warm-up

Recall a time when you were pleasantly surprised. What happened, and how did you feel?

Who’s the most generous person you know? What has s/he done for you or for someone else?

Share one sacrificial thing a loved one has done for you.

word

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

(Read also Ephesians 2:8-10.)

The only way we can love others is when we realize how much God loves us. Talking about love, reading about it, or discussing it is different from really experiencing God’s love. We can only give what we have and what we have received from God—His abundant and unconditional love for us. In this lesson, we will talk about God’s love and blessings, and how we can extend this to others.

1
God’s Great Love

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . . Ephesians 2:4-6

God initiated love. The very reason we can extend love to others is because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). He displayed His extravagant love by sending Jesus on earth to die for us. Jesus traded heaven for our sake, that though he was rich . . . he became poor, so that you [we] by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Loving is possible because He made it possible. Because love is from God, what does the Bible command us to do? (1 John 4:7)

2
God’s Abundant Blessings

7. . . so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:7-10

God blesses His children abundantly. Grace in itself is a gift from God, not a result of anything we’ve done. The starting point of the good works that we do is a result of God’s work in us. And because He wants us to be part of His work, He uses us to become a channel of blessing to others. How is God’s abundant blessing evident in your life? How are you being a channel of this blessing?

application

How has God’s love and compassion changed your life? How can you grow in your understanding of God’s great love for you this week?

How does Christ’s extravagant love affect the way you see and love others? To whom can you reflect this extravagant love?

How can you practice having a generous heart every day? To whom can you be a blessing this week?

prayer

Thank God for the abundant love, mercy, and grace He extends freely toward you.

Ask God for the grace to see others the way He sees them, with compassion and mercy. Pray that you will always respond to others in love.

Pray that you will be a channel of God’s blessing this week.

© 2017 by VICTORY®
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Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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