Seasoned Speech
Colossians 4:6
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
There is nothing worse than looking at a plate of food that looks delicious, then biting into it only to find that the cook didn't season the food. Seasoning food brings out it's taste. Seasoning food makes the meal enjoyable. Food without seasoning is bland and can be very distasteful, and at times bitter.
God commands us to be sure to season our speech. You are marked by the words you speak. Your speech can actually cause others to take what you say in a wrong way. This is why you must be careful with how you talk. Let me remind you that you represent Christ everywhere you go. If you don't talk right, you could hurt the cause of Christ. If you don't add seasoning to your speech, you could hurt people for many years. God says to season your speech with salt. God used salt for an illustration because of the many uses it has. When you consider this, that means your speech should do for others what salt can do for you. Let me show you some things with which your speech should be filled.
First, season your speech with grace. In other words, don't be so sharp with your speech. Learn how to answer people in a graceful manner that will not hurt them. I am not saying that you should lie to people, for lying should never be a part of any Christian's speech, but I am saying to learn how to answer in such a manner that leaves people with their dignity. You don't always have to speak your whole mind about a situation or a person. When you answer people, answer people with dignity.
Second, answer with flavor. Salt gives flavor to food. In other words, learn to lighten up your speech by laughing and enjoying life. There is something about being around people who know how to add the right words that lighten up a heavy conversation. Don't be so serious all the time. I do believe you should take life seriously, but some people are so stoic in their speech that it has no flavor. Learn how to add flavor to every conversation.
Third, let your speech be with healing. Salt help heal wounds. God is teaching that your words should be healing words and not hurtful words. Gossip is not filled with healing words. Rather, use your speech to encourage others. Use your speech to help heal hurting and broken hearts.
Finally, let your speech be pure. Salt is used as a purifier. God wants His children to speak in a pure manner. Avoid dirty jokes. There are too many Christians who justify dirty jokes, and God does not want that to be a part of any Christian's vocabulary. Be sure that your speech is not filled with dirty words. Take the dirty words out of your vocabulary. Likewise, be sure that you don't talk in a suggestive manner about physical intimacy. There is no place in the Christian's vocabulary to talk like the world. Your speech should be pure, for you represent Jesus Christ.
Ask God every day to help you talk in a manner that would be glorifying to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide every conversation. Remember that others are watching you, and you don't want your speech to sully your opportunity to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Simply put, only talk in a manner that you would talk if Jesus was physically present in every conversation. If you learn to talk right, then you will have a better chance of witnessing to others.