Session 1

Life Is to be loved by God

Welcome

Welcome to the first session of Life Is _____. For the next six weeks, you will be exploring with your group how to find true fulfillment and significance in life.

During this first week, you will discover with your group how "life is ... to be loved by God." Being aware of God's love is foundational for everything we do in life. It is a truth that will change your perspective about yourself, about others, and about life itself.

Whether you have been following Jesus for years or aren't even sure God exists, you are welcome on this journey. The group will provide a safe place for you to think, share, and ask questions as you work through the topics. It will provide a place where you can belong, no matter what stage of the journey you are on. It's going to be an amazing few weeks.

As we begin today, find someone near you — a friend or maybe someone you've never met before — and ask each other the following questions:

• Have you ever been lost before? Describe the event briefly.

• How did you feel when you realized you were lost?

• How did you feel when you finally found your way?

Video Teaching

The following are a few key thoughts to note as you watch session one of the video. Use the space provided to jot down personal observations or applications.

Love is the major theme of this life and our existence. And not just any love, but God's love for you and for me. Our significance and our identity can be summed up in the word love.

Life starts not with our love but with us being loved — with us discovering how much God loves us.

In John 3:16 we read, "God so loved the world" (NIV). That includes bad people. In fact, God is obsessed with evil, sinful, bad people. His love for us is passionate and even illogical. He loves us whether we recognize and reciprocate his love or not.

Love finds its maximum expression in Jesus. Jesus died for us at the chance — at the mere possibility — that we would accept him. God gave Jesus to us with no strings attached and with no guarantees. This is how risky and ridiculous God's love for humanity is.

Life begins with us realizing the value we have before God. He is obsessed with us. He knows every detail and every nook and cranny of our lives.

The story of Hosea and Gomer in the Old Testament is one of the most beautiful and scandalous pictures of what God has done for humanity. It illustrates his shocking, relentless love for you and for me. We already belong to God, yet he paid to buy back what was already his — and the price he paid was the life of his son, Jesus.

We find our value not in things, status, and influence, but in the fact that the most powerful being in the universe is completely obsessed with us. He desires for all people to come to know him.

We have the privilege to tell people everywhere about the unconditional, relentless love of God for them.

Our journey during these next few weeks begins not with us trying to figure out things using our own intellect, but with Jesus and with God's love. It begins with the one who cares about us at our best and at our worst.

Group Discussion

Take a few moments to discuss the following questions with your group.

1. Have you ever wondered what life is all about? What answers did you come up with? What answers have you heard from others?

2. How important is love to human beings? Why do you think it is so important?

3. Why is God's love for us more important than any other kind of love — including our love for him?

4. What does the phrase "God so loved the world" in John 3:16 tell us about God's love? How big is his love? Who does he love?

5. How is God's love different from the love we usually receive and give to each other here on earth?

6. How does the fact that Jesus became a man show us that God is interested in our existence and in the details of our lives?

7. In the story of Hosea and Gomer, who does Hosea represent? Who does Gomer represent? What does this story tell us about God's love toward us?

8. When it comes to sharing Jesus with other people, what is the essence of our message? What do we tell them about his love?

Closing Prayer

Close your time together in prayer. Here are a few ideas of what you could pray about based on the topic of this session:

• Pray that God will guide you on your journey of discovery with Jesus, regardless of where you are in the process.

• Pray that you will really understand and believe how much God loves you.

• Pray that God's love would be real to you in your daily activities — that you would think about it, enjoy it, and let it affect your emotions, words, and choices.

• Pray that you will be able to show God's love to other people this week.

Weekly Challenge

Sometime during the week — maybe even tomorrow morning — take this simple, practical step to help you put into words what God's love means for you:

Find a quiet place and spend a few minutes thinking about God's love. Write down your thoughts. It doesn't have to be polished, professional, or perfect — this is for your eyes only. For example, you could ask yourself:

• What are some words that describe God's love?

• What is hard for me to understand or believe about his love?

• Have I seen his love in action in my life? In what ways?

Then, if you're comfortable doing so, meet with another Jesus-follower, maybe even a member of this small group — over coffee, lunch, or even the phone — and share together your understanding of God's love and how that affects your life.

Recommended Reading

Review the introduction and chapters 1 and 2 in the book Life Is _____. Use the space provided to write any key points or questions you want to bring to the next group meeting.

God loves the whole world. Not just the good part of the world or the part of the world that would someday love him back, but the whole world.

God loves everyone, all the time, with a love so extravagant and generous that our human minds can't wrap around it. God's love is indiscriminate. It's illogical. It's never-ending. God loved us before we knew about him or cared about him, and he'll continue to love us whether we reciprocate that love or not.

When God says, "I love you," it's more than just a nice way to get you to close your eyes and go to sleep. It's not an empty phrase spoken out of habit or a spiritual obligation because he's God and he has to love everybody. It's a heartfelt expression of his passion for you.

We get to spend the rest of our lifetimes enjoying and exploring that love.

• Do you ever find yourself wondering if God really loves you? What concerns or doubts do you have about God's love for you?

• How is God's love better than typical...