“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭5-6‬ ESV

There is a contradictory belief and practice in our society in regards to words. People want to say whatever it is they want to say and not really held held accountable for those words they choose to use. Politicians can be recorded, watched by millions, saying one thing, and then later claim that that is not what they said, or that they didn’t mean what very one thought they meant when they said it. People write out extremely precise language in contracts and then later dispute their own words and dealings in court when problems arise. Spouses speak vows in love and commitment in front of a gathering of friends and family, claiming another person for a lifetime. But later, when things get hard, they simply claim to have ‘fallen out of love’ as if that is a valid excuse, and they deny the covenant they made with their words. There is no honor anymore to own up to what you have said, to claim what you have written down.

But denying those words doesn’t make them null and void. We must understand that what we say always matters. Even words spoken flippantly or in haste are words we are accountable for in the long run. Everything we say stems from our heart and the attitudes we carry and foster there. They linger in the hearts of those we speak to; our words never die.

So, as Christians, we should be continually aware of what we are saying or are about to say. We should weigh out our words before we speak them or before we write them down or push that ‘send’ button. Whatever we say, in word or text, matters even more when stand as a representative of Christ. Our words bear the weight of our testimony , and when our words and our claimed life in Him don’t match up, we cannot pretend for a moment that it is okay or acceptable.

When you speak, especially to those who do not know Christ, make the most of taht to time you have with them. Enlighten and encourage them, inform them and educate them. Share Christ in your words. Don’t let your conversation degrade to gripes about others. Do not let your tongue spew vulgarities or crude humor. Keep your mouth pure, as is fitting for those who claim Christ, and do not speak in innuendo or of things that do not honor Christ. Speak, as Paul says, with grace, seasoned with salt. Let your words point hearts toward Christ, be bold like salt, not salty like someone with no moral center or self-control. Let what you say be something that will linger in their mind and heart because it stands out from everything else they may hear.

Take your time to think and say what is proper and fitting to represent Christ as you GoLove in His Name. Let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be pleasing in the sight of our Lord, our Rock and our Redemer.