Speaking Of Life 1028 | Language of Love
Greg Williams
We all grew up learning a language. Whether our first – or native – language is Spanish, Tagalog, English, Dutch, Portuguese, ASL or another sign language – we all find ways to communicate. And that is the purpose of language – it is what we use to express ourselves, to share ideas and to learn from each other.
And it’s not just verbal language; we communicate through body language, tone and inflection. We communicate through the written word, through art, music, film and even architecture. There are many diverse and beautiful languages and ways to communicate. God created language for us and he uses language to communicate to us.
One of the best examples is found in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit used language – many different languages as a matter of fact – to tell about “God’s deeds of power.” People from all over heard the astonishing truth of God in their native language. We read:
“He spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”(Acts 2:31-33)
This was a miraculous moment, with a powerful impact, and it had an impact. The listeners responded by asking, “What shall we do?
Peter told them to repent – change the way they think about God. And to participate in the baptism of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. He concludes by saying this, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
On this day of Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit was given, some translations say He was “poured out.” What a gift indeed. He is for us all, and that is a promise.
God gave his only begotten Son for us and chooses to communicate his language of love and inclusion to us through the Spirit. No matter what language you speak, our prayer is that you hear His call.
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.
