“11 May the LORD, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!”
– Deuteronomy 1:11
Thank you for visiting this web page. I am Nick Hood, pastor of the Plymouth United Church of Christ in Detroit, Michigan. I invite you to browse and explore this page where you will find links to all of my prayers, meditations, podcasts and videos, which include some Sunday morning videos of worship services and Word Network episodes which air every Saturday afternoon at 2:30 PM EST. Blessings, Nick
Today I want to examine the question, why is love greater than faith and hope? First, we must ask the question what is faith? Our faith in God is what we believe about God. Faith is the foundation of Christian spirituality. Hope is based on faith. Keep reading, and I will share with you why love is greater than faith and hope. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”
(Hebrews 11:1)
Jeremiah 1: 4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”
The shepherds who went to see the baby Jesus were ordinary people.
Has there ever been a time in your life when you wondered if you were smart enough, strong enough, well connected enough, old enough, to do what you wanted to do? If so, you are not alone. From time immortal, people have wondered if they were too young, not well enough prepared , and frankly in over their heads to try something new and different. One example of a person who felt sorry for himself because he was young and inexperienced is the prophet, Jeremiah. Even though his father was a prophet, when God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, he talked back to the Lord and expressed his concern that he was too young and the people of Israel would not take him seriously. If we look at his response to God choosing him as a prophet to the 12 tribes of Israel, it also appears that Jeremiah may have felt physically threatened at the notion of speaking on behalf of God to an unwilling people.
God responds that Jeremiah should not worry because God would deliver him. Read the scripture below for yourself, and ask yourself, “have I ever felt like I was too young or too whatever to do what I felt called to do?”
Let me share with you some observations from the way God responds to Jeremiah and how you and I would do well to incorporate the response of God into our own lives.
1. God is telling Jeremiah to stop feeling sorry for himself because he already has power within himself, even though he can’t see it, he has what it takes to be a success!
2. In like manner God has blessed you with what you need to so to be a success in life. You’re smarter then you may realize. You have more capacity than you think. Even though the obstacle in front of you may appear to be daunting, the cost high, and the challenge is severe, like Jeremiah, God sees something in you that you probably cannot see in yourself! In the Spirit of God reassuring Jeremiah that God would protect him, I encourage you not to feel sorry for yourself, because God has chosen you for a secial work because you already have the tools to accomplish great things!
“The Power of God”
1st Corinthians 13: 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
So let me breakdown why love his greater than faith and hope. A person can abound with great faith, but if they are mean, self-centered, unforgiving, their faith is diminished and cheapened. Think for a moment of all of the persons with great faith who turned away people from the church and God because of and unloving, unkind, and un-redemptive attitude.
These are the people who pray with great eloquence, know a lot of Bible verses, can sing with fervor and sweet tones, but fall apart when something bad happens in their lives.
What is hope? To hope is to dream, to imagine something which may seem impossible. The world moves and often improves because of the hopes of those who believe. What good is the ability to hope and dream, if our hopes and dreams are grounded in negativity? What good is your hope, if it is selfish and rude? What good is your hope if it is a shallow hope which refuses to believe all things, bear whole things, hope all things, and endures all things?
Why is love greater than faith and hope?
– When we love, we share something positive with someone else
– love compels us to think beyond ourselves
– Love will encourage a person to put someone else before themselves
– The love of a parent will cause them to work two or three jobs so that their children and family will have a better life.
– The love of lovers will cause both persons to slow down, or speed up, to please the one they care for.
– This is true, not only in the case of lovers, but the caregivers who put themselves out in their attentiveness to someone who is infirmed, and cannot fully take care of themselves.
Steps you and I can take to build a love which is greater than faith and hope
Benefits of living a life founded on love
I hope you have found this meditation spiritually worthwhile. If you have found this to be meaningful, I hope you will share it with a friend or family member. Blessings. Nick
New Broadcast Episode for This Week on The Word Network – Every Saturday at 2:30 PM EST. Check for local listings!
Luke 10 The Good Samaritan – 1
Rev Hood EP 4 Book Of Esther Vashti Rev 2830
LOVE DATING MARRIAGE AND THE BIBLE – worship promo
Thank God for Friends Who Go Back a Long Way
LOVE DATING MARRIAGE AND THE BIBLE – worship promo
Plymouth United Church of Christ (PUCC) is proud to support a medical mission in Ethiopia founded by church member Dr. Ingida Asfaw. PUCC members, including Rev. and Mrs. Hood, traveled to Ethiopia to establish a maternal-child clinic. Visit ENAHPA for more information.
Learn more about Nick Hood Ministries.
