foreign words, foreign concepts

"How do you spell 'servanthood,'" Dave asked me a few moments ago from the living room, where he was at work on his laptop.

"S.e.r.v.a.n.t.h.o.o.d." I said.

"That's what I thought," he said, "but spell checker won't take it."

"That happens all the time to me," I said. "A lot of the words we use--fellowshipers, firstfruits, lovingkindness--aren't recognized by spell checker."

And then it suddenly made sense to me. We speak a foreign language.

Until the world bows their knee to the One who bent His own knee to demonstrate foot-washing servanthood, the One who drew strangers together in committed fellowship, the One who offered Himself up as the sacrificial firstfruit and demonstrated in three-dimensional poignancy the lovingkindness of His Father, they won't understand our language.

Oh, God ... make me an interpreter.

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But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. --1 Cor 2:14 (NLT}