Message—Love Matters Most
Week of January 11, 2009

Thematic Focus
Gain a deeper understanding about how love impacts your daily life.

Main Points
What the Bible says are the basics of love:

The best use of your live is love:
    - It integrates your life
    - It compensates for your failures
    - It changes your life
    - It validates your faith
    - It lasts forever
The best expression of love is your time
The best time time to love is NOW

Summary Points
The Christian faith is about loving God and loving others. How well we love reveals to us the ways we need to grow on the journey of faith.

Scriptural Lenses:
· 1 Corinthians 13
· Matthew 22:36-39
· Galations 6:10
· Proverbs 3:27-28
· 1 Peter 4:8

Pursuing clarity
Use the following structure to guide your discussion:

Opening Prayer
Take a moment to recognize Christ’s presence among you.

Opening Question
When love is not at the center of our lives, we treat people differently. What are some examples of how people treat others differently?

Scriptural Focus
Select a scripture you would like to focus on.

Group Discussion
Use these questions to begin your discussion:

1. How do people respond when we choose to love them and not judge them?
2. How does a busy schedule impact the use of time to love others?
3. What are some distractions in society that can diffuse our focus from loving people?
4. What are some of the ways men and women are impacted differently by love?
5. What are some foolish habits that can be transformed into good deeds?
6. What are some typical excuses we use to not love people immediately?
7. How does our faith influence how much we give?
8. What are some "legacies of love" you have seen impact generations?
9. Who is a great role model for you?

Adjusting Focus
Take time to assess how you are doing with your love:

Who do you need to show love to?
Who do you need to make a phone call to?
Who do you need to spend time with?
Who do you need to invite over and have dinner with?

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Homework: Take 15 minutes and spend time alone with God and talk to Him about your life. Express your struggles, fears, doubts, and desires to Him.

Take 5, 10, or 15 minutes, whatever you decide and spend time with those closest to you.

Listen to them.
Look into their eyes.
Sympathize with them.
Speak words of love to them.
Laugh with them.
Hold them in your arms.
Let them hold you.

Maintaining Focus
How is God's Spirit prompting you to understand and view love differently? Given your time of reflection or group discussion, identify a step you would like to take to advance in your faith journey:

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Closing Prayer
Take time at the close of your time together to pray for God’s assistance in the journey. Depending on how comfortable group members feel, here are some ways you could pray:

· Write out a personal prayer.
· Have the group facilitator or a designated member of the group pray.
· Have members of the group get into a smaller group to pray for one another.
· Have several members of the group pray aloud and then conclude.

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