A knight was once called into the presence of the king to give an account of his recent activities. The knight reported, “I have been looting and pillaging among your enemies to the east, your majesty.” The king replied, “But I don’t have any enemies to the east!” The knight paused for a moment and then answered, “Well, you do now!”

As representatives of God’s kingdom, we need to show some diplomacy. I am not saying that we must get along with everyone. God has many enemies in this world, and we don’t need to try to appease any of them. However, we must be careful that we don’t needlessly create enemies with our careless words or actions.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”—Colossians 4:5-6.