What Saith the Scripture?
http://www.WhatSaithTheScripture.com/
Good Days, Better Days
Or, Understanding Our Emotions
"But the path of the just is as the shining Light, that shineth more and more
unto the Perfect Day"
(Proverbs 4:18).
by Tom Stewart
10-11-2000
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Preface
Only Christians will live happily ever after, for only in God's presence is
the "fulness of joy" (Psalm 16:11), and Christ's presence in Heaven is the Eternal Destiny of every
True Saint. "2
In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2-3). However, until
the Master is ready to take us Home to Heaven by death or Rapture, we must understand
our emotions, or stumble over them. "The entrance of Thy Words giveth Light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Psalm
119:130). The pathway before us, in the meantime, has
been designated by our God to be an ever increasing experience of growing understanding
of Himself (most of all), ourselves, and even our emotions. "But the path of
the just is as the shining Light, that shineth more and more unto the Perfect Day"
(Proverbs 4:18).
Content in Christ
We most heartily agree, that "some days are better than others." At least,
that is the way it feels. But, feelings do not necessarily reflect facts. "11 Not that I speak in respect
of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:11-13). The Apostle Paul experienced the peaks and the valleys of emotions
in his walk with Christ, but he professed to his being instructed how "to be
content" (4:11)
in "all things" (4:12) and always "through Christ" (4:13).
Our contentment with the love, mercy, and grace of the LORD Jesus must transcend
our emotions and feelings, or else we will be content with God only when we feel
like it. "As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing" (2Corinthians 6:10). Faith, then, must
teach us to look beyond our emotions to Christ. "Looking unto Jesus the Author
and Finisher of Our Faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God"
(Hebrews 12:2).
Like the human example of Jehovah Jesus, Who was aquainted with grief, suffering,
and pain, He saw by faith beyond the immediate sufferings to the joys surrounding
the Throne of God-- as we should. "For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps"
(1Peter 2:21).
For Thy Sake
The Good LORD has wisely ordained our labor and employments to be an efficient environment
to sanctify us. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou
eat of it all the days of thy life" (Genesis
3:17). Only an All Wise God could plan from the foundation
of the Earth how to use our daily pains and sufferings to perfect us, for even the
humanity of our Divine Saviour was perfected through His sufferings. "For it
became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many
sons unto glory, to make the Captain of Their Salvation perfect through sufferings"
(Hebrews 2:10).
Because we understand that man is worse than a poor twig to lean upon, i.e., "Thus
saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm,
and whose heart departeth from the LORD" (Jeremiah
17:5), we can wisely trust our Benevolent God to choose
out our daily circumstances as occasions to cause us to trust Him more, i.e., "We
are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your
faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other
aboundeth" (2Thessalonians 1:3).
Love, Not Emotions Fulfill God's Law
But, back to our feelings. "Some days are better than others." Our 19th
century friend and mentor, Charles
G. Finney -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/Charles.G.Finney.html
--, made this comment that the extent of our moral obligation
to God does not directly include our involuntary emotions.
"All the law is fulfilled in one word, 'love.' ['For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself' (Galatians 5:14).] Now this cannot be true, if the spirit of the whole law does not directly respect intentions only. If it extends directly to thoughts, emotions, and outward actions, it cannot be truly said that love is the fulfilling of the law. This love must be good will, for how could involuntary love be obligatory?" (from Finney's "Lectures on Systematic Theology" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Voice/Systematic.Theology.html --, Lecture 4 -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Voice/Systematic.Theology.1.html#LECTURE 4 --).
Mr. Finney was merely pointing out that our emotions or
feelings cannot be the basis of our obligation to God. God never demands us to feel
holy. He commands us to be holy, i.e., "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1Peter 1:16). Never does God
command us to feel lovely. He always insists that you "love the LORD thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37).
