June 21, 2010
Study Guide: Choose Love
Posted by Michael
Main Idea: God is love. We cannot properly love others unless we accept God’s love and love Him above everything else. God puts no restrictions on who He’ll love. God does not divide His love among His people. He loves everyone fully and perfectly. We should strive to have a love that is inclusive rather than conditional. We have never met someone unworthy of love. Choose love, regardless of circumstances and predicted outcomes.
Discuss…
1. Have you ever had a hard time accepting God’s love? Why?
2. How can loving God more than anyone or anything else actually help you to love others better? Do you find it easier to love others when you put God first?
3. Have you ever felt threatened by God’s love for others? Have you ever been angry that God showed grace to someone who strayed from him, while you remained faithful? Why do we sometimes think that God’s grace to others somehow diminishes His love for us?
4. Are there people in your life that are hard to love? What would it look like to choose to love those people fully?
5. Have you ever been “beaten up” by love (been let down by those who were supposed to love you the most)? How has that affected your view of love and the capacity to love others? How can you allow Jesus to heal that wound so that you can properly love others?
6. God’s love is inclusive. How can you begin to love others in this way?
7. In your attempts to love people, are you meeting them where they are? Or do you set expectations on others and make them earn your love in increments (i.e. “I’ll only love you this much until you…”)?
Pray
This week, examine your life and see if you are you are fully experiencing God’s love. Is there anything keeping you from Him? If so, remember that God is pursuing you with wide open arms. Pray that He would be first in your life and for the grace to love others well.
