Please Pass the Salt

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. --Colossians 4:5-6

When it comes to the contents of God's Word, memorization purely for memorization's sake is not the point. The true value lies in taking the Bible's contents to heart and developing the discernment needed to apply its truths in day to day life. Even beyond that, knowing the Word of God enables us to know about God. When we know Him more fully, we are better able to communicate the reality of who He is with others.

Paul's letter to the Colossians admonishes them to let their speech be full of grace and seasoned with salt. I believe that this means our words need to be more than just savory to the listener. When we are talking about God with those who do not yet have a relationship with Him, the best way we can ensure that our words will take hold is to make sure they are salted. In other words, just like salt was used to preserve food, the Holy Spirit can give us salty speech and words that will be preserved in the hearts of those who hear us. To have speech that is full of grace means we need to communicate God's Word as truth. Unless we have passages of scripture at the ready, much else of what we try to say may be useless.

I consider it a compliment when someone tells me that something I said made an impact on him or her. I wouldn't be surprised if God feels similarly when we acknowledge that His Word is making an impact on us. Unless we spend consistent periods of time reading the Bible, we are missing out on the opportunities to let God influence and shape us. Furthermore, when we merely read the Bible without actively engaging our minds by working to memorize what we're reading, we don't make much progress toward writing God's laws on the tablets of our hearts.

In the past I have fallen embarrassingly short of the goal of memorizing large blocks of God's Word. I attribute this to my selfish need to be entertained. If I can memorize the lines of my favorite movies, certainly I should be able to memorize scripture. In the future I am committed to not only memorizing God's Word, but understanding it more fully as it pertains to my life and God's purpose for me. Moreover, by committing portions of the Bible to memory I will be building a solid foundation that will help me defend my faith, speak the truth in grace, and offer well-seasoned words to anyone who may ask about my beliefs.