Emotions

You may want to grab a tissue or a stress ball, this may have you feeling any sort of way but know this, that it is okay. This world will get you all up in your feelings very quickly and you may go from happy to sad faster than a Ferrari. Our emotions are not a reflection of who we are but how we are feeling at the moment. Everyone has emotions, God created us this way because He too, has emotions and showed this abundantly through part of Himself that was in the flesh named Jesus Christ. Now I’m not sure if Jesus was the happy-go-lucky, whistling and skipping around joyous person. I honestly cannot see that, but we do know some things about Jesus from what scripture tells us. As it was prophesied before Jesus miraculous birth, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5.” The person coming as God in the flesh had a big role to fill. He would know grief and sorrow. He would know what it would feel like to be isolated. He would know persecution first hand. He would know happiness and joy when people showed their love by putting their trust in Him. He would feel anger and much more. Jesus went through a lot in His 33 years on this Earth. He was only in ministry for three years and this all happened in three years’ time, talk about your roller coaster ride! We’re going to look at the emotion, what Jesus went through, how Jesus dealt with it and how we can learn from His example. It won’t be easy having to face some things, but it is a prayerful hope that it may help someone going through life.

First off let’s get this clear. Emotions are not sins. The basic emotions are: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust as defined by psychology. But we know there may be more or some that fall into the same category.  
    
Sadness: The emotion that messes with us the most as human beings is sadness. It is hard being sad because we feel miserable and unhappy. We may think that Jesus never knew what it was like to be sad but He did know and understand it remember that the prophet Isaiah said He would know sorrow and grief? We see that repeatedly in His young life but let’s look at some and how He dealt with it.  He had many followers because of all the miracles He performed but when it came down to trusting Him for salvation and believing He was sent from God? Eh, the people didn’t like that too much. “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” This always hurts me to read this. I’m sure it hurt Jesus too and made Him sad. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” This question was said in sadness and “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. John 6:56-69.” Seeing people leave you after they say they are your friends is very disheartening and makes you question some things. Peter had a great answer to Jesus who told Jesus, “who else will we go to? You have the words of life!” Great job Peter! Way to show your loyalty and love. Peter was speaking for himself and the disciples, but his words would come back to haunt him later.
    
We see Jesus torn and racked with emotion, “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. Matthew 26:36-38.” Sadly, the disciples were sleeping in Jesus’ most trying hour. When we are sad, it is not a given we will always have someone to call or someone by our side. But, we can have someone within us that we can have all the time through thick or thin. We can call upon Jesus in our sorrow because He knows our sorrow and our pain.
 Maybe we can’t find the words to say but David did, he said; “I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly. Psalms 6:7-10.” God hears our hearts even when we can’t speak. God knows our wounds and our scars and traces them with His loving hand and tender care each day. “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? Psalms 56:8-13.” Our sorrow shouldn’t take over our life. Our pain shouldn’t become comfortable. Our sadness is a season that will soon blossom into healing and nurturing once again.
    
Anger: Anger is a very heated emotion with consequences. Anger means a person is irritated, irked, annoyed, or displeased. Most people think that anger is a sin because of the consequences that follow (bad words, violence, etc.) and yes that is a sin but there is a type of anger that is not a sin and that is anger with a cause. Jesus says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:22.” Jesus put in a stipulation about anger without a cause. If you read the Old Testament any you’ll see that God got angry. Did God sin? No. He had a cause. It was righteous anger in that God was angry against sin and rightly so for the destruction it causes. Sodom and Gomorrah come to mind of how God executes His anger not on innocents, for no one is innocent. While God has ultimate power what about Jesus? Did He ever get angry? Yes! Jesus himself became angry too. “And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. John 2:13-16.” Jesus showed up and showed out but to prove a point. He saw people selling wares and sacrificial stuff within the temples where it was sacred and holy. Jesus ran out the people and turned over tables to show that God cares about more than stuff. I’m sure these sellers were making some good money too in the name of God. Jesus got upset and we can too. When injustices happen, it is okay to be upset but it’s how we respond is the answer.
    

