What Does This Story Have To Do With Me?

 WHAT DOES THIS STORY HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

Read John 3.16

You've made it! This is the last week of Advent. We hope that you've been both encouraged and challenged by the people you've read about over the last few weeks. You've met people in their high moments and in their low moments. Some were young, some were old. Some were Israelites, while others were not. But they all had one thing in common, they were faced with the question Will I trust God? Some answered yes, and others, no.

The theme for this final week of Advent is love. How fitting this is as we approach Christmas Day  the day when we celebrate the birth of God's Son. John 3.16 tells us that, 

"God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son,so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." 

It's because of God's love that we've been

given the gift of Jesus Christ. And a crucial aspect of that love is the invitation to trust God.

Throughout this study, you've witnessed many examples of what it might look like for you to trust God. But this week, as we prepare for Christmas Day, we'll walk through the practical ways you can trust God with every aspect of your life in response to the good news of Jesus's birth.

We'll begin tomorrow by exploring what it might look like for you to trust God with your past. You've likely experienced hurt, disappointment, or regret in your life at some point or another. On this day, we'll look at what it looks like to accept God's love and trust Him in spite of your past. Then, on Christmas Eve, we'll look at what it means to trust God with your present. We'll discuss how God truly understands all that we're going through and is with us in every moment. And finally, on Christmas Day, we'll discuss trusting God with your future. In these teenage years, there's a lot of life ahead of you still, and that can come with a lot of fear. We'll encourage you to entrust those worries and fears to your heavenly Father.

As you reach Christmas Day and the end of this study, we hope that you'll be able to look upon the celebration of Christmas with fresh eyes, truly embracing the hope, peace, joy, and love offered through the wonderful event of Jesus's birth. Most of all, we hope that you've had an opportunity to taste and see God's goodness, learn of His great trustworthiness, and move forward into each day making the decision to trust Him with every aspect of your life, past, present, and future.

Reflect on the word "love." 

What does it mean to you? 

What makes you feel loved? 

How does the world's view of love compare to a biblical view of love? 

What comes to mind when you read the phrase "God is love"?

Pray and ask God to reveal His love for you through Jesus Christ this week.

Song to Reflect On, "Seasons" from the album Christmas: The Peace Project by Hillsong Worship