Title: Redefine Your Joy

Key Points:

• Joy is the result, not the reason.
• God’s love doesn’t depend on you.
• The only condition God has for loving you is the condition He found you in.
• “Remain” is not about loss, but persistence.

For Personal Journaling and/or Connect Groups:

• What is the difference between joy and happiness? Happiness can only carry you so far – it is temporary and dependent on our circumstances. When did you last experience true JOY?
• How have you felt loved by God this week/year? Is there a time that you felt undeserving of His love? His love for you is unconditional – there are no “Ifs”. Reflect on that and take a minute to thank God for His unending love.
• Has there been a time that you HAVE walked away from your faith or given up on God because of an “if”? Have you been faith shamed and told that you weren’t doing enough/praying enough/reading Scripture enough? How did that make you feel about yourself? About God?
• Our joy comes from giving others the opportunity to hear what God has done in our lives and experience that freedom and hope. As you’ve been serving this week during Hope Week, how have you done that? Did you have an opportunity to share your story and redefine someone else’s joy? What happened?