Grace and Salt: Speaking Life That Lasts

✨Speak Life, Not Strife✨ Day 1

📖Colossians 4:6 - “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (ESV) 

Colossians was written by Paul while he was in prison. That fact alone amazes me! He went on account of Jesus. He was imprisoned for simply keeping God’s commandments and spreading His Word. And while in prison, he was still joyful. Still peaceful. Still full of purpose, writing letters to other Christians and encouraging them, even at his lowest.

In Colossians 4:6, Paul reminds us that our speech should be filled with grace. Grace is unmerited favor—God’s love, kindness, and help toward humanity, not based on our worth or actions. As a brother in Christ once said: “Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.”

So when we speak graciously, we speak with love in our tone. We speak in a way that reflects God’s heart. Grace-filled words aren’t just “nice” words—they’re words that encourage, challenge, and point people back to Jesus. Even when someone doesn’t seem to “deserve” kindness, we offer it anyway. Why? Because it’s what Jesus would do. Because we would want someone to speak to us that way. Because we serve a gracious God—who are we to dishonor His people?

Paul also says our speech should be “seasoned with salt.” And I love that he chose salt—not sugar. Sugar might make things sweet, but it can also cover up what’s really there. Salt is different. Salt preserves, purifies, and brings out the true flavor.

Salted speech doesn’t avoid hard truths, but it delivers them with love. It doesn’t flatter just to make someone feel good, but it speaks in a way that builds them up and keeps their faith strong. Sugar can make things pleasant for a moment, but salt makes things lasting. And that’s what our words are meant to do—leave a lasting impact, preserve hope, and reflect the heart of Christ. Speaking life means speaking with grace and with salt, so that every word we share carries both kindness and truth.

At the end of the day, our words matter. They can either stir up strife or speak life. Paul’s reminder in Colossians 4:6 isn’t just about sounding pleasant—it’s about letting our speech reflect the heart of Christ. Grace makes our words kind, and salt makes them lasting. Together, they shape conversations that encourage, preserve hope, and point people back to Jesus. So the next time we open our mouths, may we pause and ask: “Am I speaking life?” “Am I seasoning my words with grace and truth?” Because in a world full of noise, God calls us to be different—to speak in a way that honors Him and blesses others.