Controlling Our Emotions
Instead, our emotions or feelings are much like a vehicle or medium between our heart--
which is the seat of our moral agency, i.e., God says to man, "My son, give
me thine heart" (Proverbs 23:26)-- and our outward self. Our outward body or countenance communicates
to others how we feel. "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by
sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken" (15:13). God has so designed us, that our emotions can only be indirectly
controlled by our heart; so, when we voluntarily obey a direct Commandment to rejoice,
we will only indirectly and eventually feel joyful. "Rejoice in the LORD alway:
and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians
4:4). If we should reverse the process, looking for
the joyful feeling without first loving obedience to the command to rejoice, we will
be sadly disappointed. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou
disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the Health
of my countenance, and my God" (Psalm
43:5).
Conversely, a wide spectrum of emotions can be triggered by our environment and circumstances,
giving us daily opportunities to choose to love and trust God even more. "What
time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psalm
56:3). It is important that we comprehend this, because
our "adversary the devil, as a roaring lion" (1Peter
5:8) understands this concept, as well. He must seek
permission from the Father, i.e., "Jesus answered, Thou [Pontius Pilate] couldest
have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from Above" (John 19:11), before he can
attack our emotions. But, our Heavenly Father has given even our emotions the benefit
of the protection of the "whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians
6:11). If we will resist the feeling or emotion through
faith by a definite act of trusting in God, that undesirable feeling will indirectly,
but certainly flee. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you" (James 4:7). This is the foundational reason for the Promises of God-- to give
us a response of faith to every conceivable contigency of life. "3 According as his Divine Power
hath given unto us ALL THINGS that pertain unto Life and Godliness, through the Knowledge
of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 whereby are given unto us Exceeding Great and Precious Promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust" (2Peter
1:3-4). [The Promises -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/WStS.Promises.html
-- section of the WStS website is designed
to help the Saints with their daily sanctification.]
Healthy Christian Emotions
A healthy Christian life is controlled by the Spirit of God. "There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1). By faith, we have been guaranteed that whatever circumstance or
temptation allowed by the Father, is for our good, i.e., "all things work together
for good to them that love God" (Romans
8:28). But, regardless of what emotion is triggered
by our environment, circumstances, or Satan, our Loving Father will not allow us
to be tempted without a way to escape. "There hath no temptation taken you but
such as is common to man: but God is Faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it" (1Corinthians
10:13). We should not tempt God by attempting to tie
His hands in what emotions He allows to be triggered in us through our contact with
our environment, for He knows what is best to develop and mature us. "Know ye
that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are
His people, and the sheep of His pasture" (Psalm
100:3).
Instead, we ought to respond to every circumstance or emotion with an Exceeding Great
and Precious Promise, e.g., if we feel doubt about what we should do, then we ought
to claim in prayer the Promise of Wisdom for those who ask. "If any of you lack
Wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). If we just don't feel very Spiritual, then we ought to remember
that we are still very special by virtue of The Gift of God's Own Son. "He that
spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely give us all things?" (Romans
8:32). Any feeling or temptation has an appropriate
Promise from God to sanctify and secure us. And, if none other can be found,
use one of His trustworthy, general purpose tools, e.g., "Draw nigh to God,
and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all
that call upon Him in Truth" (Psalm 145:18). "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great
and mighty things, which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah
33:3). "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy
may be full" (John 16:24). "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the Power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20).
Conclusion
Our emotions were given to us by our Creator to fully express what He is working
out in our heart. "My heart is inditing a good matter" (Psalm 45:1). Because the "LORD
hath done great things for us... we are glad" (126:3). Gospel Salvation, giving us the forgiveness of sins by repentance
and faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, is ample grounds to cause
our emotions to soar in gratitude to God. "Giving thanks always for all things
unto God and the Father in the Name of our LORD Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). At the same time,
we must be careful that the devil does not take advantage of our emotions, causing
us to doubt God. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted
in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance"
(Psalm 42:5).
If we will only react in faith to whatever range of emotions that may accost us,
our emotions will only cause our hearts to be knit closer and closer to God. "What
time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (56:3).
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