Love Is. . .: 6 Lessons on What Love Looks Like - Softcover

Lucado Bishop, Jenna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1401678564 ISBN 13: 9781401678562

Verlag: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

What is love? This six-week Bible study helps teen girls understand what true love looks like. By focusing on the life of Jesus, these girls will come to understand that Love is, first and foremost, a Someone. The more we understand Jesus, the more we understand God's original intent behind this overused, abused, and muddled word: love.

Each week girls will do an in-depth study of one of Jesus' relationships described in the Bible. By examining the way Jesus interacted with others, they will see the perfect example of love. Through four repetitive phases―read, realize, respond, and retain―teen girls will learn a method of studying the Bible that they can apply to any Scripture passage and that will motivate them to read more frequently and independently in the future. By analyzing the Bible stories, each girl will in turn be able to analyze her own relationships to see if they are based on God’s idea of love, and will walk away with a deeper understanding of the love relationship God seeks to have with her.

Features include:

• 6 sessions of study

 

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Daughter of best-selling author Max Lucado, Jenna Lucado Bishop has realized that she has a passion for writing and speaking just like her dad. She is currently a part of the Revolve Tour, an event for teen girls that includes Christian artists like Hawk Nelson, Chad Eastham, and many more.

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LOVE IS ...

SIX LESSIONS ON WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE By JENNA LUCADO BISHOP

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2013 Jenna Lucado Bishopa
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4016-7856-2

Contents

A Note from the Author..............................................................7WEEK 1: An Introduction to the Most Confusing Word in the World.....................11WEEK 2: Love Is: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman......................................41WEEK 3: Love Is: Jesus and the Sinful Woman.........................................65WEEK 4: Love Is: Jesus and the Bleeding Woman.......................................85WEEK 5: Love Is: Jesus and the Adulterous Woman.....................................103WEEK 6: Love Is: Jesus and Mary Magdalene...........................................125

Chapter One

WEEK 1

An Introduction to the Most Confusing Word in the World

Day 1—Love Is: A Someone

Eric was my first love.

Yes, Eric. Just Eric.

Don't ask me what his last name was. I didn't know then, and I don't know now. But were last names important as a kindergartner? Absolutely not! The only requirements I had to fall in love as a five year old were the following:

He had to be cute.

He had to be nice.

Oh, and if he gave me presents, like a cherry Ring Pop, that meant he was really "the one" for.ev.er. (Or at least until recess was over.)

Eric was cute. Check.

Eric was nice. Check.

Did he give me ring pops? No. Which leads me to the problems with this first love of mine.

You see, Eric was a prince. And though my plastic, pink, princess crown my mom bought me at Toys-R-Us qualified me as royalty in my little mind, Eric's royal status was of a different level.

On top of the prince thing getting in the way, Eric was ... well ... a cartoon. That was somewhat of a hurdle in our relationship. And the icing on the cake? He was taken by my favorite Disney princess (and best friend), Ariel.

So prince, plus cartoon, plus dating my BF, equaled unrequited love.

What about you?

Take a minute and write down whom your first "love" was. What qualities did he have that gave you the butterflies?

Okay, maybe my love for Prince Eric wasn't necessarily love as much as it was a five-year-old crush. So what does real love look like? In order to answer that question, we have to go to the book that defines true love. It's not one of Shakespeare's plays or a Jane Austen novel. No, the greatest book about love, the source on love, the definition of love is the Bible.

Read 1 John 4:16 and 1 John 4:8. What are the similarities between these two verses?

Did you catch this: both verses contain the phrase "God is love"?

If that were a math problem what would it look like? (You didn't think math would ever be used in a Bible study, did ya?)

Did your answer look something like mine?

God = Love.

This equation means the more you know God, the more you will know not only what Love is but who Love is. Because God IS love.

Okay, press pause on that thought, and now read John 14:9–10. Write down what Jesus was telling His followers, the disciples.

Jesus was telling His followers that He and the Father (aka God) were one. So how can knowing this help our quest to find what real love is?

Well, to know more about what love acts like, sounds like, lives like, we look at the life of Jesus.

Going back to our mathematic equation, it would look something like this:

God = Love

God = Jesus

Jesus = Love

Love isn't just a verb, a feeling, a choice, a phase, a noun.

Love is a Someone.

And this Someone loves you. Yes, Love loves you!

In fact, He cannot help but love you because He IS love.

Write down some initial characteristics, images or adjectives that come to mind when you hear the name Jesus (i.e., a man in sandals, gentle, miracles).

Did you happen to include the word love in your answer?

I don't know how you picture Jesus. I don't know what your relationship with Him looks like. Maybe the concept of a relationship with Him sounds kind of weird, or maybe it's a relationship you have known all your life.

But for today and over the next handful of weeks we are going to spend together, I want you to learn to associate the word love immediately with Jesus.

That means when you are listening to a love song on the radio, think of Jesus. That means when you are watching a romantic chick-flick, think of Jesus. When you read the word love, hear the word love, sing the word love, express love, receive love, think of Jesus.

Maybe you have heard that famous Sunday school song over and over: "Jesus loves me. This I know. For the Bible tells me so."

But do you know?

Really know?

No matter how old we become, we can never fully grasp the love God has for us. But does that mean we shouldn't try? No! I'd rather spend my life discovering new treasures about God's love than never going on the adventure. Let's dive into God's love deeper than ever before! The Bible is our map on this treasure hunt. We are going to get more acquainted with God's Word and His love for us.

So let's continue looking closely at this "treasure map" by reading these famous verses below. Circle all the characteristics of love in the verses below.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:4–8)

Okay, now reread those verses and anytime you read the word love, or a pronoun representing love (the word it), cross it out and replace it with Jesus.

The more we know Love as a Someone, the more we know about what love really is, how to love others, and how to see ourselves as loved.

Let's spend a moment talking to Love. Your prayer can look like mine if you'd like, or you might want to come up with your own. Regardless, just spend some time with Jesus asking Him to help you know what love is.

Day 2—Love Is: Tie-Dye

I've confused the meaning of the word love, a lot in life. Beginning with that five-year-old little crush, bleeding into the way I treated my sisters, leaking over into my dramatic "friendships" in middle school, and running into my high school dating life ...

I haven't loved others well, and I've settled for relationships with those who don't love me in return.

I can remember my first boyfriend saying the three little-in-size, yet profound-in-meaning words I had dreamed of hearing my entire life, "I love you."

We were sitting in the Sonic parking lot, sophomores in high school, sipping on some slushies.

"Really?" I thought. "This is when you are going to tell me the words I have dreamed of hearing my entire life?" To me, slushies and fast food don't make for the most romantic setting.

He was moving the very next day from my hometown of San Antonio, Texas, all the way to New Jersey. New Jersey! So I thought, "Well, maybe I should say the words back. After all, he's moving. I'd be a jerk if I didn't say it in return. And I do really like him. Maybe it's love."

So what do you think I did?

Yep. I said it. "I love you too" came out of my...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson Publishers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1401678564
• ISBN 13: 9781401678562
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 144
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland