Daily Devotional
How to Preserve Your Relationships
“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Colossians 4:6
February 5, 2024
Ponder This
Salt has many different purposes. One is adding taste to food. And grace adds flavor to speech. Salt is a preservative, and speech that issues out of the nature of grace will preserve relationships. “Let your speech always be with grace.” Do you know what grace is? Grace is not giving people what they deserve; grace is giving them what they need. You say, “My wife doesn’t deserve that kind of speech,” or “My husband doesn’t deserve those words,” but that’s more reason to speak with grace because the other person needs it.
Do you know why we can’t be intimate? Because we’re afraid to expose ourselves. We’re afraid we’ll get criticized. If I expose my inadequacy, then I’m afraid I won’t be accepted. Out of acceptance grows trust. And then out of trust, there comes intimacy. And so, you see, intimacy can only grow where there is a place of safety. Grace gives space for safety, and it builds bridges instead of tearing them down.
- When has someone extended grace to you when you did not deserve it?
- What would it look like to extend grace to the people around you? What makes that difficult?
Practice This
Consider a recent conflict you were in. How did you act at that moment? How might you have responded more graciously?
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
What is the mission of the Church?
Love Worth Finding's newest book, "A Final Charge to the Church, "is based on the final series of messages Pastor Rogers preached before retiring in 2005. Pastor Rogers wanted to prepare his congregation for the future. In doing so, he provided a biblically sound blueprint that applies to all Christians on topics including unity among believers, standing strong in opposition to the enemy (Satan), the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives, steadfastness in prayer, true worship, faithfulness to God's Word, caring for others, and the kingdom authority given to believers in Jesus Christ. The book is a great read for all believers who want to become better prepared, as the bride of Christ, to be radiant, pure, and faithful to Jesus, the living Word of God.
