God's Got This | Grow in LOVE | Pastor Vanessa Gonzalez

Read:  Philippians 1:3-11; 1 Kings 19:1-9; Matthew 4:1-12

Paul is writing to a group of believers that has seen persecution and transitions, but his prayer is not that their burdens would be taken away or that they would get through another day. No, he prays that they will keep growing. It’s easy to stop doing that when our lives are consumed with the stress of today and the worry of tomorrow, and yet we see that having a long-term perspective actually helps us to navigate the hard situations we find ourselves in. When we keep growing, we realize that God is not just in the business of helping us but empowering us to accomplish great things for Him

In scripture we see God show up to people who are in distress. They come to Him broken, and He restores them. But there is always a purpose behind these encounters. God loves his children, and He wants to bless them, but the strength and hope they get is not just meant to make them feel better. It’s to empower them to keep growing and accomplish His plan in the world. 

So what do we grow in?

1. UNDERSTANDING: There is always more to learn. There is more to myself, to God and to the world than I currently understand, so God invites us to keep growing in our knowledge
2. LOVE: If we don’t have love, nothing we do matters. It’s God’s love that transforms us, heals us and empowers us to live on mission. Experiencing God’s love once is not enough. We need to grow in it, letting it overflow more and more in our lives

When we are full of God’s love, our life with Jesus becomes an adventure. The struggles and hard times we walk through become testimonies that encourage others. Our love for others shows the lost world around us that Jesus really is God and that He really has got this. May we be people who are ever growing in God’s love!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Where is most of your attention these days? (problems, the future, social media, etc.) Has focusing on that been helpful or harmful?
2. Do you feel like you’re growing? If so, in what areas? If not, why not?
3. When was the last time you experienced the love of God? How did it change you?
4. Who is someone you could show God’s love to this week?