📘 Love Is — Resource Guide

Dates: February 1 – February 15, 2026

Subtitle: God’s design for love, sex, and dating in a world of mixed signals.

Key Passages:

1 John 4:7–12

1 Corinthians 13

Song of Songs 2:7

1 Corinthians 6:18–20

Proverbs 4:23

Ruth 1–4

Formation Practice

Each week, complete the sentence:

Love is __________.

Then take one conversation step by sharing your answer with a trusted friend, partner, mentor, or spouse.

This isn’t about getting the definition right — it’s about letting God reshape how love is lived, not just how it’s felt.

Series Synopsis

Love is… complicated.

Culture tells us love is chemistry, compatibility, or a swipe in the right direction. But Scripture tells a deeper story: love as sacrifice, intimacy as holy, and dating as discipleship.

In this three-week series, we reclaim God’s vision for love; not as something we fall into or out of, but as something we are formed into. From God’s initiating love, to faithful waiting, to holy intimacy, we’ll discover that love is not just about who we’re with — it’s about who we’re becoming.

This series is for the dating, the married, the single, the healing, and the hopeful. Wherever you are, God’s love is forming you.

🧭 Series Roadmap

Week

Date

Sermon Title

Scripture Focus

Key Theme

1

Feb 1

Love Is More Than a Feeling

1 John 4:7–12; 1 Corinthians 13

Love is a choice rooted in God’s love for us.

2

Feb 8

Love Is Worth Waiting For

Proverbs 4:23; Ruth 1–4

Dating is discipleship that shapes who you’re becoming.

3

Feb 15

Love Is Holy (Including Intimacy)

Song of Songs 2:7; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20

Sex is a sacred gift, not a god or a shame.

📚 Recommended Reading

Books to Go Deeper

• The Meaning of Marriage — Tim Keller
  
  
• Sacred Search — Gary Thomas
  
  
• Single, Dating, Engaged, Married — Ben Stuart
  
  
• Loveology — John Mark Comer
  
  

These resources help move beyond cultural scripts into a biblical vision of love shaped by covenant, character, and Christlikeness.

🎧 Podcasts & Messages

• Loveology Podcast
  
  
• Becoming Something
  
  
• The Place We Find Ourselves

🌐 Websites

• boundless.org — Christian resources on dating, singleness, and marriage
  
  
• authenticintimacy.com — Biblically grounded teaching on sex and intimacy
  
  
• emotionallyhealthy.org — Relational maturity, boundaries, and formation tools
  
  

🧠 Key Concepts & Practices

Spiritual Practices to Try

• Definition Practice: Each week, revisit your “Love is…” statement and notice how it’s changing.
  
  
• Heart Check: Before acting relationally, ask: Is this loving, or just convenient?
  
  
• Boundary as Love: Choose one boundary that protects your heart rather than numbs it.
  
  

Key Terms

• Love — A practiced commitment shaped by God’s character
  
  
• Waiting — Active trust, not passive delay
  
  
• Holiness — Wholeness lived before God, not moral superiority
  
  
• Discipleship (Formation) — Becoming like Jesus in how we love others
  
  

🙌 Community & Next Steps

• Have one intentional relationship conversation this week
  
  
• If you’re married or engaged to be married, register for The Marriage Course
  
  

Weekly Challenge:

“This week, love will look like __________.”

✍️ Reflection & Prayer Prompts

• Where have I confused love with feeling, chemistry, or convenience?
  
  
• What season of waiting might God be using to form me?
  
  
• What message about sex or intimacy do I need to unlearn?
  
  
• How is God inviting me to love more like Him?
  
  

Prayer

God of love,

You loved us first — fully, sacrificially, and truthfully.

Re-teach us what love is.

Heal what’s been distorted,

strengthen what’s fragile,

and form us into people who love the way You do.

Amen.

📌 

Notes

Use this space to capture insights, questions, or conversations God invites you into during this series.

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