July 23, 2015 SALTY WORDS
Colossians 3: 6: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
If these two verses were modeled by believers, we would see and experience bountiful blessings in the home, on the job, in the market place and in the church. Our words carry great power and influence. Proverbs 18:21 says it well: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” The instructions in these two verses may seem impossible to carry out on a consistent basis, but any command that God gives, He also provides the power to obey. As believers, we have the ability and the opportunity to speak words that edify, encourage, instruct, admonish, and heal; but we also have the ability to speak words that harm and destroy. Our speech can always be with grace because we have experienced the grace of God when we did not deserve it, and we can now have an attitude of grace toward others. Salt preserves and it brings out the taste; likewise, our words can have an aspect of “preserving”, and adding “flavor.” Psalms 38:8 challenges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” The words that proceed from our mouth can and should reveal the goodness of God. The Colossians verse above points out that it is important to know how to “respond to each person.” We can be guilty of not thinking-or listening-before we speak and be guilty of quickly giving a superficial or pat response that is over used. Because every person is unique, and circumstances vary with people, we should not have a “cookie cutter” response in our communication with people. As we are in conversation with others, we should listen to their words as well as their spirit, and at the same time, we should listen to the Spirit in us as to what our response should be. In the Ephesians verse above, we see the instruction to “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth”. The word “let” once again reminds us that we have been given the ability to control what comes out of our mouth. It’s a new day for us when we commit to speaking “only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who hear.” If you want to see God at work in you and those around you, then take these two verses to heart and put them into practice-you will be glad you did. Finally, we must remember that we speak from our heart; so for our speech to be what it should be, our heart must be in tune with the Spirit who dwells in us.
Luke 6:45: “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Colossians 3: 6: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
If these two verses were modeled by believers, we would see and experience bountiful blessings in the home, on the job, in the market place and in the church. Our words carry great power and influence. Proverbs 18:21 says it well: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” The instructions in these two verses may seem impossible to carry out on a consistent basis, but any command that God gives, He also provides the power to obey. As believers, we have the ability and the opportunity to speak words that edify, encourage, instruct, admonish, and heal; but we also have the ability to speak words that harm and destroy. Our speech can always be with grace because we have experienced the grace of God when we did not deserve it, and we can now have an attitude of grace toward others. Salt preserves and it brings out the taste; likewise, our words can have an aspect of “preserving”, and adding “flavor.” Psalms 38:8 challenges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” The words that proceed from our mouth can and should reveal the goodness of God. The Colossians verse above points out that it is important to know how to “respond to each person.” We can be guilty of not thinking-or listening-before we speak and be guilty of quickly giving a superficial or pat response that is over used. Because every person is unique, and circumstances vary with people, we should not have a “cookie cutter” response in our communication with people. As we are in conversation with others, we should listen to their words as well as their spirit, and at the same time, we should listen to the Spirit in us as to what our response should be. In the Ephesians verse above, we see the instruction to “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth”. The word “let” once again reminds us that we have been given the ability to control what comes out of our mouth. It’s a new day for us when we commit to speaking “only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who hear.” If you want to see God at work in you and those around you, then take these two verses to heart and put them into practice-you will be glad you did. Finally, we must remember that we speak from our heart; so for our speech to be what it should be, our heart must be in tune with the Spirit who dwells in us.
Luke 6:45: “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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