Time Well Spent
Week 9: Tension to the Eternal

…a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. —Ecclesiastes 3:8 (NIV)

   Love is spending time with those who

Reveal Answer

most.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. —1 John 4:9 (NIV)

Love must be sincere —Romans 12:9a (NIV)

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies. —1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (MSG)

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. —Hebrews 13:1 (NIV)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

   Hate is spending time fighting what’s

Reveal Answer

.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. —Romans 12:9b (NIV)

   War is spending time facing

Reveal Answer

.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. —Ephesians 6:10–12 (NIV)

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. —Romans 7:15–16 (NIV)

I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind… —Romans 7:23 (NIV)

   Peace is spending time as a

Reveal Answer

, not just a keeper.

For he himself is our peace… His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. —Ephesians 2:14–18 (NIV)

Blessed are the peacemakers. —Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone —Romans 12:18 (NIV)

Q: How will you spend your time this week that will matter for eternity?

Notes:

Theme: All is Fair in Love and War

Reflect Together: What impacted you the most from this past Sunday’s Message?

Share Together: What was your favorite outdoor game as a child? What was one of the most memorable moments?

Read Together: Ecclesiastes 3:8

Discuss Together:

• Who matters most in your life right now, and can you intentionally show them love that reflects God’s love?
• Read 1 Corinthians 13:13. Why do you think love is “the greatest”? How can that truth shape your choices, conversations, and time this week?
• What is something that is wrong in the world (or in your heart) that you feel God calling you to “hate” — not with bitterness, but with righteous passion? What can we do about it?
• What kind of conflict are you facing right now—internal, relational, or spiritual—and how are you navigating it? How does Ephesians 6:10–12 help reframe your battle?
• What does it look like for you to be a peacemaker, and not just in your current relationships? Where do you sense God inviting you to bring reconciliation?
• In what ways do you feel the tension between love and hate, war and peace, in your everyday life? How does acknowledging that tension draw you closer to eternity?
• When you think about how you spend your time, what activities or priorities might be one shift you feel God is leading you to make this week?

Pray Together: How can we pray for one another in this season? Also how has God answered your prayers that we celebrate?