Feelings

Emotions and the cross of Christ connect uniquely, but rarely. These Feelings follow right thinking and the center of thought is the key. When old patterns of thinking are discarded for Bible-based new ones, the responders rejoice and these are new emotions. So, what of the old feelings? Crucified with Christ, they live, yet not them but Christ lives in them, and consequently they then live by the faith if the Son of God. Cool, huh?

See, God wants more for us than just feeling good, or lovely sentiment or even good-heartedness. God sent His Son to crucify the old letter-bound man to create a new one. All things are brand new in Him. We ought not, going forward, think in terms of “how-to,” but in terms of “who I am,” and if my “I am” is in Christ, my old emotions are dead and my new ones are alive.

Wow, what else dies and rises? Lets refer back to “thinking,” because “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” The heart, a thinking apparatus, centers the man in mind, will, motivation, planning, discerning, method making, and even feeling. We got a new heart when we were saved, hallelujah. Old methods, codes, mannerisms, quirks of thinking, including opines, hunches, guesstimates, druthers, songs and dances, complots, cabal, collusion, and connivance got the ax that glorious day. Amen!

What else? Well, the besmirch of Egypt rolls away as was with Joshua’s entrance into the promised land, and we secure a new identity in Christ. I lose my self-preserving shenanigans, sixed-sense guiding system, conceit-wisdom, and soul mechanisms galore, ie. muzzling, muffling, muting, and stilling with turning of the deaf ear, talking others ears off, nor ear-wax clog; etc. etc. etc. We don’t have any use for these anymore. I lose also my need to affirm my individual design in Adam, including things like bashfulness or cravings for honor. These receive a glorious tempering with God’s grace.

Honestly, much of my old ways and heart were undefinable and “who could know them?” Truly, my needs are met in the new creation, which frees me to express that new nature to others. I live outside of the obsolete tricks and impulses that kept me jailed.

Among the dead and dying also are peer-sway, jawboning, self image withdrawal, rejectamenta, and guilt/dread cryings. These I speak of gently, they reflect my own stuff.

See, the changes renew me but also realign me. I emerge a re-configured person with a paradigm shift. What does this mean? It means that my renewed man may take on a higher percentage of mind and will based operations as I grow in it. Simultaneously, the emotions take on a lower mode of responsive quiet, conscience becomes a relationship with God regulator and evaluator. It keeps us in correct operational alignment to God-consciousness.

In closing, these issues remain a joy to review, because all of the above produce healthy emotions. Paul wrote “for God is my record, how greatly I long after you in the bowels of Jesus Christ.” These bowels speak of the emotions, the emotions of Jesus Christ. Friends, that past-tense soul exists no longer as you, except through deceptive means. In Philippians 2:2 these new emotions relate to mercies. In 1 John 3:17, they relate to compassion. Pity is a great and godly response. It reflects our Lord who was moved with compassion because He saw people walking like sheep without a shepherd.

Our new feelings, folks, make us like shepherds of men. We lead men on softly, pick up the pieces when they fall, turn them upright in their falling over backward, leave 99 to get one near the cliff. We refer them to the Great and Good Shepherd, as we are also sheep.

Finally, saved and growing in grace and knowledge of Christ, we are in a preparation. The goal of God makes us fishers of men, and it becomes “second” nature. As we grow compassionate, the sheep come around. We take them to where our Shepherd meets at noonday. love ya