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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

(Week 2) To Be Known Is to Be Loved

If you’re reading via email, please click title above (“Known”) so you can read it to my website. This post includes a powerful video and a FREE download that won’t come through via email.

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From Chapter 2, A Confident Heart

“Jesus knew Sam’s  (the Samaritan woman’s) story and He knows yours. The Greek word for “know” is yada. It means a deep emotional experience; a bonding between two people when one truly feels the emotions of the other. Jesus knows your pain, fears, doubts, and disappointments. He understands your dreams and desires.

Although some of us feel uncomfortable that God knows so much about us, it is good to be known, to be listened to and not judged. Jesus is the only One who can meet our deepest needs to be accepted and delighted in simply because of who we are. We can offer nothing but our presence, and He will desire us just the same…

Christianity is the only faith that offers a relationship with the living God. We don’t just know about our God; our God wants us to know Him. We were created for that kind of relationship. He wants us to find lasting soul-security in knowing we are valued and pursued by the One who knows and loves us—the One who created our inmost being and wove us together in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13). Have you let the gospel of God’s grace move from your head to your heart, so that you know without a doubt you are known intimately and loved completely by God?” (p. 40 printed copy)

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Our word this week is  “Known”

Our verse of the week is: Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (NIV)

This week’s video message is one that shows us we are known and loved.  Please click the arrow below to watch this video – all the way through. You’ll be so glad you did.

(from video script)

I WANT TO BE KNOWN
I want someone to look at my face
And not just see two eyes, a nose,
a mouth and two ears
But to see all that I am, and could be
all my hopes, loves and fears…

And YOU know me
You actually know me
all of me and everything about me
Every thought inside and hair on top of my head
Every hurt stored up, every hope, every dread
My past and my future, all I am and could be
You tell me everything,
You tell me about ME
And that which is spoken by another would bring hate and condemnation
Coming from Youu brings love, grace, mercy, hope and salvation
I’ve heard of One to come
who could save a wretch like me
And here in my presence, You say
I AM HE…   ( read full script here)

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Today’s Assignment:

  • Read this week’s memory verse (Jeremiah 1:5). Ask God to remind you all week that He knows the way you long to be known, pursued and loved!
  • Start or continue reading chapter 2. Remember, take your time and highlight or underline sentences that resonate in your heart.

Connect in Community:

What sentences in Chapter 2 are resonating most with you?

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Comments

  1. Page 38…..Renee says..”But if we only live on the surface with God, we’ll never experience the intimacy we long for or the acceptance and security He offers. Instead of just making our lives easier, God wants us to come up close and experience Him and all that He has for us! He knows that our problems wont be solved and our confidence won’t be found through simply getting more stuff done!!” I don’t know about all of you, but I’m sure guilty and good at getting stuff done…….but not taking the time to be intimate with God!!!
    Time to get intimate!!!!!
    I long for this from God……….thank you Renee for your words for encouragement 😉

  2. Hello all my sisters in Jesus!
    How I agree this chapter, the video and music given by Renee was so super…touched me so deeply.
    How stirred my spirit felt after reading of so many lives, with the same hearts cry!….loneliness.
    Let us try to see Jesus…lonely, as he left the throne of heaven to give himself for us, people found him, different…saying strange things, having people around him…not understanding him….oh, how he must of thought about heaven…yet, he was willing, obedient to show the Fathers love to every person he encountered.
    Jesus understands us, more then we will ever know…PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!!
    I cried for you all who shared so openly of your need for friends….and those of you who gave those, loving words of encouragement and hope!……we all desire to be loved…known, and that is why we have been given this moment of time ..to be here…with Renee…..we are blessed women, indeed!!

  3. One thing that has come to mind when reading ” Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” is that I feel like Jesus was saying that bc of him we would have this forever resevoir inside us whenever we needed it…a spring of water welling up that is constantly available when needed. And this goes well and makes sense w/ everything else he said ….”come to me all you who are tired, take my yoke which is easy…..” That he’s there in us and we’ll find him whenever we need him…this constant spring of water resevoir.

  4. My thoughts have conjured up the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. It has been running through my head since I finished our assignment tonight. Maybe some of you can relate, but I find the refrain to be completely appropriate to this study. I plan to write out the refrain and hopefully some of the verses to remind me of what my focus needs to be!

