Love Never Diminishes

_Warm-up_

• Share a story about what happened when you over-packed for an event or trip.

_Word_

//BIG IDEA

• 1 Corinthians 13 shows us that the point of the Gospel is not to make us more spiritual, but to make us more loving.

• Love is a cultivated disposition that looks to build up others and specifically those in the Body of Christ.

• People often find their identity and sense of purpose in things that are good, but that won’t last. The Apostle Paul shows how this view of spirituality is lacking maturity and a Christ-like heart orientation.

• In contrast is 1 Corinthians 13 love, which is eternal because it is one of the attributes of God seen most clearly in Jesus himself! Because of its eternal, nature love should change the priorities of our lives now.

//READ

1 Corinthians 13:8

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

//WATCH / LISTEN

//DISCUSS

_Old Self_

• Share about a time in your life where you felt like love let you down.

• Dave challenged us to do a “mental shakedown” of the things that we have stuffed into the backpack of our lives; specifically He asked us to look at 4 areas that might take away from our ability to love others:

- Christian behavior that increases a self-orientation

- Christian behavior that builds a callousness towards others

- Social Media

- Entertainment

• Which of these areas makes it challenging for you to love other people and why?

_New Self_

• One of the key ways we can grow in our love for other people is by spending time with God. How much “space” in the backpack of your life do you invest in your relationship with the Lord?

• What might the Holy Spirit be prompting you to give up to make more space?

_World_

• This week, think, pray and discuss with your FG, spouse or a friend about how you can help others get a taste today of the future love that is offered through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.