Small Groups: JOY

This week we went over joy. The passage we went through was James 1:2-8.


We defined joy as something God gives us that is eternal and cannot be taken away from us. Joy does not always mean that we will always be happy, smiling, or positive. Sometimes we will be sad and depressed, but having faith in God's plan for us gives us joy. We are also able to have joy because of what God has done for us, He gave his son for us so that we wouldn't have to spend eternity in Hell [Habakkuk 3:18]. We also talked about the difference between happiness and joy: happiness is temporary and circumstantial while joy is eternal. We also saw the difference between emotional joy and spiritual joy. Emotional joy is something that everyone has because it's similar to happiness. But spiritual joy can only come from God. During our trials, we should remember that God is not the cause us of falling into temptation. It is because we gave us God's truth for the world's lie that we have a sinful nature [Romans 1:25]. Another thing we must remember is that God will never give us more than we can handle [1 Corinthians 10:13]. Anything we go through, God will always provide a way out. So because God will never give us too much, we must stand fast in our trials.


Here's the equation:
Unwavering faith + our reliance on God + putting our faith in God's perfect plan = joy


Lastly, remember that God is always the perfect comfort and will always provide the perfect comfort.
IN: Do you have faith in God's plan for you? IF YES: How are you going to maintain that faith and joy? IF NO: What changes are you going to make in your life? What is preventing you from finding joy?
OUT: Are we willing to be a source of comfort? Are you willing to comfort friends? neighbors? strangers? Are we willing to go out of our comfort zone to comfort people?


I hope you really apply this to your lives and challenge yourselves to do what you know God desires of us.