The First Amendment may guarantee all Americans the right to free speech, but the Bible is very clear in its command to Believers: always speak with grace!
Truthful words. Loving words. Wholesome words. Encouraging words. Kind words. Thoughtful words. Christ-honoring words. This is how all of our communication ought to be characterized.
The primary seasoning here is salt. Salt preserves and purifies and prevents decay. In a wound, salt packs a powerful sting. Salt is suppose to make a difference; as are we.
May our conversations and our correspondence impact those around us for eternity’s sake. As followers of Christ, our communication must be such that it is filled with grace toward others, impacting the current culture of saying and posting caustic, destructive, and sinful things.
Truth, spoken in love, may still make people feel uncomfortable. Jesus was able to perfectly speak the truth in love, yet people did not always respond positively. The rich young ruler walked away. The crowds dispersed. Peter denied Him. The religious leaders had Jesus crucified.
But don’t forget, there were plenty of people, when confronted lovingly with the spoken Word of God, who repented and responded in faith. The woman at the well. The adulteress caught in the act. The cheating tax collector. The dying thief on the cross. Peter.
May you strive to, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29 May I do the same.