For example, Peter saw Jesus fixing to be arrested. Jesus had been preaching about this coming but Peter, always a man of action did something about it, “When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Luke 22:49-51.” Peter was angry and rightly so but his actions were misplaced and Jesus did his last healing before he went to the cross. Jesus could’ve flattened the men to come get him, he could’ve screamed at Judas but instead Jesus called him, ‘friend’. Jesus didn’t get angry at those who didn’t understand but those who did and abused it. Anger is an emotion that God Himself has, so we will have it too, but we must realize how we react to it, do we use our anger to produce good fruits or bad fruits? Do we discourage others from following God or encourage? That is what anger can do it, it can be a wedge which can divide or a wedge which can connect, it just depends on how you use it.
    
Another emotion we have is surprise. Now, Jesus wasn’t ever surprised, and if you live in this world long enough chances are not much will surprise you either. We know this world is corrupt and wicked, yet we still have to shine our light of joy to the darkness. There are surprises that come in our life that can make us or break us and those are temptations. We know Adam and Eve failed their test of temptation of following God or following their own desires. Jesus was tempted too, in fact the Bible says this regarding Jesus; “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15.” Jesus wasn’t weakened by sin but was tempted by the devil after Jesus had fasted 40 days and 40 nights. The Bible recounts it; “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Jesus could’ve made the stones be bread, remember he was hungry but refused the temptation saying, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” We shouldn’t live to eat but live by the Word of God. The next temptation, “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” The devil was essentially saying, ‘Prove that you’re really the Son of God, come on, you know you could just throw yourself down and you wouldn’t even get a scratch!’ There was an answer to that, “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” I’m sure the devil was getting frustrated, but Jesus was still standing even though He was hungry and exhausted. Last temptation, “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” For God that may not seem like a big deal but for the human side, to have rule of all the kingdoms of the world? To have all the power, the money, and unlimited resources? Well, that’d be awesome but there was a catch. He would’ve had to fall down and worship Satan. Jesus had an answer for that too, “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:1-11.” The devil makes the temptations seem kind of innocent, just little jabs and pokes to get us to do things we know we shouldn’t, like eat the forbidden fruit, say hurtful things to another person, steal some time or money from our employer, no one will know. But God knows! Temptations are tests of our faith. Just like we get tested in school to see what we know, God tests us by allowing temptations to come our way. That may not seem fair but Jesus endured some doozies, and we will too but we don’t have to do it alone. “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. 1 Corinthians 10:13.” God will not let us be tempted above our limits but will make a way to escape it. You can escape temptation by avoiding it, turning things off, walking away, be quiet, and most importantly praying! Don’t let the surprise of temptation allure you into it’s trap and make you it’s prey. When temptation comes your way know it’s your turn to test and it is your choice whether you pass or not. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2-4.” Without our faith being stretched, we will never grow or learn to fully to depend on God and how to listen to His wisdom. Temptation will not be forever, and God will give us a way to escape. If we pass our test we will be rewarded, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” Remember though, God will not tempt or tease you, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. James 1:12-16.” When you see the surprise of temptation it isn’t a sin but falling into its ways can be hazardous to your physical and spiritual health! Pray for God’s help when you find yourself being tempted or even wonder if it is the right path to travel on. God will not lead you astray. “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Psalms 95:7,8.” Don’t harden your heart for the trials and tribulations and temptations you go through but look to Jesus for the triumph, the treasure, and the testimony!
    
