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A women's free Bible study on God's love
with commentary, homework, and
audio devotions
posted 6/5/2009
Dearest Ladies,
When I first decided to do this study on God's love some years back, I was going to look up every Bible verse on love and go from there. However the Holy Spirit made it very clear to me to write about God and what He has done for us. This is because God’s actions scream of His love for us!
In reality true love, which is God’s love, doesn’t depend on what a person does or who she is but on the one loving. In this study I felt getting to know the One who loves us so very much and His actions of love towards us was a must. So the purpose of this study on God’s love is to enable you to get to know Him and His acts of love. One of the ways we will do this is to study God’s characteristics.
Why is it so important as a Christian, to truly know God and His love? It is because God asks you to have faith in Him and love Him. And how can you possibly trust in and love someone whom you don’t know? God also asks you to believe that He loves you so very much! And how can you believe that He loves you if you don’t know that He does? As Christians, the more we get to know God and comprehend His love through His Word and what He has done for us, the more passionately we will want to trust and love Him. In reality the more we trust and love God, the stronger and more mature Christians we will be.
As you will see in this study the foundation of God’s love is Jesus Christ! So you will study Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. You will hear about His love starting before eternity past, how He created you to love you, how His love stood unyielding even after the first sin, and how and why He was born, lived and died for you. You will understand why He pursued and loved you to be His. You will see that He died for you when you were His enemy. You will learn how His love gave you eternal life and made you His Bride. You will hear how and why He redeemed you from slavery to sin to make you His Father’s beloved daughter. Rejoice ladies, you are truly His loved princesses!
because of God's love - Gini
Course outline
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Bible devotions for women
posted 12/11/2007
revised 12/9/2011
Have you ever truly thought about what it meant for Jesus (Who is God) to step out of eternity and to be born on Christmas morn over 2000 years ago so He could become one of us? I hope this devotion will get all of you thinking about what a sacrifice of love this was.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
NASB®
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke, give us detailed information about what was happening around the birth of Jesus. (Archaeology has proven that Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, is a first rate historian. He was also a medical doctor so he understood what it meant to say, “Mary was a virgin and pregnant.” In all the Gospels, he gives the most details about the virgin birth.)
Luke 2:6-7 gives us the details of Jesus’ actual physical birth.
And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. NASB®
These verses in reality are just a group of historical facts strung together. They are not very interesting if you take them at face value, because babies are born all the time. However, if you truly consider that they are talking about the God of the universe being born, their meaning goes from being natural to supernatural. We can safely say, they are announcing the most important birth in the history of mankind.
I believe the Apostle Paul understood (at least better than me) what it meant for God to be born in our likeness, and what a sacrifice it was for Him. Paul’s insights are spelled out in Philippians 2:6-8. Remember God’s Word is inspired by Him, so we could say, God is explaining to us what it meant for Him to become one of us in these verses. Speaking of Jesus it says,
…who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. NASB®
to continue go to the Christmas Child
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The Virgin Mary waited for Baby Jesus.
Did you realize Jesus waits for you?
12/9/2008
re-posted 12/16/2011
Our second grandson was born on December 5. We all have been eagerly waiting for him the last few weeks. Every time we got a call we would think, “This is it!” Chloe, his mother, was especially in that waiting mode that all of us mothers know all to well. You start thinking you are terminally pregnant.
I wonder how Mary felt as she waited for Baby Jesus to be born! She knew Jesus would be different from any person that had ever been born because of what the angel Gabriel had said. I can’t imagine what Mary felt when she was told this Baby would be the Son of the Most High. This meant she would bear, God Himself. God had picked Mary, not just to be pregnant, but also to parent Him. Yes, oh yes, God had a very favorable view of this young woman (Read Isaiah 9:6, Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-39).
I would imagine waiting for Jesus to be born was thrilling to say the least! I can just envision Mary pondering what her little boy would be like, being both God and Man at the same time (Read Philippians 2:5-8). I wonder, did she daydream about things like, “What will it be like to care for, to hold, to love, and to watch Jesus as He grows into manhood?” (Read Luke 2:40-52, Isaiah 53:2-3). Maybe she thought, “How will it feel to have the physical presence of God around me? What will it be like to have Him depend on me, hug me, walk with me, laugh and cry, and to hear of His love, wisdom and understanding as we talk about everyday things as well as the mysteries of the universe? What will it be like to have the God of the universe help me with the ordinary things of life, such as dealing with the garbage or watching His brothers?”
We also know these events were very scary for Mary, as she waited for Jesus. Remember, she was young, probably about 14 years old. She was a virgin but pregnant. She was engaged but since she was pregnant by someone different than her fiancée; he could have her stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). I think we could definitely say, she felt very inadequate about being the mother, the parent, of God. How would you have felt as you waited for God Most High to be born as your son?
Nothing is really extraordinary about waiting for babies to be born. Yet, what is very amazing to me, is that the God of the universe has been waiting for you and me to become His, from eternity past. What do you think of that? He is longing for you to be His right now! (Read Isaiah 30:18 & Ephesians 1:4-5). And you can be His, but only by believing in Him. John 3:15-18 says,
…everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its Savior. Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only Son. GNT
Merry Christmas because of God, Gini I love all of you!
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