Report

Lesson 2
Overflowing Joy
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
-Philippians 4:4
A professor of philosophy said that the best way to be
unhappy is to seek only happiness. The pursuit of happiness
and pleasurable experiences is common to all people. There
is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy. Great sums of
money are spent every year in pursuit of happiness—yet the
world is filled with pain and worry. Many people resort to
suicide as the only way to end their misery. They have not
discovered that real and lasting joy is possible only in God.
Instruction:

 Each one will draw a happy face on a bond paper. The face should reflect a great sense of
joy. Show your classmates how you picture joy.
 Discuss: What makes you happy?
At the end of this lesson, I will…

 Learn that the real and lasting joy can only be found in God.
 Explain why anything that will hinder my relationship with God will rob me of joy.
 Demonstrate a life full of joy in the Lord.
Consult God’s Compass

 In the Bible the world joy is translated from the Greek word chara. Chara is not a joy
which comes from earthly things, but it is based upon a relationship with God. Joy has a
far greater meaning than momentary happiness. It is a quality of cheerfulness, delight, and
gladness that is not determined by circumstances, but is a constant quality in all situations,
whether good or bad, because its foundation is God.
 Joy is an outworking of God in our lives that is not dependent on our outward
circumstances. Spiritual joy endures even in hardships, because it is developed by God
from within.
But joy can be hindered. Here are two common
hindrances of joy:
 Discouragement. Discouragement causes us to forget all the blessings we have received
from God. It causes us to focus more on our negative situation than on the promises of
God.
 Doubt. We will start losing our joy the moment we doubt God and His promises.
Bear in mind that, since joy is founded in God, anything that
hinders our relationship with Him can rob us of our joy. Whenever
we feel that our joy is depleted, the first thing we should check is
our relationship with God. Only He can cast away the
discouragement and doubt we feel inside.
Here are a few results of joy in our lives:

 Happy face. “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit”
Proverbs 15:13. A joyful person will have a happy heart. A person’s inner feelings are
often expressed in his face because of his attitudes or behavior.
 A grateful heart. He who experiences real joy will also develop a grateful heart. He or she
will find himself or herself overflowing with gratitude for all that God has done.
Group Interaction

 Fill the quadrant with what you think are four top things that make a person happy and
then show your answers to your group:
At the Crossroads
Pinoy Kasi!

 The 2012 Happy Planet Index ranked the Philippines 24th, happiest country in the world
ahead of countries such as Norway, Switzerland and the UK. The “cheery behavior” seems
to be the norm for most Filipino people and is readily evident in the way Filipinos
celebrate fiestas, Christmas, New Year, and birthdays. This indicates that not only are the
people of the Philippines happy, but also that their happiness persists inspite of the
prevailing poverty.
 However, wasteful habits are also blatant during Filipino celebrations. We always hold
grand feasts featuring excessive food, drinks, decor, and lavish gifts, which people justify
by saying that they deserve a momentary escape from life’s troubles. However, this lavish
way of expressing happiness can cause people to be show offs and proud or even land them
in debt!
Question:

 What are simple ways that would really make you happy?
 How can Filipinos express their joy in expressive but appropriate ways?
Follow the Trail
Real People, Real Models

 There are people and agencies that add joy and happiness to people’s lives. They exert
much effort to promote other’s welfare and selflessly work to improve their conditions.
Operation Smile Philippines is one such organization.
 Throughout the world, Operation Smile volunteers to repair childhood facial deformities
while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable health-care
systems for children and families. They create smiles, change lives, and heal humanity.
 With an estimated 4,000 new cases of cleft deformity among babies delivered each year,
Operation Smile Philippines (OSP) hopes to address the thousands of backlogged cases by
continuing its outreach missions in remote areas. It also plans to develop cleft centers in
strategic areas of the country.
Real People, Real Models

 How can we make the whole world smile? At a time when the whole world is bombarded
with so much negative news, we need more good news.
 Locally, the scenario is the same. News about scams, political and economic uncertainties,
and crime makes our hearts sink. Hearing of all these things snaps the joy out of us. This is
where real joy is needed. We need to find a reason not just to be entertained but to have
optimism that things can get better.
 Because we believe in God, we know He can make us smile. He can infuse a positive
outlook in our lives that can allow us to be optimistic despite all the negative news we
hear. God also fills our lives with simple blessings we can enjoy everyday that make us
happy. If we learn to trust Him, smiling becomes natural.
Reach the Peak
Consider the following actions steps:

 Look in:
Do you look to God as your real source of joy?
 Look up:
Think of as many small blessings as you can. Take time to thank God for
each of them.
 Look around:
Make it your mission to make someone smile everyday with your good
deeds.
Thank you for listening
God bless us everyone!