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The text for today here at Colossians 4:6
sets a standard for us in our speech.
It says: “Let your words always be gracious,
seasoned with salt.”
So we will consider three questions.
The first one:
What is gracious speech?
Second:
Why are gracious words so important?
And third:
How can we learn to speak graciously?
So for that first one
(what is gracious speech?),
the word “gracious” has a special meaning.
The apostle Paul used this Greek word
more than 100 times in his writings.
So, what is so special about this word?
This word is also translated
as “undeserved kindness,”
and in some cases
it is translated as “a kind gift.”
So apply it to the words in this text:
‘Let your words always be a kind gift.’
We can compare this concept
with the words of Paul
in Ephesians chapter 4.
It says at Ephesians 4:29,
the second part of the verse,
“only what is good
“for building up as the need may be,
to impart what is beneficial to the hearers.”
But now note what he says
in the first part of this verse:
“Let a rotten word
not come out of your mouth.”
Now, that’s a strong concept.
Maybe you have had in your refrigerator
some food that went off.
On the outside it looks fine.
But when you open that lid
and that putrid smell comes out,
you turn your head away,
you close the lid,
and you get rid of it as fast as you can.
Now, think of a conversation
you have with your close friend.
You’re expecting to hear something
really good and upbuilding from him,
but out come these critical, nasty,
and negative comments about somebody else
or about some arrangement.
How disappointing!
The smell is just overwhelming,
but you cannot react
as you would with that container of food
in case you become the next target.
So, what do you do?
Just quietly put a lid
on that conversation and throw it away.
Now, I’m sure all of us
have been there at some time
on either side of the conversation.
But now we come to the second part.
Why is it so important
to have gracious speech?
Consider the words here in James
—James chapter 3.
Now, here it says in verse 6,
James 3:6:
“The tongue is also a fire.
“The tongue represents
a world of unrighteousness
“among our body members,
for it defiles all the body
“and sets the whole course of life on fire,
and it is set on fire by Gehenna.”
So who is ‘liable to Gehenna’?
It’s the one misusing their tongue.
Jesus said the same thing.
Consider his words here in Matthew
—Matthew chapter 12.
And here Jesus says in verse 36
—he says:
“I tell you that men will render an account
“on Judgment Day
for every unprofitable saying
that they speak.”
We may ask, ‘But is Jehovah not judging us
on the person we are on the inside?’
Exactly!
Look what it says in verse 34,
the second part of verse 34:
“For out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks.”
So words seem to appear
from the top of the head,
but they really come from the heart.
And Jehovah judges a person on the inside
and on the impact their words
might have on other people.
Of course, Jehovah sets
the most beautiful example for us
of kind and gracious speech.
Look at this example in Zechariah
—Zechariah chapter 1.
And here in Zechariah chapter 1,
an angel of Jehovah is speaking to Jehovah
in verse 12.
Now, this angel is very distressed
because it seems that false worship
is gaining the upper hand
and true worship is being pushed aside.
And he says here in verse 12:
“O Jehovah of armies,
“how long will you withhold
your mercy from Jerusalem
“and the cities of Judah,
with whom you have been
indignant these 70 years?”
Now, look at verse 13:
“Jehovah answered the angel
who was speaking with me,
with kind and comforting words.”
Now, the account does not say
what Jehovah said,
but we know Jehovah is gracious and kind.
So now we come to our third question:
How can we learn
to be gracious and to have gracious speech?
Well, there are two principles
we’ve got to highlight,
because this is a very complicated subject.
And the first one we would like to highlight
is at Ephesians 5:1
—Ephesians 5:1.
And there it says:
“Therefore, become imitators of God,
as beloved children.”
Now, we know children imitate their parents.
They just find it so enjoyable
to do something for their parents.
They imitate them.
See this little girl?
She gives a gift to her mother.
Now, it is not the best gift
or the greatest gift ever,
but to the mother it is wonderful.
Why?
Because she’s imitating her.
She probably saw her being
generous to other people;
she imitates that.
And that makes her feel very, very good.
The same with Jehovah.
When we imitate him,
we bring joy to his heart.
Now, it’s all a matter
of appreciation, isn’t it?
Nothing builds appreciation
more than being grateful,
to say thank you.
So thank Jehovah
for everything he does for us every day.
Now, we probably don’t even know
the half of what he really is doing for us.
But if we thank him all the time
—every day make it a point to thank him
for the things we see he does for us—
it will engender in our hearts
an appreciation for Jehovah
and we will admire him.
And the more we admire Jehovah,
the more we will be inclined to imitate him.
And there is no need
to feel unworthy, saying,
“Oh, well, I cannot imitate Jehovah.”
No!
The only qualification needed
is to have an appreciative heart.
The second principle
we would like to highlight
is contained in our text for today,
which says our words
should be “seasoned with salt.”
Now, in Bible times
they didn’t have refrigeration.
So in order to preserve food,
they would salt it.
They would season it with salt
to make sure that the food was not spoiled.
Our words
—our gracious words—
should preserve the dignity of other people;
they should preserve love and friendships
that will last forever.
These words that we speak
will come from an appreciative heart.
So look for the good in other people
and say the right thing
to strengthen the good in them.
And we do say the nicest things
to those we love, don’t we?
So in conclusion,
regardless of what we go through
or how we feel,
always be gracious.
It is never wrong to do good and be kind.
Don’t give up.
And make this the standard,
as it says at Psalm 19:14:
“Let the sayings of my mouth
“and the meditation of my heart
“become pleasurable before you,
O Jehovah my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Izak Marais: Always Be Gracious in Your Speech (Col. 4:6)