Lesson Prepration Guide for "The Love of God"

In his talk "The Love of God," Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai of the Seventy shares profound insights into how we can experience and share the love of God in our lives. Through personal experiences, scriptural references, and teachings from Church leaders, Elder Tai emphasizes the accessibility of God's love and the actions we can take to feel it more abundantly. He encourages us to strengthen our spiritual foundations, remove bitterness, and serve others to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Ideas for Opening the Lesson

Begin by sharing a personal experience or a story about a time when you felt the love of God in your life. Invite class members to share their own experiences.
Show a picture of the Milky Way or a starry sky and ask class members to reflect on a time when they felt a connection to God's creations. Discuss how these moments can help us feel God's love.
Play a short video clip or song that focuses on the love of God. Ask class members to ponder how they feel God's love in their daily lives.
Start with a moment of silence and invite the class to think about someone in their life who needs to feel God's love. Encourage them to consider how they might help that person.
Read a scripture related to God's love, such as John 3:16 or Moroni 7:47, and discuss its meaning and implications for our lives.

Topics

Recognize God’s Creation

Elder Tai shared an experience of marveling at the Milky Way with his family, illustrating the beauty and majesty of God's creations. This experience connected them to God and emphasized that even when we cannot see it, God's creations are always present.

Clearly visible above us was the magnificent Milky Way, filled with innumerable stars and the occasional shooting star. While we marveled at the majesty of God’s creation, we felt a reverent connection to Him.

How do you feel connected to God through His creations?
What are some experiences where nature has strengthened your faith?
Why do you think God created such a vast and beautiful universe?
In what ways can we help our families appreciate God’s creations more fully?
How can recognizing God’s creations help us feel His love?

Exercise Faith in Unseen Realities

Elder Tai taught that faith is the evidence of things not seen. Despite distractions and temptations, exercising faith in God and Jesus Christ provides assurance of Their reality and love.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

How can we strengthen our faith in things we cannot see?
What are some distractions that cloud our spiritual vision?
How has faith provided assurance of God’s love in your life?
What role does faith play in overcoming temptations?
How can we help others develop faith in unseen realities?

Experience the Love of God

Elder Tai explained that the love of God is accessible to everyone, and we experience it through repentance, forgiveness, keeping commandments, and serving others. Consistent spiritual practices draw us closer to God.

We feel God’s love when we do things that draw us closer to Him, such as conversing with Him daily through prayer and scripture study.

What practices help you feel closer to God?
How does repentance help us feel God’s love?
Why is forgiveness important in experiencing God’s love?
How can serving others increase our understanding of God’s love?
What changes can you make to feel God’s love more consistently?

Remove Spiritual Debris

Elder Tai shared President Nelson's invitation to remove old debris from our lives and strengthen our spiritual foundations through temple covenants. This helps us access the Lord’s power and feel His love abundantly.

President Russell M. Nelson has invited us to "remove, with the Savior’s help, the old debris in our lives" and to "lay aside bitterness."

What spiritual debris might you need to remove from your life?
How do temple covenants strengthen your spiritual foundation?
What role does the Savior play in helping us remove spiritual debris?
How can laying aside bitterness help us feel God’s love?
What steps can you take to bolster your spiritual foundation?

Share the Love of God

Elder Tai emphasized the importance of sharing the love of God with others by developing Christlike attributes and following the two great commandments. This helps others feel God’s love and strengthens our own connection to Him.

To help others feel God’s love, we need to cultivate in ourselves Christlike attributes such as humility, charity, compassion, and patience.

How can you share God’s love with those around you?
What Christlike attributes do you want to develop further?
How does loving others help us feel God’s love more fully?
What experiences have you had in sharing God’s love with others?
How can following the two great commandments help us share God’s love?

Additional Discussion Questions

What are some ways you can remember you are a child of God?
How can daily prayer help you feel God’s love more abundantly?
In what ways can you act promptly on inspiration to help others?
How can gratitude enhance your ability to feel God’s love?
What experiences have helped you recognize God’s hand in your life?
How can we support each other in our efforts to feel God’s love?
What role does the Holy Ghost play in helping us feel God’s love?
How can we better recognize and respond to the needs of those around us?
What scriptures have strengthened your understanding of God’s love?
How can we teach our children to feel and recognize God’s love?