Gracious Speech

4Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 5Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."
Benjamin Disraeli was a British statesman of the Conservative Party who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as well as a novelist. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party, defining its policies and its broad outreach. He made the Conservatives the party most identified with the glory and power of the British Empire. He is the only UK Prime Minister to have been of Jewish birth.  His father turned from his Jewish belief to Christianity when Benjamin was 12.  In Disraeli’s novel Endymion, there is a character, Nigel Penruddock, a believer who is a lively and accomplished sportsman. In describing Nigel, Disraeli said, “his Christianity was muscular.”
I like that phrase.  “Christianity was muscular”.  I would love for my faith to be referred to that way.  Read the New Testament and it becomes clear that the freedom the gospel brings should make Christians the most engaging people on the planet.  It seems that Christians can be the least engaging people.  Avoided because our speech is often judgemental and graceless.
The Greek words that are behind “speech,” “gracious,” and “salt” (logos, charis, and halas, respectively) are used together in first-century literature to refer to speech that is gracious and attractive — winsome, even witty words that are spoken in a humble manner. The apostle wants the presentation of the gospel done in a manner that captures the gospel’s excitement and is able to answer the unbeliever’s questions.
We need to let His grace be evident in the words we speak.  All of them.  Every word we speak is heard by someone.  All of our words should be “gracious” and “seasoned”.  We need to make sure we know who we are allowing to influence our words before we speak.  We need to make sure we are gracious with our speech.  LORD, place a bit on my tongue and make my speech seasoned and attractive for your gospel.
  1. Who or what do you find yourself quoting?
  2. Are your words seasoned and attractive?

--Zine Smith

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