emotions pt.2...

We can find comfort in the fact that God is an emotional being. He made us in His image and emotions are part of who He is. The bible says that God has felt love, anger, regret, joy. At one point He even regretted the fact that He created man. WOW that must have been an intense emotion. Since we want to make sure as Christians we are not led by our emotions, we sometimes let the pendulum swing to the other extreme and attempt to feel no emotions. God does desire us to feel things if not we would be beings void of emotion. Our emotions compel us into relationships, both platonic and romantic. Our emotions let us connect on a different level with people in our lives. The whole point of this involvement is to affect eternity. Christ was compelled by love. As He looked over Israel and saw them as sheep without a shepherd He was greatly moved. It was that emotion that compelled Him to lay down His life and endure death on a cross. Obedience is awesome, but I think humans have a hard time obeying for the sake of obeying. Once we feel that we are unconditionally loved by God, and that He truly has our best interest at heart, then obeying is a result of that LOVING relationship. Ask the Lord to make real to you the depth, width, height, and length of His incomparable LOVE. Don't be afraid to FEEL, just don't be consumed by your feelings. As I said the other day, let your emotions be submitted to the Lordship of Christ. There is such great victory in Christ and in every area of our lives He desires to be involved. Involve HIM. See what happens!!!!!! Love to you all, RW