There are other emotions that are hard to pinpoint they can cause us much trouble in our lives and sometimes are separate from each other at other times they go hand in hand and that would be defeat and worry. We may call it depression and anxiety now while the name changes the feelings remain the same. What should we do when we or someone we love go through these things? What did Jesus do?  Jesus never really got depressed but He did have some strong feelings when being at trial, facing crucifixion and taking our penalty at the cross of Calvary. Let’s look at them and you can decide for yourself, “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Matthew 26:38-45.” It sounds like Jesus was anxious or nervous about what was to come. Sure, He was 100% God and 100% man, but this was new territory that would change the world and Him forever. He wouldn’t just be the “Son of Man” anymore but a Savior.  All the while, Jesus was needing some friends in this most crucial hour, but his friends were of no support and Jesus was sad and was asking for the punishment of what he was about to endure to pass away. Jesus wasn’t sinning or being tempted, he was just being honest, seeking grace which was what he was to be providing. He asked God Almighty three times, but Jesus knew that He was to be the Savior of the World. It wasn’t going to be a great event but an event that was torture, full of hatred, and contempt. It got much worse on the cross.
    
Jesus was found guilty and ordered to be crucified, for 33 years on this Earth, Jesus and God were inseparable. Yet on the cross, things changed. The scripture recounts it, “Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:41-46.” Jesus just took on the whole world’s sin debt, I’m sure you could feel the tension in the air as it was dark in the middle of the day! Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Or abandoned me? Remember, God is holy, perfect, pure. God cannot look upon sin and sin cannot survive in the presence of God. As such, when Jesus took the penalty for the world’s transgressions, God could not look upon Him. There was no more communion, no more bond. The bond was broken temporarily by sin. Jesus felt abandoned in his most time of need and died. We may feel defeated, abandoned, cast out, but Jesus’ bond with God was temporarily broken by sin. Thanks to what Jesus did no matter how we feel, we can still have a bond with God through Jesus! As the Bible says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13:5-6.” We can boldly declare that God will never leave us, abandon us nor should we fear what man can do to us! “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ .But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 2 Corinthians 4:6-9.” We shouldn’t feel anxious or worried all the time, give God your troubles, your joys, your pains, your sorrows, your anger, your feelings. He’s seen it all and can handle it too! “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7.”
    
Last, but certainly not least, the most sought-after emotion is happiness. We may experience a lot in our life on this Earth, some things that may make us feel less than most of the time, but God wants us to know happiness and contentment. Jesus talked about being happy when we follow God’s will and His example. Jesus just got done washing the feet of the disciples and got a teaching moment in, “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:13-17.”  Jesus showed He wasn’t beneath doing the dirty work and showed that later at the cross. We need to realize we’re all the same in God’s eyes, we’re all His creation and all need Jesus as our Savior. When Jesus realized that the disciples, (this rag-tag bunch of men who couldn’t have gotten along if it weren’t for Jesus), were going to be chosen by God to spread the gospel, Jesus was happy! “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Luke 10:21-24.” Many generations of powerful, affluential and God-fearing people wanted to meet Jesus, but it was this rag tag bunch of fishermen, tax collector and a religious zealot who had the privilege and blessing of following Jesus! What a time to be alive! We can be an example of Christ and a 21st century disciple if we listen to His Word and follow God’s will for our life. By trusting in God more than ourselves, just as the Bible says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalms 37:3-5.” God supplied Solomon with more than what he asked, God provided for Job after all the trials and tribulations he went through, and God will provide for you as well if you trust in the Lord and delight in His ways. Be happy to follow God not just mulling through because it is your “duty” but because you want to please God and to make Him happy. You may not see the joy in your situation yet, but one day you will! “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20.” To be happy you don’t just to have to smile all the time, clap your hands or stomp your feet like the song says, you can be happy by showing the love of God to others and more importantly to yourself.
    
Our emotions are a roller coaster ride, and a good place to dive in during the low points is Psalms because David expressed it so well and saw the other side of the mountain and made it through. We can too, our emotions are not who we are but just how we feel. Don’t let them consume you or become you. Stay true to the person God made you to be and enjoy your life with your trust in God, your temptations triumphed and your testimony true!