  5. Much in this chapter resonated with me- This year I am pursuing God- focused on going below the surface- your comments here served as confirmation as where I need to be-digging deeper and deeper that i may know God. My Scripture verse for this year is Hosea 6:3 Oh that (I) might know the Lord, Let (me) presson to know Him. He will respond as surley as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring. See why God brought me to this book- He knows me, my thoughts, desires, hopes, dreams. I can’t help but O what a mighty God we serve. What came closes to my heart in chapter 2 I don’t have to be perfect because He is- this met me where I was. God bless you Renee and all the ladies in this study.

  6. I believe many times I am aware of what needs to be done, but unaware of how I am going to do it. Life can be full of challenges. I know that I can over depend upon others, my friends, my husband, or relatives to meet my needs, but that is not a good expectation. I cannot always depend upon other people to meet my deepest needs. I can seek God and allow Jesus to help meet my deepest needs. Jesus knows me better then anyone here on Earth, so I need to try to reach out to Him and allow myself to receive the Bread of Life, the living water that only Jesus can give. I am in my 50’s so I find I rely upon Jesus more to meet my needs, although I do love my lunches and coffees and time with friends. I celebrate time with friends but I rely upon Jesus to fill my soul. Are there any Canadians in this Bible Study ? I live in Alberta, Canada.

    • ..I do not in Canada, yet, I so appreciated your sharing…no other can “fill our souls”…as He.
      (are you familiar with the singer/song writer Steve Bell…lives in Winnipeg?)

    • I’m in Toronto, Dianne, and I wish we all could meet up for lunch! Renee actually presented her book (before it was published) at a retreat where over 20 women from our church listened…more than 10 bought the book…but none of them wanted to do this study with me/us. It makes me sad because I would have loved to be able to sit & talk some of this out…and get the huggggs I need (as I’m single & have no one around).

      So Dianne, let’s support each other rather than being dependant, as I have learned that is no way to live life!

      Take care!

  7. I have to say…this chapter is full of so much! I think that I said that about last chapter too, but then I read this chapter and there’s more!! There were defiantly more than two sentences that stuck out to me, but since I am picking two they would be…..”He is there waiting for us in the midst of our imperfect lives, when our pain and failures confirm our self doubts. He is there waiting for us when we’re going through the motions, aware of what needs to be done but unaware of how we’re going to do it.” WOW…WOW…WOW!! So much truth in these two sentences!

  8. I can relate to Sam’s life. I’ve been married more times that I want to admit. The video and the story of the Samaritian woman let me know that it is no mistake that I am in this bible study.

  9. I haven’t finished the chapter yet but here is a sentence that jumped out at me:

    “It can be hard to let people know how we are really doing. We don’t want to be high maintenance, right?” (page 31)

    That is why I say I’m fine. It is not that I’m worried that people won’t accept me, it’s that I don’t want to burden them. A sad way of thinking!

    • Isn’t that so true. And, another thing that I have found when talking to people, is that most of them are full of “earthly” advice.

  10. p.32 “Slowly we begin to believe we have to be perfect to be loved and accepted.”

    This sentence is so true for me. After an unwanted divorce after 18 years together, I, too ,told people I was “fine”. I started believing that I would never be loved or accepted again because my life wasn’t perfect. I stayed away from church because it was too hard to go alone. I gained weight because eating was my comfort and I figured no one cared about me anymore anyway so why not eat all day. I was left with three children, no house, no car, and no money so my life was far from perfect. Slowly, I began to believe in myself again with the help of good friends and my family who encouraged me and my church family who welcomed me back when I was ready. I know that God loves me despite my imperfections and nothing I do or don’t do can change that fact.

  11. I love the verse John 4:4 “He had to go through Samaria.” Jesus purposefully went through Samaria (when most Jews wouldn’t) so that he could meet with Sam. There was a specific plan to meet with her. I believe Jesus seeks us just as purposefully, too!

  12. I like following the story of Sam. I never really gave much thought to the woman behind the story but it is pretty amazing. Pretty much most of chapter 2 spoke to me in quite a few levels of my life. On page 55, paragraph 3, it says that “Jesus helped Sam to see that no person or position, such as being someone’s wife, could fill the empty places in her heart.” Jesus is showing us all that He is enough! We need nothing else to fill our empty places and find our significance. I, like Sam, have looked for love in all the wrong places only to find that it doesn’t work. It doesn’t take away the loneliness or pain. I thank God that He showed me what I was doing and brought me out of that destructive way of life. I praise God as well for the healing that only He can bring if we allow it. I love this book! Some of the memories are painful but I give them to the Lord as they come up and let the healing begin! I also want to praise God for setting me on His path and giving me a wonderfully supportive husband and three beautiful, healthy kids. Anything is possible with God!

