Oh friends, this is the message I so desperately want to get out into our communities… and our world.
We live in a world that tells us we can somehow “earn” our way to heaven….as if we can ever come close to being “good enough” through our own strength, our own works…compared to a Holy God.
Yet the Bible tells us differently.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE…
And so should we.
God LOVED the world so much that He gave what He loved the most….His one and only Son.
God gave what was the most precious to Him…Jesus.
Jesus in turn gave His life.
And yet somehow we continue to live in a world that doubts and questions God’s love for us!
Not only does God tell us how much He loves us, He went ever further….He demonstrated it!
But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
How can we continue to doubt His love?
When are we going to stop believing the lies Satan whispers into our lives? Satan in his crafty, yet predictable ways has spoken these lies over us since Eve and yet we continue to bite into the lies and allow them to poison our lives.
So many of us walk through life feeling unloved (including me) and yet God couldn’t love us any more than He already does!
THIS is the message we need to share and live out in our communities…We are loved by Almighty God, salvation is only found through Jesus and He came not to condemn us, not to make us work harder for our salvation…Jesus came to save us….to rescue us….what an amazing love story that is!
Next time you feel unloved, look to the cross. No one can love you more than Jesus already has!
This is the message that we need to share with those in our lives who do not know God…and maybe even remind those in our lives who do. We all need to be told from time to time that we are deeply loved by God.
Friends, this message of God’s love fires me up and drives me to try and get our studies into as many languages as God sends us translators. This is why we give our Bible study materials away for free! We desperately want to get our studies into as many women’s hands as possible and help them dig into God’s Word, many of them for the first time, and discover for themselves how much they are loved!
Let’s Talk:
I LOVE hearing from each of you and learning together through our studies! Today, share some practical ways you’ve shared the knowledge of God’s love to those in your community or around the world! Who knows, your testimonies might inspire someone else to do the same thing!:)
Love God Greatly!
Week 7 Challenge
This week, join us in reaching the nations with God’s Word! You can do that a number of ways:
1. Forward our studies on to your mission directors at your churches or colleges.
2. Email them to friends in other countries or who are involved in ministries who serve our sisters in Christ in other countries.
3. Share our images on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag your friends or family who might know of women who could benefit from our studies. We each have a part to play in spreading the good news of God’s love to the ends of the earth!
Week 7 Reading Plan
Week 7 Memory Verse
Thank you so much for your beautiful studies and encouraging words. My best friend and I began a daily devotion blog over a year ago and share it now with 40-50 readers a day (godfirstfriends.blogspot.com). We feel God stressing the importance of accountability and helping people, especially women, understand their worth. We are always drawn to God’s love and sharing that with others and teaching what real love looks like in our home and in the world. We just invited many women to join us in a 40 day lenten email bible study and we have almost 30 hearts seeking to know Him deeply! Praying for God’s ministry to flourish in both of our lives as we seek to share Him with the world!
God bless you,
Aimee Currie
Decatur, IN
Aimee, What a wonderful ministry to share with a friend! Praying that God blesses your influence to continue to bring ladies to a closer walk with Him.
Grace to you, Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Aimee, what a blessing to share that with a friend! Praising Him with you both!
I have tried to live with an awareness of who is around me and who is my neighbor…I pray for my neighbors & reach out when I can. I have had God connections that have happened, that resulted in some wonderful friends and people that I have encouraged in their walks with God. I also love to open my home…does not matter size, but just open your home & heart to people that may need a place to stay, to share a meal, or time. We have had wonderful friends, people, missionaries & those in various ministries come that have blessed our lives, & my kids, through the years with what God was doing in & through their life. I try to step out & obey God when I feel lead to reach even those on the street with food or warm clothes as the weather was changing….It is just opening our hearts & eyes & ears to what God is doing. It is amazing to look back & see what God has done… 🙂
Wow Monica! THANK YOU for sharing this with us! Such an amazing blessing to see the work our Lord is doing through you! I love the heart He has stirred in you friend!
