Notes
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sin
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
1 John 4:7-12
We naturally express what we experience. God wants people to encounter the kind of love that only He can give. As we experience His love, He calls us to come together and reflect that love to the world around us. God’s design is for love to be contagious. And how can we be contagious with God’s love?
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
1) Contagious Love Is Generous
God gave—and He continues to give. One of the ways we share His love is through generosity—using what we have to bless others. True generosity comes from understanding that Jesus took our place, serving God’s justice, so we can experience the love of our Creator in a personal way. We don’t have to wonder if we are loved—we already know because of what Christ has done. When we allow God’s generosity to fill us, His love will naturally overflow into the live those around us.
2) Contagious Love Is Courageous
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:6-8
Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to demonstrate His love for each and every one of us. His love gave Him the courage to reach people others avoided. In John 8, religious leaders tried to trap Jesus by bringing Him a woman caught in adultery. The law of Moses said she should be stoned, but Jesus didn’t respond with condemnation. Instead, He told them, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.” His words exposed their hearts, and one by one, they walked awa Our love becomes contagious when it is courageous—when it reminds everyone that we all need Jesus as our Savior.
3) Contagious Love Is Purposeful
Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
John 8:10-11
Jesus’ love is purposeful in how it is directed. The woman in John 8 had never experienced the mercy and love of God like this before. Jesus didn’t condemn her—He rescued her. He didn’t ignore her sin, but instead, Jesus gave her a new path forward. His love gave her hope and a future.
When we truly experience the love of God in our lives, it changes us. It moves us to action. It makes us vessels of His love—carrying hope, mercy, and purpose to those around us.
Group Questions
- How has God’s generosity impacted your life?
- What are some practical ways we can reflect God’s generosity to those around us?
- What does it look like to love courageously in today’s world?
- What are some areas in your life where you feel God is calling you to show His love more purposefully?
Prayer
Thank you for the love that you have freely given to us. Help us to be generous with what you’ve entrusted to us, courageous in how we show love to others, and purposeful in the way we live out your calling on our lives. Let your love be contagious in our lives so others can see you through us.