Colossians 4:6 “ Let your speech be always grace, seasoned with salt.” Grace being a word that is defined as refinement or finesse.
I think all of us, can be encouraged by the tone, quality, and manner of conversation with each other. We can easily offend people by the use of unnecessary or ungracious words that we insert into our conversation. Nothing can expose us so much as our speech.
I have great admiration for many people in my life who are gracious ladies and true gentleman in their actions and in their conversation. I want to spend a lot of time in their presence and learn from them. I am lifted up and encouraged just by their manners.
Then there are those, who personally offend me by the looseness and crudeness of their talk. They don’t hesitate to insert a questionable joke or use borderline by words. I just want to address the use of by words today.
My daddy was raised without a mother. She died when he was very young and he didn’t have much training in manners or anything else. However, he was saved at a young age, and God turned him into one of the best examples of manhood I have ever known. He took special care to teach us all respect and honor to God and others at the table, our treatment of each other and in our conversation. He truly learned to use and teach grace and salt in all he did.
One of the things he did was to steer us away from using by words. He took scripture seriously about using God’s name vainly and not using words that were empty and senseless and substituted for profanity or crudeness. Because if that, I have learned to filter my conversation.
I observe that by words are side doors to profanity. If a person constantly fills their conversation with them, they become stronger and more colorful. This generation, schooled by the previous one who had loosened up their conversation considerably, are interlacing very offensive by words in their general talk. This has bled over into the so called Christian realm, as well. I am appalled at the use of substitute words for human excrement in general small talk. “Jesus” and “Christ”are used frequently in conversation! Not only are these words being often used in general conversation, But when people get upset or angry, they are using expletives that are very unbecoming. They would not say they were using profanity, as such, but they are using words that are certainly a substitute for profanity. I find it far removed from being gracious and seasoned and very it is unbecoming to those who profess to be mirroring Christ.
I recall hearing a discourse this summer that challenged us with the thought that we are who we are only under stress. What comes out of our mouth then, are truly what’s in the heart. For out of the heart, the mouth speaketh, so says the Word.
We are so affected by the world around us...it is alarming to see how we sometimes, unaware, are pulled into imitating them in so many things we do. But when filtered through scripture, we can clearly see that change is needed.
Clean conversation is a must. Grace is the salt that seasons our discourse and should clearly reflect
what our label is. We can talk “God stuff” all day long, and then when upset, spout crude and unseasoned words that can destroy every good thing spoken!
We can even spiritualize our by words! Our use of sayings like “ Lord, have mercy”, used loosely, can be qualified as vain and useless. I challenge us to use even those phrases that sound good in the right way
Let’s teach our children by example how to use our conversation with grace and salt!!
