“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 taking the time to visit the website for my ministry. On this page you will find a portal to my prayers, podcases, meditations, and videos. I feel God has called me to share the good news of Jesus Christ in a manner that is positive, uplifting, and full of the redemptive grace, mercy, and love of the Lord. I hope you will find this site to be meaningful and I hope you will share with someone else. 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)
Exodus 4: 10 But Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” 13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 16 He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. 17 Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”
The shepherds who went to see the baby Jesus were ordinary people.
This week, i would like to take a look and share some thoughts about the moment in the life of Moses when God calls him to return to Egypt and tell pharaoh “let my people go.’
1. Moses was 80 years old when God told him to return to Egypt.
2. Lesson: no matter how old you are, like Moses, God has something for you to do!
3. Some think when they retire or get older life is over.
Others think life is over long before they retire. Still others think they are alive, but make dead end choices – choose negative relationships, dangerous substances, wasteful spending, and fruitless contemplation, and wonder why their lives are not happy.
When God told Moses to go back to Egypt and liberate his people, the first thing Moses says is pharaoh will not believe me because I am not eloquent and slow of tongue and slow of speech. The observation of Moses was accurate, but what Moses did not count on, is that God is bigger then our capacity to speak! God saw something in Moses that Moses did not see in himself!
Why do you think God chose Moses, a man who was not eloquent and slow of speech, to tell pharaoh let my people go? Do you think maybe God saw an advantage to Moses speaking, more so than anybody else?
Just as God saw something in Moses, God sees something in you and even me! Eventually Moses made God angry. Lesson: if you and I put God off long enough, we too will make God angry. After making God angry, God chose Aaron, the elder brother of Moses to do the talking with pharaoh.
Likewise, if you and I keep stonewalling God, God may go around you and choose somebody else!
I find it fascinating that out of all the people in the Jewish race to liberate the Jewish people, God chose Moses and not someone else who was younger, stronger, maybe better looking, and definitely a better speaker.
Lesson: in God’s eyes, you already possess everything you need! Think of the opportunities we pass up because we think we’re not old enough, not smart enough, not compelling enough, not eloquent enough, even when God has already identified you for success!
From this point on, Aaron is the principle communicator for God when talking to Moses. I pray you have found this meditation to be helpful, and I hope it will cause you to think twice when it seems like God is compelling you to do or say something! May the Lord continue to bless you and your family in all ways, and thank you for reading. Blessings, Nick
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.
