Gracious Speech

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Scripture:

Col. 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

Observation:

Christian conduct was and always has been considered an important feature of the life of a believer.  Living for Christ involves a personal transformation which should be evidenced in the life of the believer.  This includes a taming of the tongue.  Here Paul is encouraging the believers to be careful about what comes out of their mouths.  Their speech should “always be gracious.” 

Think about this in light of the grace of God extended to you and to me.  We are sinners who are saved by grace.  God’s prevenient grace has continually been reaching out to those who do not know him — even those who intentionally attack him — he will not stop reaching out and loving them.  This is God’s grace which we have not earned or deserved and yet, he extends that grace to us.  How much more so should we, his children extend this type of grace by way of our speech to others. 

Salt enhances the flavor of food.  So, our speech should enhance the character of another individual.  This truly is gracious speech.

Application:

Unfortunately God’s children have not always been the most gracious when it comes to speech.  We tend to be exceptionally hard on one another and, unfortunately, we seem to somehow condone “gossip” as simply being transparent and telling the truth!  The reality is that as long as we live in human flesh we will have flaws.  None of us can be perfect in the human sense of understanding perfection.  We can only be perfect when we are “in Christ” — for only in this way can we fulfill the purpose for which we have been created. 

In contemporary society we have moved beyond simply talking about one another to writing about one another on social media.  Somehow without having to face someone we think it’s okay to write about them.  And this, brothers and sisters, is often being done in the name of Christianity!  What a sad testimony we are providing to the world around us.  What happened to Christians being known for loving one another?  What has happened to speech being gracious and seasoned with salt? 

I believe it’s time for us to take a personal stand against the negative talk that can happen within Christian circles.  Instead, let’s think about the grace that has been extended to us and extend it to others.  At the same time let’s season our conversation with salt.  Let’s enhance others by speaking about and focusing on the good that they have done.  Gracious speech is a virtue and one that emulates Jesus Christ.  May God help us to be gracious today.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to be intentional in seasoning conversation with salt. Amen.


Comments

  1. Daily ReportJune 18, 2014 at 7:45 AM

    Carla....this absolutely drives me NUTS! I think every controversial, theological conversation needs to happen during a hike in the Rockies...with both sides carrying their stuff in backpacks. The air is thin, so yelling probably won't be a problem as they continue to walk uphill, or downhill. Occasional rest stops will help as the beauty of God's creation sweeps away the imagined importance of our differences, as we remember the gracious God that gives us a garden in which we rest. How can we decry the desperate divisions in the culture, the continued use of violence to solve problems.... when we in the church can't stop drawing others in caricatures, rather than as full-figured people? The world seems dark right now in many ways. How much darker it is, when religious leaders keep blowing out the candles meant to provide gentle light?

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