Bible Reading 1 John 4:8-10

When I first read the title, I too thought how might this relate to God’s love.  If you think about how many pet-crazed people there are then on the opposite end of the end of the spectrum how many people could care less about pets and just do not understand the affection people can have toward a dog, cat, reptile, or even fish.  But often times these furry friends do not do anything to earn our love or affection.  They can chew up or tear up or mess up things that belong to us.  The shed on our furniture and can soil our floor, but yet we still pay for them and love them.  In a lot of ways we can relate this to our relationship with God.

We mess up all the time.  We tear things up God puts together and even don’t return affection to Him when he cares for us, but that doesn’t change his love and favor for us.  He loves us unconditionally whether we deserve it or not.  Maybe you are reading this early in the morning and have a daunting day ahead or maybe it’s late in the evening after a long, tough day when things didn’t go quite right, God is there for you.  Whether you are deserving or not His mercies are new every morning and his love and power can over-whelm your weakness.

Is it hard for you to believe God loves you?  Why or Why not?

Do you feel worthy of God’s love right now? How is that affecting your level of joy and peace?

How would your life change if you focused more on God’s love and less on your failure?

(Information based on Life is _____ Forty-Day Experience by Judah Smith)

Day 5

Romans 2:4

On of my favorite shoes on TV is Fixer-Upper.  I love watching Chip and Joanna take a house that is older or in need of renovation and make it beautiful.  Think about our life without Christ, and how he comes in and cleans us up and makes us new.

Think about the Disney song from the popular movie Frozen, Fixer-Upper.  It says, “The only fixer-upper fixer that can fix up a fixer-upper is true, true love.”  Where else can we find that love, but in Jesus Christ.  We are all fixer-uppers, but God is the Fixer.  He’s the handyman who can repair us, and His tool of choice is love.

Do you spend more time thinking about your failures or God’s love?  Why?  How does that affect you?

Why do people tend to view God as threatening and angry? Is that your view of God? Why or Why not?

What areas of your life need to improve?  How can focusing on God’s love help you grow in those areas?

Day 1 Thoughts

This week or at least the beginning of the week – is taking a little different twist.  I received a book from a dear friend for my birthday. As I looked through it the first several reads go hand in hand with our study on God’s love for us.  Coincidence, maybe, but I honestly believe this concept is staring me right in the face because it’s something I think about, and I am not alone in this thinking.

The Bible is a love story.  God has dealt with people from Adam, Abraham, and Moses to dealing with us today with love.  Everything he does displays His love for us.  Throughout the Bible we see tangible evidence of God’s love poured out.  But we tend to get amnesia.

Amnesiacs – We remember we were sinners, but forget we’ve been set free…

We remember we were guilty, but we forget we’ve been forgiven…

We remember we’ve fallen, but we forget that God picked us up….

Read Romans 8:38-39

Questions:  When is it hardest for you to remember that God loves you?  Are there particular circumstances or character issues that make you forget?  If so what are they?

Is it easier for you to accept God’s love or his commands?  Why?

How convinced are you of God’s love for you?  What convinced you?  How could you  be more convinced?

Day 2 Thoughts

TMI – Too Much Information Read Luke 15:11-32

Have you ever been given too much information and it gross you out?  I believe that God protects us by allowing us not to totally comprehend our sinfulness serves in comparison to God’s goodness.  I think it would make us sick.  However, God knows all this and still desires a relationship with us.  In fact, He if pursuing us!

He wants to embrace , love and restore us!

Have you ever felt ashamed of your past before God?  If so how did you proceed through this?

How does God’s unconditional love for you help deal with any current weaknesses or flaws in your life?

If God knows our past and loves us anyway, then what does He think about our future? If we mess us down the road, How will God respond?

Day 3 Thoughts

Read Romans 8:1-2

Exaggerating Infinity – We exaggerate everything, but God does not.  We use words like always and never, but we know these conditions may not be true, but an exaggeration even if we intend for it to be true.

Which extreme do you tend toward:  Exaggerating your goodness or badness?  Or maybe both?  Why?

What is the relationship between your actions and emotions and your spiritual position?

What are the biggest, broadest words you can think of to describe God’s love for you?  Do they do his love justice?

Day 4 Coming Tomorrow….

Good morning gang!

