Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

Scripture: Col. 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Teaching: Following his call for the Colossians to conduct themselves in spiritual wisdom – recognizing the power of Christ and availability of salvation for all in Christ -- Paul adds instructions on how to speak to these “outsiders” who are not yet in Christ (4:5). He says in verse 6 that they should speak with grace. In its basic meaning, speaking with grace is to speak kindly, in a forgiving and/or welcoming manner, using speech or conversation to forge relationships in authentic love and friendship. But these are all qualities of Christ, and it is His grace that we emulate and show in this way. So, speaking with grace should also include seasoning our speech with what God has done for us, what He is doing, and what we know He will do for us in the future. In this way, we season our speech with salt, or the classic Biblical metaphor for witnessing for Christ, following His way, and bringing the good things of Christ to the world through our actions and speech.

Takeaway: Have you ever met someone who, just by the way they are and the way they talk, seemed joyful? There is a powerful joy that overcomes the believer who truly sets their hope in Christ and rests in His promises, and it often comes out in the way they interact with others. They are gracious, because they have been shown the ultimate grace. They are forgiving, because they have been forgiven. They are kind, because they have been shown kindness. The list could go on, but they have seen these things in their life by their faithful seeking and trusting in the Lord. When Paul tells us to speak with grace, seasoned with salt, he is speaking of this kind of person. Who, because they have spiritual wisdom and have seen the grace of God in their lives, they then overflow God’s grace to others. The key to understanding this kind of person, and how they are this way, is not because they are naturally this way but because they overflow what has been graciously given to them by faith. To that end, there is no substitute for spending time with the Lord, receiving from Him and abiding in Him, to then bear the gracious fruits of the Spirit to others.