On Being Gracious
“The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious” —Ecclesiastes 10:12
When people heard Jesus speak in the synagogue in Nazareth, they “wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luke 4:22).
It grieves me to hear some of the ungracious things Christians (and preachers) say towards each other. I know it must also grieve the Holy Ghost. Too often Christians are just as “mean” as non-Christians. Job’s “friends” said some mean things about him that would make you think Job was the worst man on earth (Job 11:3; 22:5-9).
Recently someone sent me an email that paid me one the nicest compliments I have ever received. It simply read, “Thanks again for being gracious.” I cannot think of a nicer thing that could be said about me (or anyone else).
Aren’t you glad God has been gracious towards you? The word gracious comes from the word grace. Grace is God treating you better than you deserve. How can I treat people different than the way God has treated me? We who have have “tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Pet. 2:3), ought to extend that same grace towards others.
Paul exhorts us to “Let your speech be ALWAY with GRACE” (Col. 4:6). Yes, sometimes we need to season our speech with a little salt. But a little salt goes a long way! If you put too much salt on your food and it becomes unpalatable and unhealthy. Just a “sprinkle” of salt is enough. I would rather be known for gracious speech rather than salty speech.
When I mess up (which I often do) I hope people will extend a measure of grace towards my mistakes. But, I cannot expect someone to treat me with grace if I have not been gracious towards them for their mistakes.
Think about the words that proceed out of your mouth when you speak about those who don’t measure up to your standards? Are your words gracious words? If you want to be treated with grace, you must also extend grace to those who fall short of your expectations (see Mt. 5;7; Luke 6:30).
When was the last time someone thanked you for being gracious? If you cannot remember, maybe you should ask yourself, “Am I gracious?”
