GOD LOVES YOU

Q: How do you think your experiences growing up have shaped your view of God?

Q: How was your relationship with your father? How do you view authority? Do you have any negative experiences with authority figures in your past?

-Our relationship with our earthly fathers and our past experiences with other authority figures can have a profound effect on how we view God. 

-God is NOT distant, aloof, or disinterested; He is NOT angry or short-tempered; God is NOT unjust or unloving. God is the perfect father and he desires to have a real, daily relationship with us.

YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD

Luke 15:3-6

-If you were the only person who needed to be rescued…God would come running after you! He loves you so much.

YOU ARE VALUABLE TO GOD

Luke 15:8-10

Q: Have you ever searched frantically for something you lost? What?

Q: Would you go through the garbage or mud for a single penny? How about a $100 bill or winning lottery ticket?

-How valuable an item is determines our earnestness in finding it, and what we would be willing to do (even get dirty) to recover it.

-There are many scriptures in the Bible that show us how valuable we are to God. In the Old Testament, God called his people, his “treasured possession” (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 26:18; Psalm 135:4) 

-In the New Testament, he calls us sons and daughters, a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a holy nation, the body and bride of Christ and tells us that he loved enough to send his One and Only Son to die for us. (Ephesians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 2:9; John 3:16)

GOD LONGS TO BE WITH YOU

Luke 15:11-32

Q: When you sin and hurt God, does it make you hesitant to spend time with God?

Q: Do you think the prodigal son was initially eager to return to his father after what he had done?

Q: How did the father respond when his son returned home? Describe the father’s love for his son.

Q: How does God feel if we choose to stay in the muck/mire of sin rather than repent and return home to him?

Q: How will God respond when we choose to repent, come home and spend time with him?

-God loves us and desires to have a daily relationship with us. The only thing we can do to mess that up is to forget how much God loves us and allow Satan to convince us that we are better off with the pigs (in the muck/mire of sin) or that God will not accept us if we return.

Spiritual Exercise: Take some time thinking and journaling about your upbringing, and specifically, how it may have affected your view of God. Work on having a biblical and accurate view of God.