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1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9 NRSV)
A wondrous, wonderful Wednesday to you, Friend, is my prayer for you! I pray this finds you blessed and healthy. We continue to pray for the needs shared with us, for each other, and for the needs of the world. May this time with God, with each other, and praying for needs bless us with a great day and in turn allow us to bless others. Special prayers for the family of Baby Hudson, who was buried yesterday, Tuesday, in Gonzales, TX. May God's comfort be with his Mom and Dad, grandparents and all who loved that precious baby.
There is a young man on social media who never fails to impress me with his uncanny ability to learn and use diverse languages. It didn't hurt him to spend a year studying in China, where he learned Mandarin and some obscure, difficult dialects. His early videos showed him going to restaurants in the New York City areas like Chinatown, and him asking about the food in their native tongues. The reactions is what I love. There's something about connecting in one's native tongue, especially when in a different location.
The Bible tells us the story of when the world was once a place with one language "and the same words." Yes, it sounds like a boring place! And that's just my opinion. As these monolingual people migrated eastward they came upon a place where they believed the world would be blessed by having a tower that would reach to the heavens. The only negative thing to this big plan was the motive behind it. It's right there in verse 4, the second part, where they say, "let us make a name for ourselves." The motive reveals a self-centeredness that was veering them away from God. And it didn't help that the tower was meant to reach Heaven itself. When God sees this we notice that God says, "Nothing that they propse to do will now be impossible for them." So, the solution was to "confuse their language there, so tha they will not understand one another's speech." And the confusion was to introduce new languages. This sets the stage for what happens in Acts 2; that the God who could confuse destructive people by language, could also unite people in the same way; thus the miracle of Pentecost.
I believe God's plan has always been to unite all people, but people get in the way. It doesn't take many, only one who will take the lead, and others to blindly support that one and before you know it, we're off the path and headed the wrong way on a path that should be leading us to life. The Bible says it best, through one man, sin was introduced into the world, and through one man, Jesus, grace and life were introduced to all humanity. You and me are the ones who know this, and this is the message we should be making known to all people. There is hope and it is ours to share.
PRAYER: Loving God, let us share freely and boldly, the hope that Christ Jesus shared with us. Let us make it be that which brings life to all people. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show that your language is all about love even with those who may not speak your language yet!
Receive my blessings of joy and hope,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
