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Lysa TerKeurst
“Let your conversation be always full of
grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6 (NIV)
Sometimes
God’s Word can feel like an impossible order, don’t you think?
Take
today’s passage for example: Paul tells us we are to let our words be gracious.
I love
that the NIV actually reads “full of grace.”
Full of
it. As in, the bulk of our words should be made up of grace toward the person
with whom we are conversing.
Not
partial grace. Not halfway grace. All the way grace.
I don’t
know if you’ve ever tried this, but it’s hard.
It’s hard
when one of the precious people living in your house gets on your last good
nerve.
It’s hard
when a trusted friend deeply wounds you.
And it’s
incredibly hard when people share their thoughts and opinions so freely and
carelessly on social media.
Offering
thoughts and opinions that can leave you feeling frustrated, angry or even
personally attacked.
I don’t
know about you, but words laced with grace aren’t typically the first ones that
come to mind when someone’s hurtful words have landed like daggers in my heart.
I want to
defend myself. And point out how they’re misunderstanding my intentions.
But just
because speaking with grace is hard, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And
Paul’s words to the Colossians remind us that our words matter.
Paul specifically wants us to consider our words in light of
unbelievers, telling us in Colossians 4:5-6, “Be wise in the way you
act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation
be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer
everyone.”
And look at how Jesus models grace and truth in John 1:14, which
says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have
seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father,
full of grace and truth” (NIV).
Every
instance in the New Testament where we see grace and truth together is always
connected to Jesus.
We are to
be people of truth with grace-filled words. People who choose healing and
helpful words.
Because
whether we realize it or not, believers and unbelievers alike are listening
intently to the words we speak.
They’re
reading the words we type. And our words testify to the kind of relationship we
have with Jesus and the kind of effect He has on our hearts.
So where
is the hope in the midst of words that make our pulse race and our face flush?
How do we keep our words full of grace?
We
remember that Jesus doesn’t offer us partial grace. He doesn’t offer us halfway
grace.
Jesus
gave, and continues to give, all-the-way grace. Grace that took Him all the way
to the cross.
Oh, how
we need to let this truth interrupt us and redirect us. The divine grace we receive
from Christ should fuel our gracious natures and fill our conversations.
Because
we are people who desperately need grace, we should be people who lavishly give
grace.
And not only are we to be gracious in our speech, Paul also tells us
our words should be “seasoned with salt.”
In
rabbinic tradition, this phrase would have been associated with wisdom.
In
Greco-Roman literature, it meant to be “winsome or witty” in speech.
Paul was
reminding the Colossians they were called to be people filled with godly
wisdom.
To be
able to respond to objections to the gospel in a manner that was winsome. He
wanted their words, and ours, to attract people to Christ, not repel them.
I don’t
know who puts grace to the test in your life, sweet friend.
But I do
know the Holy Spirit is willing to help us choose grace-filled words, if only
we will pause long enough for Him to replace the first ones that may pop into
our brains.
We can
also go ahead and pre-decide that today, because of the lavish grace of Jesus,
we will choose the way of grace.
With His
help, we can speak with honor in the midst of being dishonored.
We can
speak with peace in the midst of being threatened. We can speak of good things
in the midst of bad situations.
We can
choose words that won’t leave the bitter taste of regret in our mouths. Words
seasoned with the salt of wisdom and full of the grace of Jesus.
Father
God, thank You for Your Son, Jesus. He could have held back His grace. But
instead, He chose to pour out every single drop for me at Calvary. May Your
grace be what pours out of me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Ecclesiastes
10:12, “Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are
consumed by their own lips.” (NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES
Learn how to
respond with honesty and kindness in the face of offense when you purchase Lysa
TerKeurst's book, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw
Emotions, here.
Have you
downloaded the FREE First 5 app yet? We’re celebrating four years of helping
people put God first in their day! Join us for the Already, but Not Yet study,
as we dig into 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Peter and Jude starting July
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CONNECT
REFLECT AND RESPOND
When do you
struggle the most to use grace-filled words? Share how the Lord has been
helping you extend grace when you join in the conversation here.
Lysa TerKeurst is president of
Proverbs 31 Ministries and the New York Times best-selling author
of Uninvited,The Best Yes, Unglued, Made to Crave, and 16 other
books.
As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa
and her team have led thousands to make their walk with God an invigorating
journey through daily online devotionals, radio programs, online Bible studies,
speaker/writing training, and more.
Lysa was recently awarded the Champions of
Faith Author Award and has been published in multiple publications such
as Focus on the Family and CNN online. Additionally, she has appeared
on the Today Show as one of the leading voices in the Christian
community.
Each year, Lysa is a featured keynote
presenter at more than 40 events across North America, including the Women of
Joy Conferences and the Catalyst Leadership Conference. She has a passion for
equipping women to share their stories for God’s glory through Proverbs 31 Ministries’
annual She Speaks Conference and writer training program, COMPEL: Words That
Move People.
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