Icebreaker

Black jelly beans: yes or no. 

Recap

If we want to love well, we have to love God well. This week we explored what it means to love God with all our hearts, all our souls and all our minds. 

Scripture Reference

Matthew 22:35-40; 2 Samuel 6:14-16; Luke 1:46; Colossians 3:1-2

Focus Questions

Read each of the Scripture passages referenced above out loud, one at a time. What did each passage say? What did you hear? Try to repeat what you heard. (Others in your group can help you along the way.) 

1. What does this passage tell us about God, Jesus or his plan?

1. What does this passage tell me about people?

1. What does this passage tell me about myself? What am I doing well? What do I need to change? If this is God’s word for my life, how will I obey it?

1. Who needs to hear this story, and how can I tell them? Who am I going to tell?

Send Out 

1. God gave us The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. Can you name all ten? Later, in Matthew 22:35-40 Jesus is asked what the greatest of all the commandments is. How does he answer?

1. How does getting these two things right (loving God and loving our neighbors) cause the other commandments to be easier to keep? Most people work backwards. They don’t murder, they don’t steal, they don’t commit adultery, hoping that the deep, fierce love for God will eventually come (but finding that just being a good person is not enough). Why do you think we need to take intentional action to love God? 

1. King David was willing to look foolish in the eyes of onlookers in order to dance before the Lord with all his might (2 Samuel 6:14-16). What was the last thing you did with all your might? What was the last thing you’ve done with all your might for the Lord? What we learned growing up, being around certain people, or when we find ourselves at certain events can all  make us tamp down our love for God. Identify some areas in your life where it’s more awkward to display your love for God. Identify some areas where it’s easier.

1. Whatever truly has your heart will impact your behavior. What is your priority right now? Has loving God begun to fade into your background? Ask God to show you what has held your heart in the past and what should not in the future. How can you bring loving God to the forefront? 

1. Our soul is made up of our minds, emotions and will. Each one of us is uniquely different, yet God expects each one of us to use our personality to display our love for Him; not use our unique personality as an excuse to hold back from loving Him. What does it look like for you and your unique personality to be “all-in” on loving God? How can you do better? What excuses do you use to give yourself permission to hold back from an outward display of loving God?

1. If our minds are an eternal element of our thinking that will go with us to eternity and be perfected, why is it important to love God with our minds now on earth? We are to love God with all of our thinking capacity. Write down what is currently taking up space in your thinking.

1. We are to purpose our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1-2) not earthly things. What specific things take your thinking off track and cause your mind to be focused on things of this earth? (e.g., specific people, music lyrics, social media accounts, movies, etc.) What temptations and distractions do you need to remove? What stops you from removing them today?

This week, take one step toward going “all-in” on loving God. Keep track of how you do that.