Let Your Speech Always be with Grace Seasoned with Salt

 

Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be with grace seasoned with salt”

 “Speech”

Every time we talk we have always to be mindful.  Every word we say is heard by others who will judge us and then judge God.  If our words are kind then others will believe God is kind.  If our words are complaints or negative, people will believe God is negative.  If our words are angry, people will believe God is angry.  If our words are mean, people will think God is mean and not only will they run away from us but also run from His church and God Himself.

 “Always”

Always, always, always speak with grace.

 “Grace”

Can you give examples of speaking with grace?  For example, someone wrongs you and you say, “I forgive you”.  When I’ve been on the phone for 2 hours with Spark and they don’t help me, how do I speak with grace?  When your children, husband or work mates annoy you, how do you speak with grace?

 Mathew 12:34-37 reminds us that what is inside us will come out.  If we have a heart of grace, then gracious words will come out.  If we have peace, then peaceful words will come out.  If we have joy, then joyous words will come out.  If we have anger, then angry words will come out.  If we have bitterness, then bitter words will come out.  Unforgiveness will always show its ugly head.  Patience gives kind words.  Love produces loving words.  Hatred produces hateful words. Impatience produces mean words.  A negative attitude produces negative words while a positive attitude produces positive words.  Being stressed can lead to regretful words being said.

 One time when I was working in the laboratory, it was very busy and a girl in the team destroyed hours of work by not fastening the lid of the centrifuge.  She looked at me and waited to be told off but I said, “It’s ok”.  I had peace so I had the ability to speak with peace which meant my speech was seasoned with grace.  Because God is in my heart and He is peace, I knew that if I spoke badly, she would never discover God in me and could be put off forever.  We must remember that our words have consequences, they can either produce life or produce death.

 “Seasoned with Salt”

Salt is tasty but only as a seasoning (you can’t eat salt by itself).  We must season our words so people will listen to them, eat them, take them inside their heart and through those words be changed. 

 Food is good for us and doesn’t need salt to be good for us but salt makes it palatable.  For example, when giving advice to someone, we have to find ways that are palatable so they will take the advice.  Rather than pointing fingers take time and help the person slowly slowly.  Don’t throw a bucket of salt over them.  If we put too much salt, the food is inedible.

 For example, I knew someone who would greet people (non-Christians alike) with “Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”.  People would run away from him thinking he was crazy.  Start slowly and season your words.  For example, if someone is complaining, instead of saying, “Stop complaining” we could find the right time to talk to the person and can even say something like, “I keep complaining, I am wondering your thoughts on how I could stop”.  This might open them up to realise they also complain and together you could suggest to keep each other accountable.

 James 1:19 “Be quick to listen, slow to speak”.