Week 7 - Grace in Speech

Colossians 4:6 is one of the best-known verses on Christian speech, and it's almost always quoted by itself. Paul actually placed it at the end of a paragraph that starts with prayer. Before he says a word about the tongue, he asks the church to pray, to stay alert, to give thanks, and to pray for him as the one who has to speak. Then he turns to wisdom toward outsiders, who hear how Christians talk to each other as well as how they talk to the world. Finally he describes speech that is always gracious and seasoned with salt, with an answer fitted to each person. The lesson ends at a well in Samaria, where Jesus opened a conversation with a request, offered grace, told a hard truth with courtesy, and sent a woman back into town carrying good news.