Good morning and a Most Blessed Thursday to you. 

I read a really interesting Bible study recently on languages, and God's Word being translated into various languages. One language in particular really stuck out to me. It's the language HDI. It's a language that is spoken by 24,000 people in Cameroon and Nigeria, so not a wide or well-known language. But for these 24,000 people, this is their native tongue, and this is how they communicate with one another. 

What’s so interesting is that the New Testament had not been translated into their language until 2015. So really they did not have a clear understanding of who God is, and what he has done for them until really recently. And what's so interesting, and what I really enjoyed learning about this language was how they use the word “love”. We know first fruit of the Spirit is love. And we hear how God so loved us that he gave his only son to die for us, so that all who believe would not perish, but have eternal life. We understand love in this sort of way. But what's really cool when you break it down into this HDI language, they really have only two forms that have been used for love. The first form is is DVI. And that refers to a love that once was but is now gone. The other is DVA.  And that depends upon the actions of the recipient of that love. So, if the beloved behaved well, they would continue to be DVA, because they are behaving well. But if they don't behave well, then they would be DVI. That love that once was there is now gone, and they are not worthy of love, or receiving love. 

So in theory in this language it was possible to DVU… which meant to love continuously regardless of the actions of the beloved, but that was never a form that was used, because that had never been experienced. 

When the New Testament was translated for them in 2015 their world was turned upside down because the translators realized that God does not work in 

DVA. He works in a form of DVU. We can see this clearly played out in verses such as Ephesians 2:4 where Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes: 

4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith,

It could say “by love you have been saved” because we have not done anything to deserve the love of God. And yet he counted it right and good to love us, and to go to the cross to die for us and forgive our sins, regardless of whether or not we are deserving; whether or not we are behaving well. Because, quite frankly, as it says “even when we were dead through our trespasses”… that means, in our sin we are not deserving of love, and in our sin we are not behaving well. 

But that's not how God works. God does not work on a DVI basis. God works through DVU love. He works through that continuous love, regardless of the recipient… regardless of the beloved's actions or behavior. God has entered into creation in Jesus Christ, and he went to the Cross to die for our sins because he loves us, and he for forgives our sins. We know this is true because he no longer is dead, but he was resurrected and lives and reigns even today. The quality and the power of God's love is greater than anything that you or I could ever imagine. And greater than anything that you or I could give to another this side of heaven without the loving strength of the Spirit that he has given to us. His own spirit abides in us as we abide in him. We know that through the love of God, that he continues to love us every day… day in and day out. And will continue to forgive our sins as we turn to him, confessing our sins, and asking for forgiveness. We know that the promise is good, and it is ours. We have that forgiveness through Jesus Christ because he loves us. Praise be to him! 

Heavenly Lord, we thank you so much for your grace and mercy. We thank you so much for your love… a love that is unlike any other. We thank you that regardless of our behavior, regardless of our worthiness, that you have counted it right to love us and to forgive us and to save us not only today but for all time and eternity. Lord, we ask that you would help us to love others with that same sacrificial and and open love; that you would guide us to have grace and mercy for others. Guide us to share your word of true love with everyone we meet. Lord, we lift this to you, thanking you for the love that you provide, and praising you all in the loving name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have an amazing rest of your week, and I look forward to praising our loving Lord with you in just a few days.

God bless!

Pastor Malinak