40 Days 2026 – Week 6

Live Loved – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

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Memory Verse for Week 6: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14–15, NIV

Everything in these 40 days leads to the cross, where true change is found not in effort or ideas, but in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. At the cross, we see the depth of our sin and the greater depth of God’s mercy, where love breaks guilt, silences shame, and replaces fear with freedom. To live loved is to stop striving and rest in full acceptance, allowing that transforming love to make you secure, bold, and completely changed from within. This week, we will discuss the question: if Jesus has already set me free, why do I keep going back to what I don’t want to do?

  1. If you could have one thing “drive” or motivate your decisions every day (like love, success, security, adventure, etc.), what would you choose and why?
  2. Pastor James talked about the gap between what we know is right and how we actually live. Can you think of an area where most people struggle with this gap? What makes it so hard to live what we know?
  3. What stood out to you most about the way Pastor James described how God loves us? Which of the six ways he mentioned (chose you at your worst, paid your full debt, pursues with mercy, brought you into His family, broke sin’s power, secured you forever) was most meaningful to you? Why?
  4. Pastor James mentioned that “something is always driving your life” and gave examples like fear, approval, insecurity, FOMO, and shame. Which of these resonated most with you, and why do you think these things have such power over people?
  5. Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. The word “compels” means “to seize, to control, to press in from every side.” What do you think Paul means when he says “Christ’s love compels us”?
  6. Pastor James made a distinction between being “committed,” having “conviction,” and being “convinced.” How would you explain the difference between these three things? Why does he say being convinced is what actually changes us?
  7. What’s the difference between living free “by trying to love God more” versus living free when “you are convinced of how much He loves you”? Why does this distinction matter?
  8. Read Romans 5:8. He chose you at your worst. Which means His love was never built on your performance, so it cannot be undone by your failure. How does this verse help explain the depth of God’s love for us?
  9. Read Colossians 2:13-14. He paid your debt in full. According to this verse, what do you still owe God in order to have a right relationship with Him?
  10. Pastor James said, “You don’t live from what you know, you live from what you are convinced of.” What do you think he means by this statement?
  11. If you’re honest, what do you think “drives” your life most often? Is it Christ’s love, or something else like fear, the need for approval, insecurity, or shame? How do you see this showing up in your daily decisions?
  12. Pastor James asked, “Do you want freedom or do you just want relief?” How would you answer that question for yourself? What’s the difference between the two?
  13. Read John 1:12. He brought you into His family. He did not just forgive you and leave you there. He brought you in. He gave you a name. He gave you a place. He gave you access to Himself. You are not on the outside trying to prove you belong. You already do. You are not a stranger hoping to get close to God. You are His. What does it mean to youto be a child of God?
  14. Read Romans 8:2. Jesus SET YOU FREE. Out of love, He broke sin’s power over you. How can this verse remind you that sin is not your master, that you have been set free?
  15. Read Romans 8:38-39. If He chose you at your worst, paid your full debt, is rich in mercy toward you, brought you into His family, broke sin’s power over you, and secured you forever. Why then do we still live like we are unloved, still live like we are unforgiven, still live like we are on the outside, still live like we are bound, still live like we could be rejected?
  16. Pastor James said, “ When you live loved, you don’t need what used to validate you,” and “you don’t go back to what used to break you.” What are some things that people look to for validation or comfort that aren’t healthy? How might being more convinced of God’s love change our relationship to those things?
  17. Have an honest conversation with God about what’s really driving your life. Ask Him to help His love become the compelling force behind your decisions this week. What would it look like to let Christ’s love compel you to do what you do?
  18. Read John 6:37. “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” If you think your love for Christ is the source of your strength, it will waver. If you understand that the source of your strength comes from Jesus’ love for you, your strength will never waver. What is this passage saying?

Prayer

“Jesus, I’m starting to see that I’ve been trying so hard to fix myself and live right, but maybe the real issue is what’s been driving me. I confess that too often it’s been fear, or shame, or the need for approval, instead of Your love.

Help me to really see and believe how much You love me. When You chose me at my worst, when You paid my full debt, when You brought me into Your family – that wasn’t just theology, that was You moving toward me with incredible love. Help that truth sink deeper than just my head into my heart.

When I’m tempted this week to go back to old patterns, remind me that I am loved, I am free, and I don’t need to chase what used to define me. Let Your love compel me, drive me, and pull me forward. I don’t want to just visit freedom, I want to live in it. Thank You that because of the cross, I can’t stay like this. Your love is stronger than any lie, any shame, any fear that’s tried to control me. Help me live like someone who is truly, deeply, completely loved. Amen.”

Consume – April 3, 6:30 pm – www.journeyconnect.org/consume

Easter – Invite someone to join you! – www.journeyconnect.org/easter

Open Baptism – Haven’t been baptized yet? Just show up this weekend. – April 11 & 12

Serve Day – May 2 – We want everyone to serve our community somehow this day – www.journeyconnect.org/serveday