  13. Great chapter! In reading this chapter, I realize that I have been pretending that things are just “fine” when they are not. Like many of the posts above, I struggle with really letting people know me. On p. 33, I resonated with the line “I was haunted by thoughts of never being good enough. I felt like I could never do enough to measure up.” That is because I am either told this in some way (or perceive I am told this) or compare myself with someone who seems to have it all. And as I read that, I think that perhaps everyone in some point of their life thinks this. Things on earth, whether it be some material possession or even acceptance from someone else, will never satisfy. I guess that is why I am participating in this study and reading this book. 🙂 Praying that all of you will be reminded that as Jesus says in John 4, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” and as Renee said on p. 43, “As children of God we were designed to find out identity, our significance, and our confidence in Him. Praying that we will all take those steps in claiming our true identity in Him and as He designed us. 🙂

  14. This chapter really challenged me but I absolutely enjoyed it. In my life, saying “I’m fine” had become my default simply because I didn’t want people to think otherwise. I thank God He has put certain people in my life that I feel I can be real with but now I am challenged to not pretend at all. The reality is, everyone has something going on in their life and who knows, by me being honest, God could use me to speak life into someone else’s life. Depite being in my early twenties, this year has been quite challenging but it’s been awesome growing closer to God. I completely relates with Sam, desiring for God to make my life easier. But a challenge that came to mind as I read page 38 is that getting up close and personal with God requires work; living with a superficial relationship with God is far easier. But ultimately there is no satisfaction and we end up back where we were. Going through struggles and trials are not fun, but I don’t regret getting closer to God in the past year and Him divinely leading me to do this study. Lastly, Phil. 1:6 really resonated in me. I once again was encouraged with the promise that God has a plan and purpose for my life that He WILL see to completion. I no longer want to know or keep God at a distance; getting up close is definitely worth it.

  15. After reading chapter 2 I felt like it was written about me bacause it described my past life. But thanks to the grace of GOD my life and unhealthy patterns with the opposite gender have really changed. Jesus helped me to see my own pattern just like He did for Sam . I have been married now for 18 years, they haven’t been all sunshine and roses but we are still together just the same. Thank you Jesus for all you did for us over the years. Had I not seen the pattern and excepted Jesus’ help there is a good chance we might not still be together. I can also say that I am fine when I am really not, this is something I have been working on for a while now. As for walls in my life well they were there but thanks to the grace of GOD they have come down at least many of them did, if ther are more I am sure GOD will point them out to me.

    The video was awesome, and quite eye opening. Thanks for sharing it Renee

    BECAUSE GOD’S LOVE IS PERFECT, I DON’T HAVE TO BE AND NEITHER DO YOU!

  17. Amanda, just go again to Rennee web and try it. It wasn´t work for my either in my email.

    I hope you´ll be able to see it.

    Thanks a lot to everyone for sharing tour thoughts, I´m enjoing myself .

  18. These are the sentences that are resonating with me:

    Jesus met Sam in one of the loneliest parts of her day

    He was there waiting for us when we’re going through the motions, aware of what needs to be done but unaware of how we’re going to do it.

    He is there.

    When we come home to a husband who ignores us, Jesus is there.

    But if we only live on the surface with God, we’ll never experiene the intimacy we long for or the acceptance and security He offers.

    He took her below the surface and showed her what was really going on in her heart.

    My prayer is just that, Jesus take me below the surface cause I’m ready to see what’s really going on in my heart.— Amen

  19. The video is fixed now. Sorry about that – not sure why it stopped working. Be blessed today! You are known!!

  20. “So it is with Jesus. He notices and cares enough to tell us that our hearts need repair.” This is one of the many lines I highlighted. My story in a way reminds me of yours, Renee. As teens, my husband and I went to Church..I didn’t grow up knowing God’s love, but my husband and his family did. I went because he invited me (he was my boyfriend at the time). And I figured I could spend more time with him. I never truly listened to what was being said, and I always felt very uncomfortable. in the last 3 years, we have gone to Church maybe 5 times up until 3 months ago. We have been going steadily, and we both actually LISTEN, and I know God is speaking to me. He knows that I haven’t been living completely for Him and trusting his Word. He is telling me that my heart needs repair. I believe I was meant to own this book. I believe it was part of your plan to write this book to help people like me really HEAR what he is trying to say to us. I know now what he’s speaking to me and I’m so happy that I now hear him. “Through His death and resurrection, we are offered the gift of new life through the Holy Spirit and lasting security through our relationship with Christ.” Praise the Lord!

    • and unfortunately, the video wouldn’t work for me :/..it said “video not found”