Faith, Hope, & Love
Ever since I was a little girl with blonde ringlets cascading down my back and sitting in Mrs. Dombrowski’s first grade classroom, I have loved words. I can’t exactly explain it … but at that inexperienced age of 6 years old … I knew that words held power.
I knew that words could give life to imaginary people and cause them to become my dearest of friends.
Even though I didn’t know much about life beyond my one room schoolhouse in a tiny little town tucked away between cornfields, I knew that I could travel through time simply by learning how to read.
I loved the way that words fit into the pocket of my heart and caused a swelling to take place there. No one else saw it but me … no one else experienced it but me … but I knew that I was rich indeed because of the value of a single word.
I treasured each word that I learned to read like a piece of Turkish delight that would melt not on my tongue but it would melt upon my thirsty soul!
As the years have gone by, I have graduated from Dr. Seuss … to Laura Ingalls Wilder … to Louisa May Alcott … to Shakespeare … and now to great theologians. And do you know what?!! I still experience the same thrill that I did in that little wooden desk over half a century ago.
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Words have the power to create and the power to destroy.
Words have the power to bring the mundane and commonplace to a platform of consequence and influence.
Words hold the raw potential of an artist’s brush. Words are able to display the unmatched genius of a rare masterpiece in a literary format.
Often, these days, as I read a portion of Scripture I become absolutely undone by the meaning of the words that the Holy Spirit has chosen to communicate the breath and the heart of God toward His people.
“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man …
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love …
“May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth … and length … and height and depth …
And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God!” – Ephesians 3: 16 – 19
Don’t you feel as though you have just stood on the vista of the highest and most rugged mountaintop and have gasped at the gorgeous scenery below?
Isn’t your heart magnificently filled to the brim with the unmatched authority of the words of Paul and the Holy Spirit?!
Words.
Words are able to rain down refreshing drops of water that cause vibrant growth and then develop a glorious harvest where there used to be only dying dreams and yesterday’s unfulfilled hopes.
Words can strengthen the mortal soul.
Words have the exciting capacity to deposit health in diseased attitudes and minds.
Words are able to stir up renewed vision in a discouraged heart that was only capable of sorrowfully looking back toward the unchanging past.
Words change lives … words restore … words inspire … words revive … words celebrate!
Often, in my lifetime, I have wondered what the most powerful word in the English language could be. Is there one word with supreme power? Is there a list of “Top 10 Words” that make the final cut?
What is the most powerful word known to mankind? I suppose that we all have our favorites but I wonder which word holds the most inherent power?
Is it the word “hope”? Certainly a word with the perpetual impact of “hope” is in the top ten finalists, wouldn’t you say?!
To me, the wordsmith that I am, hope means “believing with my whole heart that the goodness of God will invade my circumstances”.
Perhaps one would argue that the word “faith” is the most valuable and life-changing word in the English tongue.
The faith of a little child … the faith to move mountains … the faith to partner with God … the faith to heal … life-changing faith in God!
However, Paul and the Holy Spirit, although they certainly agree that “faith” and “hope” are among the top 3 words ever uttered, these two prolific writers present a four-letter word for our consideration.
“But no faith, hope, love abide these three … but the greatest of these is love.” – I Corinthians 13:13.
You are at your most powerful when you simply love someone. The most persuasive, life-changing, restorative words you can ever speak are simply, “I love you.” When you demonstrate love to a person who is different than you are … you are most like Jesus.
After all … Jesus came to earth and loved us even when we were drastically different from Him! Jesus knew, from heaven’s vantage point, that “love” is not only the most powerful word in all of eternity but its intrinsic power comes from simple acts of kindness … day after day after day.
If you want to partner with God in promoting His truthful agenda of power and of substance, then you will use the word “love” liberally and often. You won’t point out differences but perhaps you will focus on what is lovable in others.
Hope is valuable … faith is irreplaceable … but love makes all the difference.
And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God!” – Ephesians 3:19
Do you hear the words of Paul, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, ricochet through the centuries?!
When you know the love of Christ, you are filled up to all the fullness of God Himself! How is that even possible?! How can I, a mere human being, hold the fullness of the Creator of the universe in my miniscule existence?!
This incomprehensible miracle is only possible when I know His unmatched love! Love … the greatest force and the most engaging word ever spoken.
Love.
Open the Gift of Now in Everyday Moments
None of us knows how long we have on this earth. Sometimes, the days seem to pass by with little importance; at other times, we might feel overwhelmed by our experiences, whether they bring us happiness or sorrow. In the end, however, we allow our days and years to march on.
But what if we intentionally view each today as a gift from God? What if we considered today as a verb, an action that we can use right now?
In Today Is a Verb: Open the Gift of Now in Every Ordinary Moment, author Carol McLeod asks us to grab hold of God’s endless gift of time—past, present, and future—and make the most of every moment and every minute. For this gift from God is truly as boundless as the ocean. The act of living can bring us joy if we seek to listen to God, read His Word, and pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Today Is a Verb can propel us to our destiny, to God’s desire for us. As Carol explains, each moment can be something profound, purposeful, and precious. We can choose each day to pray, to serve, to hope, to trust, to overcome—the possibilities are endless.
Today Is a Verb can be read as a thirty-day devotional or as a way to revolutionize your life. Each chapter includes a life quote, a verse from Scripture, a practical application, and a daily declaration.
“This dimension of godly living…is not for the faint of heart but for all of those who have determined their lives will smack of the atmosphere of heaven,” Carol says.
“If you have been thirsty for a joy that is foreign to your personality and seems to be only a mirage in the desert of life, I hope this scintillating philosophy will stir up what has been lacking in your life,” she says. “Perhaps, with me, you would be brave enough to determine to take at least one vibrant step toward the life for which you have been aching.”
Release date: November 5, 2024
Providing Hope and Healing Through Mercy Ships with Raeanne Newquist
Welcome back to the Significant Women Podcast with Carol McLeod! Today’s episode features a guest with a unique story: Raeanne Newquist, Mercy Ships spokeswoman. Raeanne has seen God move in her life time and again, and particularly through the world changing ministry of Mercy Ships, traveling hospitals bringing much needed medical care alongside the message of the Gospel to many of the world’s most needy. Listen in to learn more!
Connect with Mercy Ships at https://www.mercyships.org/