"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" - Col 4:6 (NIV).
It is almost impossible to imagine life ever existing without a tiny ingredient called salt. Salt, which is a compound made of sodium and chloride is almost essential to life as is fire. Wars through history have been fought just to get hold of salt or free passage up to salt lakes for mining.
One of the chief uses of salt is to help with food preservation and seasoning. Food without salt is quite tasteless. Everyone knows a little sprinkle of table salt makes any dish worth savouring.
Much as with salt, human interaction is also near impossible to imagine without speech. Through speech we are are able to communicate our thoughts which lead to intelligible action. Of course humans can communicate also through sign language, but that is more by default. There is power of life through spoken words, which give life an edge. Children as they grow up are egged on with words like "stand up" or "walk here", which quickly become part of their vocabulary.
Unfortunately in every language not every word is uplifting. While we always find in every language words that are uplifting- like "well done"; yet there are also those which are depressing- like " you are hopeless"!
The Apostle Paul writing to the believers in Colossia urged them that whenever communicating to make effort and use words that add flavour to their speech- the way salt livens a dish! Paul is addressing these remarks to believers, which means even for Christ followers one can specialise in using murderous words that are quite depressing. Indeed, everyone must have met someone, even among brethren, for whom all talk is ever negative! There are certain people who seem to thrive on poisonous talk, with little in their vocabulary to celebrate life, bring joy or cheer to the spirit.
Our speech as believers should be flavoured with the salt of grace. When we do so we make our company desirable. Few people cherish food without salt. When our speech is not seasoned with the salt of grace, we took become repellent and ultimately of less use to the Kingdom of the God we serve.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven, today I pray that you help make my speech ever seasoned with kindly words that are uplifting and build up others, for your kingdoms sake, this I pray in Jesus name!
Related upcoming events
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06/05/2024 - 07/05/2024 All day“Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2)
Almost all cultivators are aware that if soils are used perpetually without rains but constantly under work they are deprived of all nutrients. So, though once productive, they lose all power to yield fresh crops as before. But so is our Christian life when we do not regularly feed our spirit life with the Word!
In our leading verse, the Apostle Paul is urging believers to “renew” their minds rather than make them stale, lest they end up losing all power to yield fruit. But how is this done? We renew our minds by constantly reading the Word of God, for there are always insights with God speaking to us afresh. Psalm 119:104-5 says, “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The Apostle Peter reminds us, “Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow and be saved.” It is a beautiful illustration for any who have seen a hungry baby sucking the teats of a mother.
Renewing our minds is also by reading about the lives of people of faith who have walked before us and their created works. The Christian faith started in the first century after Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead. Now over two millenniums it has produced giants of faith who have shared their walk with God through inspired teachings that are a treasure to dig into. By scouring the writings of the great saints before us, listening to their recorded sermons, songs and preaching, which these days can be found on virtual medial channels like Yu tube, reading their biographies, our faith is renewed.
And then we also renew our faith through fellowship. When the Apostle Paul urges us, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” ( Hebrews 10:25), he is reminding us that our faith cannot grow in isolation. During the Covid pandemic lockdown one bitter issue was denying Believers opportunity to meet fellow followers of Christ to share testimonies showing the work of God in their lives.
So today, if your faith is on a low keel, or you want it to flower, one thing you can’t help doing without is “renewing” your mind. The blessings to unfold are endless.
Prayer for today:Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a treasure we have of your rich Word to dig into always; books around us of faith to inspire us; and believers to share our faith- may we make use of these, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
