Speak with grace! – Sis. Stella Dhinakaran

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:6)
There is an old saying in Tamil that says, “Saltless food has to be thrown into the trash bin”. Yes! We need salt in our food. Similarly, we should also be useful like salt in our life (Mark 9:50). The Bible says that our life as well as our speech should be with grace, seasoned with salt so that you might know how you ought to answer each one (Colossians 4:6). God will help us to be like salt on this earth so that people may see in us a good life, beneficial words, and noble deeds. Therefore, shall we do a little introspection about our life and see how our words and deeds are before God and man? Let us test all things and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). So try to think twice before you say something. If our words are bad they can cause a wound in the hearts of people that take long time to heal. What we say is compared to a fruit. So test yourself if you are bearing good fruit or a bad one!

Once there was a young girl. She always joined her friends and chatted, as she liked without any control. Many were offended by her insensitive words but she was never bothered about it. She would very casually say, “What? I said this only for fun! Why do you exaggerate the matter?” Thus, she added salt to their wounds. She also hurt all the members of her family by her unwanted and harsh words. Therefore, many people did not even like to see her face. But, her mother always prayed to God with tears in her eyes and fasting for a change of heart in her daughter. Soon, God heard her cry and changed the heart of her daughter. He made her realize that she had hurt many people with her harsh words and bad deeds. She surrendered her life to God. Her life changed upside down. Now she became a calm and quiet girl. Before talking, she thought for a minute, examined her words and then spoke very sensibly. By the grace of God, her life changed to be of great use to others. All were surprised and also happy to see this divine change in her life.

My dearly beloved, “You are the salt of this earth, but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” (Matthew 5:13). if you also seek this divine experience from God, He will surely give it to you. If you have offended someone with your harsh words, God will surely change you and make you a person who speaks the word of comfort (Isaiah 40:1). And through your comforting words, you too would be blessed in your life. All you need to do is set a guard over your lips. To do that just claim the verse ‘set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips’ (Psalm 141:3) and pray it in your daily prayers. Very soon your speech will change and be a blessing to others.

Prayer:
Loving Lord!

Give me the divine experience of being salt to this earth. Today, give me the same grace that was given to the girl in the above incident. Let my speech be as salt and let it only edify people. May my tongue bring healing. Set a guard over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips. Millions of thanks for hearing my prayer and answering me.

In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ I pray loving Father,

AMEN.