Speaking with Grace...

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

grace - that which affords pleasure, joy, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, favor, good will.  

Graceful speech is that which reflects the merciful kindness of God, exerting His holy influence upon souls. It is the kind of speech that turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.  It is speech that is filled with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs and much thanksgiving.

Seasoned with salt:

salt is a purifier..it disinfects
salt adds flavor
salt preserves food unchanged
salt is a symbol of lasting concord
in classical writing salt is spoken of as the wit or sense (wisdom) with which conversation is flavored

Psalm 45:2 - The Lord Jesus represented...

You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.

Here is what our heart should be about so His grace will be on our lips:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.--Deuteronomy 6:4-9

May His grace be poured out on our lips because His word is in our hearts for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  

Praise to My God...

I Will Bless You My God...

Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to be moved.
For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.--Psalm 66:8-12

I will bless You, my God, and make my voice of praise be heard!  You preserve my soul here in life and do not allow my feet to be moved.  It is You, O Lord, who have tried me and tested me.  It is You who brought me into the net and laid affliction upon me.  But through it all, Father, You have been my help...You have been with me.  You who keep me do not slumber. You  lead me on right paths and make me to lie down in green pastures.   You order my steps and delight in my way. You deliver me out of it all because I have put my trust in You.  

I will sing of Your wonderful name because You, O Lord, have dealt bountifully with me.  You have used my affliction to draw me nigh unto You.  You have used it to mold me and make me more like you.  Someday I will awake in Your likeness!

You have proved my heart;  You have visited me in the night and tried me.  I have purposed in my heart to obey Your word...You alone do I worship.  You uphold all my goings and delivered me from wrong paths....my footsteps have not slipped.  Hear my cry now, O God of my strength!  Incline Your ear to me and show me Your marvelous lovingkindness.  Save me by Your right hand from those that rise up against me.  Keep me as the apple of Your eye and hide me under the shadow of Your wing.

Help me to see the trials of my faith as precious...more precious than gold that perishes.  My desire, Father, is that my faith might be found unto Your praise and Your glory at the appearing of Your Son, Jesus.

Praise to my God, who has regarded my lowly estate and brought me into His kingdom of light and made me His own.