You miss out on experiencing the fullness of God’s great love and true worship of Him when you live as though your primary reason for being is to fulfill a role, responsibility, or follow rules and regulations. Your number one calling is not to religion. It’s to a relationship with God who loves you more than you know.

KEY VERSES

1 John 1:3 (NASB)

3 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Ephesians 3:17-19

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

UNDERSTANDING

• According to 1 John 1:3, what is so remarkable about the love of God in Christ?

• Why is it important for us to recognize that God loves us like a Father? What implications does this have for us?

• How would you characterize John’s confidence in his position before God? Do you share his confidence that you are a child of God? Why or why not?

• What does it mean, practically, to be God’s child?

• John indicated there is an obstacle that prevents people from knowing God and His children? What is that obstacle?

• When you read Ephesians 3:17-19, do your thoughts lean more toward, “I’m so undeserving. What can I do?” or “God created me in love for His good pleasure. I will worship Him!”? What is behind that feeling?

• What does it look like to be “rooted and grounded in love”?

• Why do you think Paul wrote that he hoped his readers would understand “the breadth and length and heigh and depth” of the love of Christ instead of simply saying he hoped they would “know the love of Christ”?

• If the love of Christ “surpasses knowledge,” then how can you comprehend it?

• What does it say to you about God that He wants to fill you up with His “fullness”? What would that even look like in your life—to “be filled up to all the fullness of God”?

• How do these descriptions of God’s love speak to you personally? What do they say to you about your purpose and calling?

• How does 1 John 4:18 help you understand what obstacle prevents people from knowing God?

• What does this verse tell you about the combined efforts of your spirit and God’s Spirit to nurture love in your life as one of His children?

  APPLICATION

• How have you been living out your purpose of being loved by God and enjoying relationship with Him as a son or daughter? What needs to change?

• How do you respond to the statement, “You were made for God’s pleasure”? What does this tell you about what it means to please Him?

WANT TO DIVE DEEPER?

Here are several opportunities and resources which will help you discover the answer to life's most fundamental question: What on earth am I here for? 

GIVING

Everything that happens at LCC is because of your generous gifts. When you give to God through LCC, you're helping reach thousands with the Gospel each week and are making a difference for the Lowcountry and around the world.