Love is Love, The Counterfeit of Covenant
Everybody believes in love, but what do we actually mean when we say “love”?
In Week 3 of Counterfeit Kingdom, Love Is Love?: The Counterfeit of Covenant, we look at the powerful story of Hosea and Gomer and discover the difference between a love that chases what satisfies us and a covenant love that remains faithful, pursues, gives, and is willing to pay a price.
Feelings, attraction, and romance can all be part of love, but they were never meant to define it. Scripture ultimately points us to Jesus and says, this is how we know what love is: He laid down His life for us.
So when I say, “I love you,” am I describing what I feel, what I receive, or what I’m willing to give?Message Description Should Go Here
Hosea
Discussion topics
- HEAD – What did Jesus say to you through the Word?
- Read Hosea 3:1 and 1 John 3:16. Hosea is told, “Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites.” What does Hosea and Gomer’s story teach us about the difference between counterfeit love and covenant love?
- We learned that feelings, attraction, and romance aren’t wrong, but “feelings can be part of love; they were never meant to be king.” Why is it dangerous to allow our feelings to define whether or how we love someone?
- Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. What stands out about how many of Paul’s descriptions of love involve actions, choices, and attitudes toward another person rather than simply emotions?
- HEART – How did it make you feel?
- The message described counterfeit love as asking, “What does this do for me?” Where are you most tempted to evaluate relationships by what you’re receiving rather than what you’re giving?
- Consider this statement: “Sincerity doesn’t determine truth, and intensity doesn’t determine love.” Have you ever sincerely felt something that you later realized wasn’t actually loving? What helped you recognize the difference?
- When the feelings that brought you into a commitment change, what tends to happen to your commitment? Think beyond marriage to friendships, family, church, serving, and your relationship with God.
- HANDS – What are you going to do with it?
- Identify one person God has placed in your life whom you can intentionally love this week. Instead of asking what you need from them, ask: “What would seeking their good look like?”
- Choose one description from 1 Corinthians 13, such as patience, kindness, not being self-seeking, protecting, or persevering, and intentionally practice it toward someone this week.
- Hosea ends by saying, “The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.” What is one area where God’s way of loving is challenging your way of loving? What would it look like to walk in His way this week?
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