The Bible tells us that God is love. It says we must love God and love others. But what doesn’t that even mean? I love tacos. I love my mom. I love my chinchilla. When we talk about love we can mean lots of different things. But in 1 Corinthians 13, God lists a full description of the kind of love He’s talking about. In Love Wins, we will take this list to heart and take a close look at how we can live out God’s love and show the world how He has changed our hearts.
March 7
Other people have to wait on you sometimes. You want them to be patient. You can love others by being patient with them.
- What does kind mean? It’s not just being nice, kindness is heart-felt. Kindness comes from the heart and isn’t just treating someone nice, it’s actually demonstrating the love you feel for them. You can be nice to someone and hate their guts but that’s not kind.
- Being jealous usually is about wanting something someone else has. Sometimes that’s attention. Bragging is all about trying to get attention. You can show others you love them by listening to them and not trying to one-up their stories.
- Being proud? We probably need to break that down because “being proud of yourself” as a kid is talked about as a good thing but in the Bible it’s almost always negative. We need to illustrate the difference between the positive and negative. When we don’t treat others this way, we are being selfish. We are saying that everything is about me and how that makes me feel. Love is focusing on how others feel.
1 Corinthians 13:4 NCV Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.
Phrase:
Open my eyes so I can see, love isn’t all about me.
Discussion:
1) Share a time when you were nice to someone but your heart didn’t really love them.
2) What part of the verse do you need God’s help with: patience, kindness, jealousy, bragging or pride?
March 14
Other people may be rude to you but you don’t need to be rude in return.- It’s hard not to be selfish without God’s love. God’s love can make the difference in you. He can help you stop being so selfish and love others.
- Do you get mad easily? That’s not God’s love. Sometimes people say or do things that might hurt your feelings or make you mad. But you can choose to let that go and just give them a break. You can give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they haven’t felt God’s love. Maybe that could make the difference for them too and they wouldn’t act that way anymore.
- Don’t hold it against people when they are mean to you. God forgives you when you mess up. So you should forgive them. Nobody is perfect. Sometimes when someone just gets on your nerves all the time, that’s because you are holding a grudge against them. When you forgive someone and start praying for them, you’ll find that it’s easier to love them.
Verse:
1 Corinthians 13:5 NCV Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.
Phrase:
Everyone can make a mistake, that’s why love gives people a break.
Discussion:
1) Do you get mad easily? Share what makes you mad.
2) Who do you need to forgive this week? What will you do to make things right?
March 21
- Are you ever glad when someone else gets in trouble? That’s not God’s love. You should be sorry for them and pray for them. This is the best opportunity to show them God’s love.
- Some kids love doing something destructive like vandalism or violence. That shouldn’t be fun to you. God’s love isn’t about tearing things up, breaking things, or hurting people. God’s love is about healing and helping.
- Gossip and lies don’t spread God’s love, they spread hurt feelings and damaged reputations. God’s love wouldn’t want any part of that. When that kind of stuff goes on around you, the right thing to do is to speak the truth in a loving way.
- When great things happen for other people, you can rejoice with them. Celebrate the good times with your friends and be there with them through the bad times. That’s what a good friend is. That’s the kind of loving friend God is to us. He wants the best for us.
Verse:
1 Corinthians 13:6 NCV Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth.
Phrase:
God’s love is happy for you, so wish the best for others too.
Discussion:
1) Are you ever glad when someone else gets in trouble? Describe how you feel inside.
2) Share a time when you were hurt by gossip. This week, how can you spread God’s love instead of spreading rumors?
March 28
- We can be accepting of people without saying their wrong actions are OK with us. We can love the person and still pray for them to overcome their sins just like we are trying to do too.
- We may not be able to trust the person or see any hope for the broken relationship to ever get better, but that doesn’t mean God’s love is not still at work in them and in you. God’s love keeps on loving so we can put our trust and hope in God’s love to make the difference in our heart and in theirs.
- Lots of people give up on relationships when they stop having loving feelings for the person. Married people get divorced. Boyfriends or girlfriends break-up. Friends go their separate ways. This is not God’s love. God’s love continues past the feelings. When you have lost your loving feelings for someone, you can use God’s love to continue to treat them the way this passage describes. God’s love never runs out.
- God doesn’t give up on us, so don’t just give up on others. No matter how unloving someone else is, you can still love them with God’s love.
Verse:
1 Corinthians 13:7-8 NCV Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. Love never ends…
Phrase:
God’s love is here to stay, it doesn’t give up and walk away.
Discussion:
1) Share a time when God gave you the power to love someone you didn’t like.
2) Share a time when you felt like giving up. How does it make you feel to know God’s love will never give up on you?
