The city of Colossae was a place that stood to be booming with business and people. However, the trade route was changed to go through Laodecia (see Col. 4:13), and as a result, Colossae remained what many would call a small insignificant town. More importantly, the church would have been considered a small and insignificant church. But this church received a letter from the Apostle Paul, making it neither small nor insignificant in God’s sight!

Colossians 4:2–6 says,

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Let’s get right to the point—In the Christian life and for the sake of the Christian church you must not look back on what is destroyed or it will make you useless—you’ll lose your saltiness.

Jesus said that,

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. (Matthew 5:13)

There was a who serves an example in Scripture to warn us of this matter—Lot’s wife. She was told to not look back on what was destroyed or being destroyed and she disobeyed. As a result she was turned into a pillar of salt. But the account is even more telling. Lot asked to go to a  more convenient place called Zoar (See Genesis 19:15–26). What if he had went the whole way with God as the angels brought him the message? Would have Lot’s wife have lived? We don’t know. What we know is that he did not go all the way with God, and that is a second lesson. Go the full distance with God. Don’t stop short. And don’t even ask to! Rather walk in the wisdom he gave you to obey.

Again, Christ said,

“Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.” (Luke 17:32)

Those words were written concerning escaping the destruction of Jerusalem. Go all the way for God! Don’t stop short. Don’t negotiate to get out of there! Should we get out of a particular situation? We don’t have God telling us that precisely. What he does teach us is to:

• Walk in wisdom toward outsiders.

• Know how to answer each person.

• Don’t be looking back on what God has destroyed or it will make you useless and trampled underfoot of men.

• Keep going—praying, walking, preaching, speaking, being wise.