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
This is why I LOVE LGG so much. Not only totally free, but the guides are so beautiful. I pray that God continues to provide for this ministry to share His love. To give freely as we have been given freely. May He strengthen you all and bring all the help and resources you need. I have been around here for many years studying with y’all and become more thankful with each study!
Oh Jennifer, we love hearing this! Thank YOU for being a part of this community for so many years. <3
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
I am a Women’s Pastor and it was my heart to take God out of the four walls of the church. Yes, we do amazing things inside the 4 walls but I wanted to do outreach and reach out to those that are hurting and in need of a Savior. Prior to becoming a Pastor I was in the nursing field for 11 years and during that time I had 2 Premie babies I was so consumed with my situation that I never saw the hurt & pain on the other moms going through what I was going through. So after becoming a Pastor, my daughter went in for emergency surgery for her appendix which should have been a simple procedure but ended up not being so simple and we were rushed off to the children’s hospital while there Dr couldn’t find out what was wrong with my precios baby girl. Our room was next to the community showers and I begin to see the hurt and pain all over these women as they had lost all Hope and strength – I say there and prayed Lord, if u would heal Brittany and get us out of here I promise I will find a way to come back into the hospital and bring your love and hope to these parents. Well guess what all the bleeding stopped and she was released the next day. So I began the process of getting into the hospitals it took 8 long months to get in, but as of today we have been serving on the Ped’s & NICU floors of our local hospital for 8 years. We make prayer blankets, scent dolls, beanies and a home cooked meal but most of all we bring God’s Hope and love to those that are hurting, lonely and hopeless.
Cindy, it’s so neat that you are able to look back & see how God turned an awful situation into an opportunity to bless other families. Thank you for being faithful.
Cindy,
WOW! Thank you for sharing! Awesome that you have been able to serve on the Ped’s & NICU floors for the last 8 years. Beautiful!
Martha, LGG Encourager
this accounatability group for me has been live changing and life giving-It came to me from a friend at a church I had just left in NY and was moving to Ohio. Out of her obedience I started to get into the Word daily and see things in a new refreshing way. I grew up a Christian but the “stories” where never “real” to me. In this time of transition it was God’s perfect timing to make it “real” for me and because of all of you-you allowed God to transform me! Fast forward 1 and 1/2 years later I did the same for a friend in my MOPS group who was a young mom who I had no idea if she had a relationship with God but I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me and ask if she would be intrested in doing one of the Thanksgiving studies which she was. I found out through that time with this young mom that again through obedience and the tool of your material this life was changed as well as her family is being impacted and even saving her marriage. Praise God. These are just a few of her words in an email I just recieved this week…
“You were beside me for one of the most transitional years in my life. You rekindled my relationship with God. For that I will always have a special place in my heart for you. But that “season” is over now and I have begun a new “season.” God has a plan for me now to share His word with others- just as you did with me. What good would it be if I kept leaning on you and never expanding? Isn’t that what God intends for us? I have to choose to share with people who do not know Him or know little of Him. The bible study with my neighbor was extremely out of my element. But I felt God placing her on my heart. I also am now taking my older cousin to church with me. And an old high school friend has come from nowhere and feel God has a plan for our friendship as well. Through this I am comforted.”
I share this to not bring Glory to myself or even to you but to GOD’s hand in ALL of this and to encourage you on this path of serving and being such an important part of the Body of Christ. I feel in some ways I am on the team right there with you and we are living the Word out together in Love.
Go and Serve with Great Joy! Love each of you….
as you can see I’m a few days behind:) Blessings!!! By the way looking forward to sometime having a “conference” with all of you….It would be great to see you all again, since the last time in Ohio. I have since moved back to NY and in a new phase of being still where God calls our family…..
Nancy,
Thank you so very much for being apart of our community. I LOVED reading your story. My goodness, I am always amazed at how God works in us for His glory!
Blessings,
Martha, LGG Encourager
How can I share a blog on our social media?