Women of Faith - Experiencing the Love of God

I love valentines! I think its a leftover from my childhood when I would decorate a shoe box, put a slot in the top of the box, and then wait for my classmates to fill it. Gratefully, they did. Boys and girls would line up around the room and drop cards in each mailbox. Adorable cupids, bouquets of forget-me-nots, and chubby red hearts crowded the brightly colored greetingsgreetings usually touting ones fondness for the recipient, asking the age old question, Will you be my Valentine?

I still have the first valentine my husband ever sent me when I was 15 and he was 16. And get thisI still have a valentine I made my dad when I was 10 years old. I know I may seem sappy, but theres just something about love. It makes the soul sing, the feet dance, and the heart celebrate!

This study is a Women of Faith valentine designed with you in mind. We care about you and we can think of no better way to express our fondness than a study on the greatest love of all timeGods love. Divine love that is tender and sometimes toughtough in the sense that it is not the mushy-gushy crush of a fickle child, but its the steadfast, holy heart of a God who has manifested His love to us through Christ. Talk about a valentine! He sent us His Son that we might know of His holy affection for usfor while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

I dont know about you but I am a visual learner, which is probably why I enjoy valentines. I can hold, touch, display, and reread, each of them reminding me of the senders feelings for me. Likewise, when I see a sample, a map, or a model from a lesson Im far more likely to remember it, which is why I appreciate Trinkets to Treasure in each section of this study. The trinkets are physical visuals, which help tack the truths we study to our minds, so we dont forget.

Life is breakneck for most of us. Exhaustion is a constant complaint especially among us girls. We feel, at times, overworked and under appreciated. Its easy to run ourselves numb, so we need the tender jolts of love-notes to thaw our hearts, to cheer our dispositions, and to remind us what this life is really all about.

Girlfriends, you are of value. You matter and you are loved.

Patsy Clairmont

Have you ever meandered through the index of your hymnal and considered just how many hymns extol Gods great love for us? What Wondrous Love Is This? O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus. Jesus Loves Even Me. Consider for a moment what each of these song titles is saying, the messages they convey: Love Divine, All Loves ExcellingGods love for us exceeds any other love we might experience. Jesus, Lover of My Soulwe have a Savior who loves us for who we are on the inside. O Perfect Loveflawless, faultless, fervent, forever love. And look at some of the lines: Amazing love, how can it be? I will sing of my Redeemer, and His wondrous love for me. O, how He loves you and me. Thy loving kindness is better than life. We sing them with familiarity, but do we consider the truth behind these lyrics?

Gods love for us really is wondrous, perfect, deep, divine. In this study, well take the time to look at the key passages in our Bibles that talk about that love. We need to understand the precious nature of the love God holds out to us in order to receive it with our whole heart.

Ive never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!

Jeremiah 31:3 MSG

G OD IS LOVE, AND ALL WHO LIVE IN LOVE LIVE IN G OD, AND G OD LIVES IN THEM.

1 John 4:16 NLT

C LEARING THE C OBWEBS

Is your hometown famous for anythingsome landmark, special dish, or other claim to fame?

T he Krispy Kreme doughnut chain gained national attention in the 1990s when it began opening stores outside the southeastern United States. I know for me, I had never even heard of them before moving to the South. Where I grew up, we called such things raised glazed doughnutsjust one more deep-fried pastry with a hole in the middle. But Krispy Kreme doughnuts were elevated to almost the status of a cultural icon.

It seemed as if they were everywhere. Every gas station and grocery store seemed to have a Krispy Kreme doughnut case, its clear acrylic shelves lined with row upon row of glistening doughnuts. Whats more, they became an experiential must for out-of-town guests. Tourists would flock to the nearest Krispy Kreme shop, where they could pop in and get a boxful of hot, fresh doughnuts. Today, a red neon light still alerts passersby know when the doughnuts are frying.