because of God's love

 

God loves you and me - Bible Study
Instructions

(A free women's Bible study on God's love)

by Gini Crawford, MSW

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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

 


Directions for Homework

God has led me to do a little different type of study than I think most of you are acquainted with. The format of this study is called, "theme related Bible study." This is because each week I will cover a major theme on God's Love with its related sub-themes. I use numerous Bible verses that relate to each theme in the hope that God's Word and His Spirit will be your teacher, not me. It's very important that you try to read all the Bible passages! (I know at times our lives are so busy it is hard to do what we need to do. So if you can't read them all, prayerfully read the ones you can.) It will help you to grow greatly in your knowledge of God's Word and His love for you. Remember, there is no short cut to Christian growth! If you want to grow as a Christian, you must take the time to study and learn God's Word and let the Spirit lead you.

There are 8 lessons and an epilogue in this study. Each lesson is designed for you do in a week's time. Each of the 8 Lessons has five mini-lessons, so you can do about one a day, with a few days to spare. You might need some extra space to answer some of these questions, so a journal or notebook is probably a good option. Please quickly read through each lesson before you begin. This will help you gain an overview of what the lesson is about, and plan how best to fit it into your schedule.

Required reading passages are in bold print. (I always try to put you within the scriptural context and not just pull a verse away from its original intent.) Prayerfully read through the Bible study, but especially read all scripture passages. This will help you get the most out of this study. The insights the Spirit has given me are given before the homework questions or Bible passages that go along with my commentary. (Just to clue you in, my knowledge of the Bible is considerable. However as I let the Spirit teach me through continued study of His Word my knowledge increases. As I come to understand scripture from God's perspective, my viewpoint will change. In other words, don't think my words are anything but my words. God's Word is His Word, so always test what I say by His Word! ) Homework questions are numbered under the day of that lesson. Answer the questions as you think they should be answered. Don't sit there wondering what on earth does she want us to do with this question. No matter how badly I have written a question, it will get you into God's Word so He can speak to you. Simply take an educated guess and proceed with the Holy Spirit!

This study can be done alone or in a group setting. As the group leader, don't feel you need to cover everything in each lesson. Let the Spirit lead you. Each lesson's audio podcast is a different length of time and is clearly stated. Please let me know what this study has meant to you, and if I can do anything to help you understand it better. You can contact me through my contact page.


God Loves You and Me
Table of Contents

I believe that if you truly want the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and mind as you do this study on God's love, He will do just that. Just ask Him! He will also give you what you need to get to know God better, to savor His presence, and to let Who He Is sink into your soul. As a result, you should be able to see and feel God's love for you more clearly. This should lead to some marvelous changes in your life with God. It has in my life!

Introduction, Course Directions and Table of Contents

Lesson 1 - God's love in creation

Lesson 2 - God's love and our Sin

Lesson 3 - God's love and the death of Jesus Christ

Lesson 4 - God's love and the Holy Spirit

Lesson 5 - Jesus Christ shows us God's love

Lesson 6 - God is our loving Father

Lesson 7 - God's love will never end

Lesson 8 - God's love empowers us to love

Epilogue - You can love yourself because God first loved you

 

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