For reflection and LIFE Group facilitation:

1. Love is ….

• Fill in the dots and share your definition of love with the group.
• Where has your quest for love taken you to in your life journey so far? What are the things you have learned about love during this quest?

2. Read 1 John 3:1. God’s love is “out of this world;” it cannot compare with any other love we have ever experienced. Where human love looks at the qualities of someone else, God’s love looks at His qualities.

• In what ways have you experienced the abundant love of God in your life?
• What does knowing that you don’t deserve God’s love do to you?
• How does “the world” (your pre-Christian friends, relatives, colleagues) respond to the love you have found in God?

3. In Jesus, God qualifies us to be His children (John 1:12). This was God’s leading motivation for loving us from the very beginning (Ephesians 1:4-5).

Reflection exercise (have some paper and pencils available):

• Take 5-10 minutes to reflect in silence on the profound truth that, because of Jesus, God is your Father and you are His deeply loved son/daughter…
• Draw a picture or scribble down some words that best describe your image/experience of being God’s beloved child.
• Share your picture/words/reflections with the group.

4. Read 1 John 4:11-12, 19. God’s love enables and urges us to love other people. This is where the rubber meets the road, where the impact of God’s love is made visible to the people around us.

• In what ways are you the “evidence” that God’s love impacts love for others?

5. As you close your LG gathering, spend time to praise and pray together. Below are some pointers to give some direction for this time before God’s throne:

• Praise God for the undeserved gift of His love, so perfectly expressed in Jesus.
• Praise God for giving us the right (John 1:12) to be His children and to enjoy His love forever.
• Ask God to give you greater compassion and urgency to love others, so that His love will be clearly expressed in how we love.
• Pray for those of your friends, relatives, co-workers (call them by name) who still have not chosen to receive God’s love through Jesus. Ask God to draw them near and save them.