Grace filled speech. As I ponder life-giving words verses hate-filled words, I remember what Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Luke 6:45 NASB)

Really, communication is a heart issue. What is in our heart will come out of our mouths. James says, “The tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.” (James 3:5 NASB)

Our words can build people up or tear people down. When we choose to let our speech be seasoned with grace, it benefits those who hear us.

Colossians 4

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. (Colossians 4:6 NASB)

“Why did Paul add ‘seasoned with salt’ (Col. 4:6)? In that day, salt was used as a preservative as well as a season-er. We must put salt into our speech to make sure it is pure and properly seasoned. ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth’ (Ephesians 4:29). Our speech must be pure.”

“Salt was also added to the sacrifices (Lev. 2:13). Perhaps Paul was suggesting that we look on our words as sacrifices offered to God just as our words of praise are spiritual sacrifices (Heb. 13:15). It would no doubt help us to say the right things in the right manner if we remembered that our words are looked on as sacrifices to God.”

“While we need to have convictions and not compromise, we must also cultivate a gracious spirit of love. The Christian’s walk and talk must be in harmony with each other. Nothing will silence the lips like a careless life. When character, conduct, and conversation are all working together, it makes for a powerful witness.” [Wiersbe 695]

Ephesians 4

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29 NASB)

“The mouth and the heart are connected. ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ (Matthew 12:34) Change the heart and you change the speech. The remedy is to make sure the heart is full of blessing. So fill the heart with the love of Christ so that only truth and purity can come out of the mouth.”

“Keep in mind that your words have power, either for good or evil. Paul told us to speak in such a way that what we say will build up our hearers, and not tear them down.” [Wiersbe 611]

10 Proverbs

King Solomon gave us words of wisdom in his, Proverbs of Solomon:

• The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted. (10:32 NASB)

• There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (12:18 AMPC)

• Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad. (12:25 AMPC)

• A man has joy in making an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment—how good it is! (15:23 AMPC)

• The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. (15:28 NASB)

• Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (16:24 NASB)

• He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. (17:27 NASB)

• Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (18:21 NASB)

• He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles. (21:23 NASB)

• Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. (25:11 NASB)

Prayer

Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Lord, we desire for everything we do and everything we speak, to be done heartily as unto You, rather than for men.

Lord, You say that one day we will give an account for every careless word we speak and that our words will justify us or condemn us. So Lord, we ask for Your Holy Spirit to put a guard over our mouth and a watch over the door of our lips that what we say would glorify Your name and encourage all who listen to us.

Lord, help our words to be like apples of gold in settings of silver so each word is well spoken for every situation we find ourselves in and every word gives grace to those who hear us. We want to have words that are seasoned with grace. Amen.

[This prayer is taken from the following Scriptures: Psalm 19:14; 1 Peter 3:8-9; Matthew 12:36-37; Psalm 141:3; Proverbs 25:11]

Recommendations:

Blessing Our Spouse: Taming our Tongue in Marriage, speaks of our mouth being used to bless or curse our spouse. We can use our speech to build up and strengthen our communication as a couple. You can read it here: https://strengthwithdignity.com/blessing-our-spouse-taming-the-tongue/

Scriptures:

Psalm 19:14; 141:3; Proverbs 10:32; 12:18, 25; 15:23, 28; 16:24; 17:27; 18:21; 21:23; 25:11; Matthew 12:34, 36-37; Luke 6:45; Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29; James 3:5; 1 Peter 3:8-9

References:

27 Best Bible Verses about the Tongue. Compiled and Edited by Bible Study Tools Staff on March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021 from https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-the-tongue/

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC), copyright 1954, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.

New American Standard Bible (NASB), copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

What does the Bible say about our speech? – OpenBible.info Retrieved April 27, 2021 from https://www.openbible.info/topics/our_speech

Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament. Published by David C. Cook, 2007.

Picture Credit: Pexels – August de Richelieu