We talk a lot about God’s Word and what it says about how we should live.  If you go back to the beginning of the story, God had a plan that shows up the first time in Genesis 3.  It weaves it’s way throughout the story of scripture, and it culminates with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, His Son.  God knew mankind would be sinful.  He knew we would be hopelessly lost without His redemption of us through the blood of His Son.  He knew the offer of salvation through Jesus would be received with joy and passion by some and rejected with hate and disdain by others.  He knew the love, grace, and mercy He showed us would need to be reflected to a hurting, hopeless, and helpless world.
The plan never said that our actions brought us salvation, or changed our RELATIONSHIP with the Father…BUT, it does clearly say over and over again in scripture that our lives will change based on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  God loves (loved) us just like we were, but according to what we read in the Bible, He wants us to follow Him and that WILL make us look more like Him.

This blog isn’t about the battle in current church culture between your lifestyle reflecting Jesus and the concept of grace being enough so your “works” don’t really matter.  This blog IS about us being more involved in each other’s lives on a daily basis.  I know the majority of you don’t work together or go to school together, but as a group, I think we struggle to be as involved with one another as we could be.  Especially guys with guys and girls with girls.  None of us are capable of living a godly life on our own.  We were not created to be on an island with no contact with others.  God created us in His image we are told in scripture.  One of those ways we “look” like Him is our ability to build meaningful, lasting relationships with other people.  I want to see us do a better job of that inside our group, and I want to see us put that into practice on the outside of our group.  I truly believe we have only scratched the surface of the people God has for us to reach, but we will not see the increase until we are willing to build relationships with people.

The relationships we build on the inside of our group have to be an encouragement to us, and they have to help us stay the course for who God wants us to be.  Here is a list of 10 questions you should be asking your close friends several times per week. And they should be asking you these questions as well.

1. Have you spent daily time in God’s Word and in prayer?
2. Have you flirted, or had lustful attitudes, tempting thoughts, or exposed yourself to any explicit materials which would not glorify God?
3. Have you been completely above reproach in your financial dealings?
4. Have you pursued the hearts of the people you are in godly relationships with?
5. Have you done your 100% best in your job, school, etc.?
6. Have you told any half truths or outright lies, putting yourself in a better light to those around you?
7. Have you shared the Gospel with an unbeliever this week?
8. Have you taken care of your body through daily physical exercise and proper eating/sleeping habits?
9. Have you allowed any person or circumstance to rob you of your joy?
10. Have you lied on any of your answers?

Remember, the goal is to hit 10 out of 10 every time you answer these questions.  Please let me caution you about something… if you read the questions and you immediately feel like your failing at some (or all) of them, our human nature is to stop asking yourself and others the questions so you don’t have to feel bad about it.  That is not the proper response.  The RIGHT thing to do is to begin working on them each day so you don’t have to feel bad when you’re asked.

Let’s hold each other to a standard worthy of the price that was paid for us.  Love you all!

WG

Day 1 Friendship with God

James 2:14-24; 4:4-10

1.  Read James 2:14-24 What is about Abraham which led to his being described as God’s friend? See also 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 4:18)
2. Would you describe yourself as a friend of God?  Can you think of areas where what you believe isn’t reflected in how you behave? (Oh this hits for me :))
3. Read James 4:4-10 What does James mean by “friendship with the world”?  Why is impossible to be a friend of God and a friend of the world?
4. From this passage, how can our friendship with God be strengthened? (Make this personal to your own life)

Day 2 Job’s Friends Job 2:11-13; 42:7-10 – (Another one of my favorite passages how Job responds when he has every worldly reason to give up)

1.  Read Job 2:11-13 How did Job’s friends demonstrate the genuineness of their friendship? How do you think Job would have felt if they had launched into their response without this initial stage?
2. Can you think of instances in your own life where such sensitivity has been important?
3. As it turns out, the arguments of Job’s friends cut no ice with God.  Read 42:7-10.  How does Job demonstrate friendship at this point?

Day 3.  Carrying Burdens

Mark 2:1-12; Galatians 6:1-5

1.  Read Mark 2:1-12 What evidence is there that the four men carrying the paralytic were his friends?  How was their friendship expressed (see v. 5)?
2. Now Read Galatians 6:1-5.  What might carrying one another’s burdens involve?  Can you think of any recent personal experience which sheds light on this? Share
3. How might we explain the apparent contradiction between the beginning of verse 2 and verse 5?

Day 4   Friends of Jesus

John 15:9-17

1.  Read John 15:9-17.  Becoming a friend of Jesus is quite different from becoming a friend of anyone else.  Why do you think this is the case?
2. What does Jesus contribute to the relationship that exists between himself and his friends?
3. What is the essential difference between a ‘servant’ and a ‘friend’ of Jesus? Which one are you?
4. What is the ‘master’s business’ to which Jesus refers here? In what ways does it involve you?

