Are you ruled by your emotions? Many people are! I hope you have matured to the point where you are working to use your feelings to enrich your life while never letting them be ‘in charge.’ Some days I feel madly in love with Bev. Some days, not so much! Does that change my marital status? Of course not. Sometimes I feel more godly than others. Should I allow that to determine if I choose to be holy?
Is your faith totally dependent on feelings? Do you pray only when you are in a certain state of mind? Do you somehow think that your relationship with the Lord is directly tied to the chemicals that ebb and flow inside your cranium? Such a flimsy foundation is insufficient for Christian faith! Eugene Peterson, one of my favorite authors, writes: “My feelings tell me next to nothing about God or my relationship to Him. My security comes from who God is, not from how I feel. Discipleship is a decision to live by what I know about God, not by what I feel about Him or myself or my neighbors.” (A Long Obedience)
Look at this declaration! "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:5-8, NIV) Rock, fortress, refuge! Those are strong words, expressing faith that is not here today and gone under the stress that comes tomorrow!
Those who enjoy a deep and life-governing love of Christ are those who choose daily to practice the disciplines that open both their heart and their mind to the Truth of God and the work of the Spirit. They set God above all other parts of their lives – higher than family, higher than demands at work, higher than their desires, higher than diversions; and yes, higher than their emotions. They faithfully open the Scripture to learn. They regularly offer prayer and listen in meditation. They make gathering with other disciples a priority choice. They serve others. They give time and resources to the work of God first, not last.
You may object- “Jerry, that sounds like duty; like I am attempting to earn God’s favor.” To be honest, there are days when my choice to deny my impulse to be selfish or sinful is dutiful! But, I am glad for the Truth that guides me past the shoals of my own emotions at that moment. There’s nothing wrong with doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do! If only follow God when our heart is stirred by good feelings, our discipleship will be shallow, if it exists at all.
The paradox is this: the person who consistently makes the choice to do what God desires of him –regardless of his feelings– almost certainly will develop a deeper, richer intimacy with God over time! He learns what it means to ‘walk with God’ and knows that He is equally present in the dark valley and the mountaintop. It is like the man who moves past infatuation with a woman, who makes the covenant pledge of marriage. His choice for one woman, his surrender of the ‘freedom’ of bachelorhood, lays a foundation for discovery of a deeper relationship with his wife; one he could never find in a series of relationships based only on attraction.
Disciple, exercise the God-given ability to choose!
Don’t float with the current. You’ll drift away from God, never to Him. Don’t walk with the crowd. They will never lead you to the King of Glory! Take Joshua’s challenge – “Choose today whom you will serve!”
Here’s the word from the Word.
"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.
None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness.
Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.
Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.
And sing, sing your hearts out to God!
Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."
(Colossians 3:15-17, The Message)
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He’s my Rock, my Sword, my Shield!
He’s my Wheel in the middle of the wheel!
He’s my Lily of the Valley,
He’s my Bright and Morning Star!
Makes no difference what you say,
I’m going on my knees and pray,
I’m gonna wait right here for Jesus ‘till He comes.
- Public domain
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