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Last Sunday, Pastor Steve preached to us of our need to become catalysts of change to those around us. He gave us two action items to engage in:
1. Embody God’s emotions.
2. Verbalize God’s voice.
The first of these is profound. To embody is to take on flesh, to encapsulate or surround with something tangible—something visible. To make it known. Jesus did this for us. He made God the Father known to us. “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
How can we embody God’s emotions? If we embody another person’s emotions, which some are prone to do, this is identified as emotional entanglement, or enmeshment, potentially requiring therapy. To embody God’s emotions is quite different, however.
You’ll need to know what they are, but not simply in an intellectual sense. Reading about what God values is important, but insufficient for embodiment. Know your Bible, but know your Bible to know the Jesus that it declares. It’s not enough to agree intellectually or to feel a swell of emotion. To embody God’s emotions means they must be lived out—made visible. I would liken this pursuit to that for experiencing peace—a noble endeavor in my estimation.
Internal peace is much more a result than a product. I can’t determine to have peace and produce it through a series of actions or thoughts. True peace is the result of abiding relationship with Jesus; it comes like morning dew settling upon the earth, not like toothpaste pushed through a tube.
That said, it’s not without action that peace comes to fruition. It’s fostered by time spent with Jesus and trust placed upon Him. This happens both in solitude and as we rely on Him and His ways to sustain us in the God-honoring actions we take, as we walk through life’s days and decisions, as we interact with and love the people He has placed us around. This is where we can find the heart of God and the emotions of God.
“Fake it until you make it” is a popular but entirely different philosophy. It asserts that change happens from the outside, that peace can be manufactured through plentiful smiles and a policy of positivity. I prefer to embrace another phrase: “You can’t give what you don’t possess.” There’s no quick fix, there’s no end run around relationship with Jesus, there’s no mocking God. Embodying God’s emotions is costly; it comes at the cost of pride and independence. It’s found in union with Jesus and by His strength. The result is becoming like Jesus, submitting every earthly thing and every desire to the Father.
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Thanks Jeff, I rarely read these posts, but felt led to check it out this morning on FB. Too often I find myself squeezing the tube and looking for the results rather than just walking in the peace that has been layed out for us. Gods peace is more than just a state of mind. It’s a real tangible thing. I know that becauce I found it in the past without trying to look for it. Approaching God has never been an issue with me. I know HE lives and the door to His thrown room is always opened. How I approach Him is always the problem. I want to do it on my terms in the way that makes me feel comfortable. Taking up your cross is a difficult thing to do. Sometimes “Being still,” is even harder. Peace Brother.
Thanks Jeff! This is good food for thought. When I think about the emotions of God as profiled in His Word, these things come to mind:
1) Anger at sin and injustice, and their effects particularly on the innocent. If we are not angered by sin that is committed against children, in particular, that damages their innocence, we are not in tune with God’s heart. If we are not angered by injustice committed against people because of their race, gender, socioeconomic status or any number of other factors that are part of the way He created them, once again we must examine whether we are responding to the work of His Spirit within us.
2) Joy because of the hope of what God is doing. I am not sure joy can always be categorized as an emotion, but it is certainly an important part of the emotions God has created within us. Jesus exuded God’s joy, even when facing the greatest challenge of His life — the Cross.
3) Compassion. Once again, often more of an action, but one rooted in godly emotion. Scripture says Jesus looked out over the crowds and had compassion for them, because they were harrassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. And the compassion He experienced as a result of His observation was turned into action: “And He began teaching them many things.” We see this principle over and over again in His life and ministry … compassion (that resulted from exposure to human need), which then in turn resulted in compassionate action on their behalf.
These are just three that are top of mind. I know there are many more emotional facets of God’s nature that can be gleaned from Scripture.
This is really helpful Jeff, thank you.