Day 5 Paul’s Christmas -card list?

Romans 16:1-16

1.  Paul often greets individuals by name in his letters, but this is the longest list of such people in the New Testament.  As you read it through, what do you learn about Paul from what he says about his friends?
2. What do you think it would be like to have Paul as a friend?
3. Read Acts 19:31; 24:23; 27:3 How were some of Paul’s friends able to help him?

Going Further:  One of the best friendships in the Bible is between David and Jonathan…..Read 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 20:1-42; 23:15-18, 2 Samuel 1:1-12; 9:1-13.  What do you notice from their example?  Do you have friends like this?

John 3:16; Ephesians 5:25-27; Romans 8:28-39

1.  What does John 3:16 about the extent of God’s love and the conditions of benefiting from it?
2. Ephesians 5:25-27 pictures Christ’s love for the church in terms of a bridegroom’s love for his bride (remember the Old Testament picture of God’s love for Israel).  In your own words describe how Jesus wants to express His love for you.
3. Romans 8:28-39 – Read this passage and write down 2 lists:
   1. Results of Your Love for God
   2. Results of God’s Love for you
4. How does Romans 8:28-39 dispel the belief that God has certain elections for certain groups of people?

 Day 5              Do you love me?

John 21:15-17 This is an encounter between Jesus and Peter.  (One of my favorite passages, because as stubborn as I am, this reassures that even though I mess up, He will not Give up 🙂

1.  Read John 14:15-24  – Is your love for Christ genuine? (look at Christ’s example in v 31)
2. Refer back to Matthew 22:35-40 Jesus is teaching that all the commands of the law hang onto the requirement of our love for God and for our neighbors.  How does this reflect what Jesus says in John 14?
3. Do you see the link between Love and Obedience?  How doe this direct your answer that Jesus asks Peter in John 21….Do you love me?

Love that Lasts

Read Deuteronomy 7:6-11 ( Connected to Gen 15:18-20; Gen 17:1-8)

1.  Why did God choose Israel? (verses 6-7)

a)  What was God’s motive and purpose?

2. How was God’s love seen in action on Israel’s behalf?  (verse 8)  How does this parallel with God’s love for you?

3.  We read that this love relationship began with God loving us rather than Us loving God first, But love is not all one way.  How is this brought out in verses 9-10?

Read John 4:7-12

Agapetoi – those who are especially loved….We are addressed as this in the gospel of John. And looking back to yesterday’s reading in 1 Corinthians, Without love = nothing.

How does this principle in I Corinthians work out in I John 4:7-8?  Why can you not be a Christian without having love?

Look at verse 10, Where did you love relationship with God begin? How can you be sure that God still loves you? (Compare verse 9 with John 3:16, Romans 5:8, then read Romans 5:6-11)

If God’s love is seen through his actions in your favor, how should love other people? (See verses 11-12).  What unseen resources can you draw on to enable you to love like God?

How can you be confident that God will not stop loving you? (Think back on Romans 5)

This week we had a great time meeting separately with our ladies and guys.  We planned some activities coming up and talked about Bible Study that we will be starting TOMORROW! Today’s post includes the information I handed out Thursday night at Bible study to get you thinking our the word LOVE.  It has so many meanings, and we are going to dive into what God’s words says about loving ourselves, Him, and others.  I am so excited about this study.  The more you respond and post your input the more we will get out of this study.  Please let me know if you have prayer requests or questions as we go through this together.

Each day you will have scripture and questions that make you think about what God’s Word says about different areas of our lives.  I hope you enjoy this study.  I have learned a lot already just preparing things to share and cannot wait to have your input.

This is our study for tomorrow:

Day 1

Theme:  Lifestyle Study on Love

Day 1 Reading 1 Corinthians 13

1. Define Love

2. How does your definition compare to verses 4-7 or 1 Corinthians 13?

3. Can you think of any other words to briefly summarize the meaning of love or a word you can use in its place?

4. In verses 1-3, Why is it that these “spiritual activities” are worthless if it’s done without love?

5. Verses 8-13 Contrast the temporary things with permanent things like Faith, Hope, and Love.  How do Paul’s pictures about growing up and mirrors (v11-12) help you see the importance of Faith, Hope, and Love over “temporary things”?