of 365 — "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.")The Heart of It
It's a "Loving Others" day. Paul gives us two short verses packed with wisdom for being on mission. First he says, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time." That means be smart and loving toward people who don't yet know Jesus. Make the most of every chance to show them His love. Then he says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt." Grace means kindness and warmth. Salt is what makes food taste good. It also keeps food from going bad. Paul is saying our words to others should be tasty, not bland or harsh. They should be kind enough to draw people in, and good enough to make a difference.
Here's why this matters so much for our mission. Very often, kindness opens the door before words ever can. People decide whether they'll listen to your message partly by how you treat them. Maybe you're kind to the lonely kid. Maybe you're patient with the annoying one. Maybe you're generous to someone who can't pay you back. That kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, and it makes people curious about the Jesus you love. Notice Paul's goal in verse 6: "that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Kindness isn't a trick to manipulate people. It's the loving soil where real conversations about Jesus can grow. We love people because Jesus loves them. And that love, all by itself, becomes a witness.
Around the Table
Being kind is like giving someone a little gift — and it makes them want to know about Jesus, who is the kindest of all!
Let's do it: Plan one kind thing to do for someone tomorrow who might feel left out.
"Speech seasoned with salt" means kind, helpful words that make a difference. What's the difference between bland words, harsh words, and salty, good words?
Let's talk: Can you think of a time someone's kindness made you want to be around them more?
Verse 6 ties kindness to readiness. Gracious, salty speech earns the right to "answer each one." Kindness isn't a substitute for truth. It's the bridge truth travels across.
Let's go deeper: How is genuine kindness different from "being nice to get something"? Why can people usually tell the difference? And why does only real love actually open hearts?
💬 Conversation Starter
Who is one person in your life who isn't a Christian yet? What's one specific kind thing you could do for them this week, with no strings attached?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The best apologetic is often a loving life. People may resist your arguments. But consistent, genuine kindness makes them ask what's different about you. That question opens the door to the hope you carry (). Win the relationship first, and your words will be far more welcome.
For Dad · Go Deeper
We sometimes treat evangelism as a transfer of information, when Scripture frames it as wisdom-in-relationship: "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside... let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt." Rosaria Butterfield calls this "the gospel comes with a house key." She means a radically ordinary hospitality and kindness that earns a hearing for the truth. For your family, this means your neighbors, your kids' teammates, and the cashier you see weekly are all mission fields. They are reached as much by your warmth as by your words. Model it deliberately. Let your children watch you go out of your way to be kind to someone who can do nothing for you. Then explain afterward why: because Jesus first loved us. Kindness is not soft on truth. It is the very environment in which truth becomes believable. Redeem the time with the people God has already placed around you.
Draws on: Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes with a House Key.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, help our family love the people around us with real kindness. Make it the kind of kindness that makes them curious about Jesus. Make our words gracious and good. Use our love to open hearts to You. In Jesus' name, amen."
My kindness can open a door that my words alone never could. So I'll love people the way Jesus loves me.