Week 5: Endurance

May 15 & 18

  • There is a difference between living and being alive.

  • John 10:10

  • "When you deal with human beings you have to come to the 'as is' floor of the universe" - John Ortberg

  • 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

  • Love never gives up.

  • Love never loses faith.

  • "The only thing more remarkable than the giving of the ring is the fact that he hasn't taken it back!" - Max Lucado

  • Love is always hopeful.

  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

  • Love endures through every circumstance.

  • 1 Corinthians 13:13

[d]Group questions

  1. Read 1 Corinthians 13:7-8. Because God is love, He never gives up (always protects). He never loses faith (always trusts). Always hopeful (hopes). Endures through every circumstance (perseveres). Which of these expressions of His love has meant most to you in the last six months, and why?

  2. Dale told the story of William Sydney Porter and O. Henry. “Take good care of our name” was the tagline. Which of the expressions of God’s love in verses seven and eight make it most difficult for you to link arms with God to express agape love, and why?

  3. If you have ever spent time in the “department of something’s-gone-wrong”—feeling like damaged goods—was someone there to walk you into the sunshine? Was that special enough for you to want to do the same? Think of two people you can help this week, and how you can help?

  4. We listened to the song, “One More Day”. How are you going to make this one more day count?

  5. Why would Paul say that Love is the greatest element in the believer’s tool bag?