God's Love

Relationships Pt 2 So last week we talked about our relationship with God and what a Christian woman looks like. Today we are going to go a little deeper. What was the essential trait that must be there for a Christian woman? Love. Okay so now we are going to split into small groups for the next few minutes, and I want you to use every resource you have to find ever scripture that is referring to God/Christ’s love for us, or our love for Him. It can go either way. So we aren’t talking about brotherly love, or husband and wife love, we are going to talk about relational love, the Agape love Christ has for us, and that he desires for us to have with him. Ex. Romans 5:8-12 Christ died for us while sinners, how much more he loves us now ie. His relationship with us. Matthew 22:7 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your soul ie. our relationship with Him. Understand? Lets keep it with new testament for times sake (reference to OT is okay too!). Okay lets start putting them up on the board- no repeats. Each group goes and writes one up just do the book and verse while the other one reads it. So what do you think about all of these? The reason we are spending 2 weeks on this relationship is because it is hands down the most important relationship of your life. Yes, more important than your husband, more important than you family. This is about you and God. Every decision you make, every goal you set in life, all of it is made around this one relationship. In order for everything else to fall into place, this has to be right first. Golf Ball sand jar example- balls/rocks—pebbles- then sand—then water 24 hours: 8 hours sleeping; 1 hour get ready; 8 hours school/work; 1 hour homework; 1 hour chores; 1 hour friends; 2 hours family; 2 hours meals. Where was God in that time? Where were our prayers? Where was the study time? I know my day gets away from me before I know it. So what if We put God first, - we give God not only the biggest rock- he gets to be the base, but our time with Him, our prayers our study, that is inter woven, what if he is the water. He ties it all together. So we have our Foundation, Christ, Biggest rock. Then we have other important things, like work/school; family friends; then we add in the smaller stuff the pebbles, the clothes, the homework, then we add in the really small stuff, the sand, walking the dog, eating meals, tasking the trash out, getting new clothes, the stuff we have to do but don’t really take up time or mean anything. And then we add the water, the prayer, our time to be with God. He not only makes the foundation, the reason we live our lives the way we do, but he also is integrated into our every day lives, all the time. He is always there, He is around in everything we do. If we were to try and put our time with God in first thing in the morning to get it done, if we put our water in after the rocks, do you think it would have worked? Would it all have fit? This is your life. It isn’t your mom or your dads. Right now, yea, you are pretty much under their control, but you are you, your thoughts are yours, your time is mostly yours. You decide. Yea, they might call family time, dinner together, chore time, whatever it may be, but you are the master of your thoughts, you are the master of your life. Or are you? Is Christ your master? Is he driving everything you do? Is he your everything? Pull Our red song books and look at Pierce My Ear. During Jesus’ time, piercing your ear meant you were a servant, you belonged to someone. This means we willingly give our lives as a service for Christ. In all that we do all the time. Are you at that level? What can we all do to get to that point? Please, talk to someone, I’m always here, your parents, the elders the decans, Andy, Jamie, Kristy, there are lots people that are striving daily to be more like Christ and to live more like Him and I guarantee they will be willing to talk with you, study with you, learn and walk with you. You are not in this alone and that is such an amazing a beautiful thing!

Who Am I?

Relationships- what do you think about when you hear that word? Your boyfriend? Your friends? Mom, dad? Family? Church family? How about God? What about your relationship with Him? We are going to spend the next few weeks talking about relationships- all of them. What is okay, what is not? What does scripture say? Before we get started though, I want us to think about where we are now. Who are you? Who am I? I want everyone to list some words that describe you: ie daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, best friend, caring, adventurous ect. Go ahead. Now we are going to go around- everyone say 2 things that describe who you are. Now lets bring in Adam and Eve: Lets run down the story first- who are they what did they do and what is their importance in the Bible? Okay so now I want you to think about a Christian woman as a whole. Who is she, what does she do? Let’s talk this out and write down some characteristics, we’ll call her Eve for the example. What makes a woman of God such? What does she have to make her this way? Love. God’s love. As girls, especially as girls, we have a hard time understanding that God wants us. He wants our hearts, our souls and our minds and our bodies. He wants every piece of us. Open your Bibles to Romans 5. Lets read 1-11. Did you catch that? How much more does he love us now? How much more does he want us once we are His? God is as close to us as He is ever going to be. He is right there! Right here! Some of you may be thinking, I don’t always feel like he is close, I can see it in your faces. Think about this for a minute. God is as close to you right now as you are letting Him be. Close your eyes for a minute and think about that. God is here. Right now, in this very moment. A relationship is a 2 way street. Any relationship is 2 ways. Anyone want to take a stab at the dictionary meaning of relationship, it has 5!? noun 1. the state of being connected or related 2. association by blood or marriage; kinship 3. the mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties, countries, people, etc: a business relationship 4. an emotional or sexual affair or liaison 5. logic, maths another name for relation Open your Bibles again to Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4. Love the Lord…. Now flip to 2 Corinthians chapter 11- verses 1-3. We are called with a sincere pure devotion of everything we have, our time, our money, our hearts, our minds and even our bodies to God To our maker and the master of our lives. Any thoughts on that? So, now I want you to flip over your paper where you described who you are. We have until the end of class- write about who you think God wants you to be. Who are you to him? What does he want for you? Who do you want to be for Him?

Your Most Exciting Adventure

Close your eyes Where are you spiritually? What is God doing in your life? What are you doing for God? Galatians 2:19-21 “For through the law I died to the law to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Can others see Christ in me? Do they hear Him when they talk to me? 1 Timothy 4:12. 15-16 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 15 Be diligent in these matters, give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Preserver in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” What kind of an example am I setting? Am I doing it when I know someone is watching, or do I live it? Philippians 1:3-5 “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God isn’t done working in you yet! He won’t ever be done with you! What is God doing in my life? Where is he molding me? Open your eyes Matthew 13:21-32 Mustard Seed: God can do great things with just a small bit. Imagine what He can do when you give Him even more! Philippians 4:13 All things are possible when you give them to God. He can do as he pleases if we allow Him to work in us and through us! Psalm 25:5 Guide me- my favorite scripture. Never forget to ask for help, we are the students, life long students! Exciting Journey – look to Him for guidance, ask him where “where do I fit Lord?” He is working in you and through you. A lot of people give Peter a bad rap for panicking when he stepped out of the boat when Jesus called him. His faith was week- he didn’t believe enough! He got out of the boat. That’s more than the rest of them. He wants us to get out of the boat too. Sometimes, we may waiver, we may sink a little, but He is there to catch us- and sometimes we will get the coolest experience ever, walking with Jesus.