Created to Be Loved: Week 1 day 1 of Living Loved Living Free Bible study

Living Loved online study

Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.  Ephesians 1:4

I'm so excited about doing Living Loved Living Free again as an online Bible study. I love being on a journey with so many men and women who desire to know Jesus and to live free in His love. Every time I read through the first lesson of this study, I am overwelmed once again with the revelation that my Heavenly Father created you and me to be the focus of His love, to be made whole and complete by His love-to lack nothing in Him.

Why does this truth touch me so deeply? I think it's because I know what it feels like to live with a broken heart. I lived so many years of my life believing the devil's lie that "I am not who God says I am." Just like Adam and Eve, I believed that I lacked in some way and so I looked outside of my relationship with Jesus to meet the needs of my heart and the result was shame and brokenness. My husband, my children, my parents, and my friends cannot satisfy the need that God has placed within me to be valued, accepted, approved and loved. Some how when I look outside of Jesus to meet my needs, I end up disappointed and discouraged. But when I bring my heart to Jesus and believe what He says is true, every need of my heart is completely satisified in His love. When I am willing to lay down my own opinion and the opinion of others and embrace with all of my heart what my Father says about me in Christ, I experience true freedom. When I value His opinion of me more than the world's, I live loved and I live free. Ephesians 1:4 says that He loves you and me and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. He sees us as very good because we are in Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21).

One day as I was taking a walk with my granddaughter, Ryann, I began telling her how much I love her. I said, "Ryann, you are a very good girl." She responded by saying, "Yes, I am, grandma!" I laughed with joy as she received my love and embraced my good opinion of her. She believed that what I said about her was true and it made me so happy. At that moment the Father spoke to my heart and said, "Connie, I love you, and you are very good." Just like Ryann, I confidently responded by saying, "Yes, I am, Father, because everything you say about me is true." I felt Him smile as I received His love, just as I did when Ryann received my love for her.

So how do we truly receive God's love and live loved and live free? Simply by embracing His good opinion of you in Christ. When we agree with His view of us, our hearts are healed and made whole by His love. We live free from all shame and brokeness and finally we are empowered to live the abundant, full life that our Heavenly Father intended for us to live all along. Today, listen with me as our Heavenly Father speaks to our hearts through His Word:

 "My beloved child, You are excellent in every way! You are good, so very good, and I approve of you completely! You are without fault in my eyes because of your faith in my Son, Jesus, and there is nothing you could ever do to change my good opinion of you!- Your Heavenly Father

How will you respond to Him today?

Join me as we journey through Living Loved Living Free online Bible study. You can watch week one of this series by attending our online study at http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=231933273504993