"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 quite 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 savoring.

Much as with salt, human interaction is also near impossible to imagine without speech. Through speech we 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 Colossian urged them that whenever communicating to make effort and use words that add flavor to their speech- the way salt livens a dish! Paul is addressing these remarks to believers, which means even for Christ followers one can specialize 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 flavored 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!