Words

There’s something wonderful about French fries. But have you ever had disappointing French fries? Ones with no salt? It’s the worst thing that can happen to a perfectly good batch of fries because salt makes things taste good. Do you know what else salt is good for? Our words. If we know Jesus, the Holy Spirit seasons our words so we can communicate the gospel clearly. He adds things like kindness, gentleness, grace, and love, allowing us to build people up with our words, not tear them down. But our speech doesn’t just impact others, it also impacts ourselves! If we spend a lot of time telling ourselves we are stupid, ugly, fat, unloved, or failures, that negative self-talk will become part of our identity. Having the ability to speak is special; we are set apart from the rest of creation because of it. The Bible encourages us to keep a close watch over our mouths, and Jesus—fully God and fully human—showed us how to do it. In His time of temptation, He quoted Scripture. When He was mocked and beaten, He chose silence motivated by kindness. And while dying on the cross, He spoke with grace and compassion as He asked God to forgive the people who crucified Him. Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection redeemed human speech. Once, our speech was centered on sin, but now, in Christ, we can speak the truth in love, as we learn to season every word with His love and good news. Even when we mess up, we have the opportunity to start anew, replacing trash talk with Christ-centered speech! • Rebecca Morgan • How have you been speaking about your friends, family, or yourself? • How do you talk about the difficult people in your life? • What specific negative thoughts toward yourself or others can be replaced with seeing people how Jesus sees them—with truth and love? Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6 (NKJV)

Read Verses:

Ephesians 4:15, 29-32