Day 16 – Words Attract: Seasoned words

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:6

Indispensable as salt is to us, it was even more so to the Hebrews. Salt is a necessity of life and the mineral used most since ancient times and in many cultures as seasoning, preservation, disinfectant, or ceremonial offerings and even as currency (Ancient Rome paid the soldiers in wages of salt, hence the saying “His worth in salt”). It was valued commodity and a great sacrifice to give up – which is why God requires it in the Old Testament sacrifices. (Read Leviticus 2:13) Salt was an important part of the offering because it is a natural aseptic (meaning it’s free from contamination and harmful bacteria, used to keep food items from spoiling.) The symbolic importance of salt during an offering was to symbolize purity, preservation, and expense. Every sacrifice offered to God should be pure, enduring and of value. It showed the relationship God wanted with His people and how He desired them to be the preservatives of the nation. This was affirmed when Jesus said we should be the salt of the earth.

Our words, when speaking to God and to others, should be preserved and full of flavour! But how does one flavour your words? I imagine words of wisdom, truth and love.

Prayer: Father, thank You for teaching us the value of salt and how we should use it with our words. Holy Spirit please teach me to always apply the spiritual meaning of salted words when praying, and when talking to others. Let my words be pure and flavourful to those who hear them. Amen.