The Power of Words: Why Love Is the Greatest Word of All

Written By Carol McLeod

I have loved words for as long as I can remember.

I was just a little girl sitting in Mrs. Dombrowski’s first-grade classroom when Little House in the Big Woods was placed in my hands. I didn’t have the vocabulary to explain what was happening inside of me, but I understood something important even then: words had power.

Through words, I could travel to places I had never seen, meet people who felt like dear friends, and discover a world much larger than the little town I called home. I loved the way words could fit into the pocket of my heart and somehow make it expand.

All these years later, words still captivate me. I’ve traveled from Dr. Seuss to Laura Ingalls Wilder, from Louisa May Alcott to Shakespeare, and from beloved novels to the writings of great theologians.

But no words have ever moved me the way the words of Scripture do.

Words can encourage or wound. They can breathe life into a discouraged heart or leave damage that lingers for years. They can restore hope, stir courage, bring comfort, and change the direction of a life.

And when I read the Bible, I’m reminded that God Himself chose words to reveal His heart to us.

Paul writes in Ephesians:

“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

Just think about that.

Through these inspired words, God invites us to comprehend something that is ultimately beyond comprehension: the breadth, length, height, and depth of His love.

Words can carry heaven into the human heart.

For years, I’ve wondered which word might be the most powerful of all.

Perhaps it is hope.

Hope believes that the goodness of God can still invade impossible circumstances. Hope looks at what is broken and somehow believes that God is not finished yet.

Perhaps it is faith.

Faith trusts God when the mountain has not moved, the answer has not come, and the road ahead still feels uncertain. Faith believes that God is who He says He is.

But Scripture gives us the answer:

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13

Love.

You are never more powerful than when you choose to love someone the way Jesus has loved you.

Love has the ability to cross divides, soften hard hearts, restore what has been broken, and remind another person that they are seen and valued.

When you demonstrate love to someone who is different from you, difficult for you, or even disappointing to you, you begin to look a little more like Jesus.

After all, Jesus loved us when we were far from Him. He loved us before we had anything to offer Him. He loved us first.

Hope is valuable. Faith is irreplaceable. But love makes all the difference.

There may be someone in your life today who desperately needs the power of a few simple words.

I love you.

I forgive you.

I believe in you.

I’m here.

Words matter. They can wound, restore, discourage, revive, and change the course of a life.

But of all the words we could choose, Scripture reminds us that the greatest is still love.

So today, speak it. Demonstrate it. Give it freely.

Because when we love others well, we give them a glimpse of the heart of Jesus.

Carol McLeod
Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!
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