MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
TEXT:
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how ye ought to answer every man " (Colossians 4 verse 6, King James Version).
Your speech oftentimes tells who you are and what lies on the inside of you; "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh ", the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 12 verse 34. It's possible to tell the direction of a man's life through his utterances! As a child of God, you are expected to represent His Kingdom here on earth. Your speech serves to communicate to others who you are, what you believe in, what you represent, your destination, etc. As a result therefore, care must be taken to put much thought and consideration on what we say, how we say it, when we say it and where we say what!
What does it mean to let our speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt? It simply means to let our discourse be as it becomes of Christians; be savory, incorruptible, suitable to our calling, with an air of piety found in it. Besides, this becomes necessary as custodians of the Gospel the defense of which we are regularly called to do. It's in the course of this defense "that you may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4 verse 6). We need to be aware that as Christians, we are called and admonished to be ready to the defense of the faith.
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (1st Peter 3 verse 15). In addition, forget not to keep in mind always that one answer is proper for one man and another for another man. The Bible says,
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." (Proverbs 26 verses 4 and 5).
The Lord Jesus promised to give us by His Spirit what to say, especially when we are called upon to defend the Gospel. In Luke 21 verses 14 to 15, He said,
"Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."
Here, it's settled that at the moment we are called into the defense of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will speak through us with wisdom, knowledge and understanding that will baffle our hearers or adversaries. It was so with Jesus, Stephen and the Apostles. For Jesus, it was said by His adversaries,
"Never man spake like this man." (John 7 verse 46). For Stephen, it is recorded as follows:
"And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake." (Acts 6 verse 10).
As Children of God, we can always rely on the Holy Spirit to give us what to say. We have to learn to let Him speak through us. I personally have discovered how amazing it is to have the Lord speak through me. At such times, I'd known that He was the One at work and not myself. Praise the Lord!
At all times therefore, let your speech and your entire life serve to exemplify and recommend Christianity. Let it not only be holy, but wise, gracious and intelligent. The Holy Spirit is able to do this for us, if only we would let Him.
A harsh way, for instance, of proposing or defending the faith only serves to repel men from the Way of salvation. Let's be careful with what we say and how we say it.
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, I'm grateful to You for grace to represent You and Your Kingdom in a manner acceptable to You and in furtherance of the Truth of the Gospel, in Jesus name