Welcome to Week Seven of our Ephesians for Families Bible Study: Love Like Jesus. Last week Paul called us to walk worthy of our calling with humility, gentleness, and patience. This week, Paul shows us what that worthy walk looks like in everyday life. He reminds believers that the Christian life is shaped by love, a love we receive from Jesus and then live out toward others. If you are just joining us, Week 1 covers Paul’s background and why he wrote this letter.
Note for Parents: Read the Bible passage and the devotional thoughts on your own first, and feel free to highlight and make notes as you go. Then gather your family for the Bible study.
Bible Focus
Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Devotional Thoughts
Big Idea: Jesus loves us, so we can love others like Him.
Beloved Children
Notice the order in these verses. Paul calls us beloved children first, and then he tells us to walk in love. Our love for others grows out of the love God has already shown us. We belong to the Father because of what Jesus did, and children naturally imitate their father. Just as our kids watch us and pick up our habits, we learn to imitate God by staying close to Him and remembering how much He loves us. God’s love for us comes first, and our love for others flows from it. That frees us from loving people to earn anything, because Jesus already gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Walk in Love
In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul reminds us that love takes action. As parents, we can model this love for our kids in ways they can see and understand. Jesus showed what love looks like when He gave His life for us, and Paul calls us to imitate that example in our daily lives. Walking in love means choosing forgiveness over frustration, service over self-interest, and kindness even when it’s inconvenient.
For example, it could look like pausing to listen to your child’s worries even when you’re busy, apologizing quickly when tempers flare at the dinner table, or showing patience when siblings argue over toys. It also shows up in small acts of thoughtfulness, like helping with chores without being asked or encouraging a child after a hard day at school. When children see us live this way, they learn what it truly means to follow Jesus through our everyday choices, actions, and words.
Family Bible Study
This study is set up as three short days, but you can fit it to your family’s schedule. Do one day at a time through the week, or work through all three in one sitting. These questions are meant to start a real conversation. Feel free to reword them for younger kids and let older ones sit with the harder ones a little longer.
Day One: Study the Bible Together
Read Ephesians 5:1-2 together.
What does it mean to imitate someone? Who is someone you like to imitate?
Why does Paul call believers “beloved children” before telling them to walk in love?
How did Jesus show love to others while He was on earth?
What makes loving others hard, and what is one way our family can walk in love this week at home or with others?
Day Two: Memory Verse
Ephesians 5:2 (ESV): “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Memory Activity: Action Motions. For “walk,” take a few small steps while saying the word. For “in love,” make a big heart shape with both hands. For “as Christ loved us,” point up to Jesus, then hug yourself gently. Say the verse together three times with the motions before dinner.
Pray Together: Jesus, help us remember this verse every day. Let Your love show in how we talk and act with others. Amen.
Day Three: Family Activity:
Jesus-Love Action
Start by reviewing the memory verse together with the motions. Then have each person pick one “Jesus-Love Action” for the day. Options include giving someone a sincere compliment, helping without being asked, choosing forgiveness quickly, or praying for someone who needs love. Write down everyone’s action and put it where you can see it, such as the fridge, a chalkboard, or an app reminder.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us first and teaching us how to love like You. Help our family put Your love into action in everything we do, when we play, when we work, and when we talk to each other. Remind us to be patient, kind, and forgiving, and help us share Your love with others every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Explore More Ephesians Bible Studies
Week 8 – Put On the Armor of God
Discipleship Cliff Bible Studies Hub
Continue Your Discipleship Journey
Bible study is one way to point your kids to Jesus. For simple ways to do it in the middle of an ordinary day, read Everyday Ways to Point Your Kids to Jesus. Looking for more Bible studies, devotionals, and practical tools? Browse Family Resources at Discipleship Cliff.
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