Worthy of His Love

Welcome to week two of our bible study!

May we be honest for a moment?

Comparison and the pursuit of perfection plague a lot of us. Sometimes (possibly today) we battle with feeling like a failure and we just want to quit or hide. We believe the voice in our head that tells us we're not good enough. And that voice gets louder each time we fall short.

We stand in front of the bathroom mirror bone-weary from trying to be all we think we're supposed to be and from trying to "make it all happen". We look into the eyes of the broken woman who is staring back at us and we despise her.

We can't imagine such a holy God loving us because we don't even love ourselves. We feel completely unworthy, so we hide from Him.

But God says, "My faithful love does not end. My mercies are new every morning. You may not always be consistent, but I always will." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

My friend, we are worthy of His love not because of anything we have or have not done but because of what Jesus Christ did for us.

We may not be enough....but He certainly is enough.

Our Favorite Quotes:

Perfection is not a prerequisite for an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Perfect love casts out all fear. Certainly the fear of not being good enough.

We are beautiful to God. Not because we're good enough but because Jesus is.

Let's Chat

Take a moment to reflect back on your week two study handout. Both of the following questions come from the handout.

• Lacy described being afraid of doing things wrong and losing people's (and God's) approval. What difficulties does that kind of fear create in your life?

• 1 John 4:7-19: What does it mean to say that God not only loves us but that he is love? How would you explain this statement in your own words?

Passionately Pursued

Welcome to Week 1 of the "Perfect Love" online bible study!

Have you ever felt unlovable, lost in routine or heartbroken? Many of us have experienced all of those at some point in our lives. It's possible you're experiencing one of those at this very moment.

The feeling of being unlovable creates such an emptiness inside of us. An emptiness that we often attempt to fill with things that only bring us more emptiness.

Being lost in routine consumes us and sweeps our focus away from those we love...especially our Heavenly Father.

Having a broken heart can feel like we're carrying a huge weight in our chest.

Doubt and despair leave us gasping for air. Destructive thoughts and behaviors take over.

As Lisa pointed out the answer to all of these is to run towards Jesus, the Lover of our Soul. He delights when we run towards Him...no matter how messy or broken we may be.

His love covers it all.

Here are two of our favorite quotes from this week's video:

Perfection is not a prerequisite for a relationship with Jesus. He loves us even though we do not have it all together.

Because we're so involved in ministry, activity can be a substitute for worship. It's like a thin line. I'm doing this for God. I'm serving. I'm singing. I'm ministering. But it can't serve as a substitute for a personal relationship with God.

Let's Chat:

If you haven't already, take a moment to reflect on your answers to the study handout. The first online discussion question comes directly from your handout.

Join the online chat by answering these questions in the comment section at the bottom of this post. Make the conversation even better by reading other comments and replying to a few.

• From your list of actions words David used to describe his feelings toward God in Psalm 63, which of these words describe your relationship with God, either in the past or right now? Which words do you most want to describe your feelings toward God? 

• As women, what is one thing that keeps us from passionately pursing an intimate relationship with God? What is your greatest piece of advice for overcoming that barrier?