This is LESSON ONE of the Woman2Woman: The Naomi and Ruth Experience Bible Study, found on page 19.
WOMAN2WOMAN: THE NAOMI & RUTH EXPERIENCE
LESSON ONE
God’s Love
BIBLE TRUTH
The greatest truth in the
universe is that God is love. The
greatest discovery for a woman is to awaken and realize that God loves
her. The most important decision a woman
can make is to acknowledge and accept God’s love for herself in a personal
way. God’s love is called “grace,” and
it is expressed in these terms:
undeserved mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, favor, care, help,
compassion, tenderness, patience, comfort, protection, and provision.
In what ways can you recognize
God’s grace toward you?
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Jeremiah 31:3
3The LORD
hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.
Genesis 1:27-28
27So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28And God blessed them,
and said unto them, Be fruitful
and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
A DEEPER LOOK
Many times, as women, we settle
for cheap imitations of love, which use and abuse us – leaving us cold, hard,
and afraid. Since God deliberately
created each woman with her own special features and beauty, women are very
valuable to Him. By His design, a
woman's deepest need and strongest desire is to be loved and cherished. There
is a place in every woman's heart that only God can fill and nothing – nor, no
one – can replace her relationship with Him.
Only He can satisfy.
Just as God respects us, he
expects us to respect Him, each other, and ourselves. God intended for men and women to co-exist in
a respectful, meaningful partnership with Him and with each other while here on
earth. God is the author of “mutual respect.”
According to God’s original plan – based on Genesis 1:28 – God loves and
blesses women and gives each of them purpose and power to live full, productive
lives. His best for us is often hindered
when we allow the wrong people, or things, to substitute for His love in our
heart.
Name some destructive attitudes
or relationships that compete for God’s place:
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Do you understand the term,
“boundaries,” and how they are necessary to insure mutual respect? If so, describe the type of boundaries that
you need to uphold in your life.
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1 John 4:7-11
7Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is of God; and every one that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God.
8He
that loveth not knoweth not God, for
God is love.
9In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10Herein
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to
be the propitiation for our sins.
11Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
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1 John 4:19
19We love him, because he first loved us
WORKING IN YOUR LIFE
God always takes the first step
and offers us a proposal of genuine love.
1 John 4:10 says that even while we were still clueless and bound by our
sin (with no respect for God), He sent us His Son, Jesus, to save us from the
very penalty that God’s law demands for our disobedience. In essence, God’s love saves us from His own
wrath and judgment. His amazing love
(salvation through Jesus Christ) is a free gift with no strings attached!
When we can identify the “real
thing,” then we will not be deceived by counterfeit affections. When God reveals His love, we can trust in it
forever. He will never neglect us, abandon us or treat us cruelly. By the same
principle, when someone shows you his or her true colors - believe it. Loving
hearts act in loving ways. Anything else
is not love. Without God’s love, it is
impossible to know or give true love, because God is the source of love.
Based on verses 7 and 8, of I
John 4, can you determine if your
actions are based on love? Explain.
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Can you recognize genuine love
verses manipulation? Explain.
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REAL LIFE EXAMPLES
At the mall or in our
neighborhoods, even in our own families, we see women who disrespect themselves
and live with the mentality that they are just doing what they have to do to
survive. While some crave attention at
any price, others are caught in terrible circumstances of poverty and
desperation. In their weakness, they
fail to make decisions based on honor, hard work, and morality. They experience everything except genuine love,
and they tolerate disrespect from others.
God desires to rescue hurting women today. He offers hope through His Son, Jesus Christ,
who graciously wants to heal broken hearts and broken lives. No matter how horrible the circumstances,
those who call on His name find forgiveness, wholeness, courage, significance
and peace. God restores their honor and self-respect
and His love empowers them to rise up to a level of life that is rewarding.
What areas of your life do you need to trust in God’s
love?
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What steps do you need to take to
deal with disrespectful and unhealthy relationships?
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MAKING IT HAPPEN
No matter where we have come from
or what advantages or disadvantages we have been given, God loves us, and
invites us to receive and trust in Him.
No matter who has wronged us, hurt us, or betrayed us, God is
faithful.
In order for us to fully trust in
God's love for us, we must start by believing the greatest truth in the
universe…God is love! Then, as we talk
to Him and tell Him everything on our heart (good and bad) we will begin to
experience the relief and peace that His love brings to all who rest in His
goodness. Because of God's great love
for us – and, His desire to manifest His love toward us – we should expect the unexpected in both practical
and supernatural ways. God is the giver
of wonderful surprises!
Discuss how God has revealed His
love in an answered prayer for you.
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Romans 8:35-39
35Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36As it is written, For thy sake we
are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
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HOMEWORK
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Study 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, which defines the true characteristics of love.
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NAOMI & RUTH
REFLECTION
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Ruth’s story is a love story in
the purest sense. It depicts the mutual
love of two women who share in bonds of suffering and redemption. It is also about a deep love between a man
and woman in the highest portrayal of mutual respect and devotion. And most importantly, as a portrait of
grace, it reveals the divine mutual love between God and his people.
The story serves as a tremendous
example of God’s supreme faithfulness to those who love and trust Him, as He powerfully
moves in the mysterious realms, unfolding His master plan in human hearts.
Ruth and Naomi, both poor widows
with no one to help them, were in desperate need of someone to save them from
their despairing lives. Ruth’s
commitment to her mother-in-law, Naomi, caught the eye of wealthy landowner,
Boaz, and her humility captivated his heart and prompted a marriage
proposal. His passion for Ruth turned
things around for the women. Boaz, who
came to be known as her kinsman-redeemer, returned the kindness that Ruth
showed to Naomi. He rescued them from
destruction and led them into a place of loving favor, peace, provision, and
protection, which is a beautiful picture of the same type of relationship that
Christ desires to share with us.
Dr. Patricia Shankle is a contributing writer for this lesson.
