What do we do with our emotions

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What do we do with our emotions?

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A Biblical Worldview Honours Emotions Gods
Emotions

• And the Lord was sorry that he had made
  humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his
  heart. Genesis 6.7
• Even with me the Lord was angry on your
  account Deut. 1.37
• It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked
  this. 1 Kings 3.10
• he will rejoice over you with gladness,   he
  will renew you in his lovehe will exult over
  you with loud singing Zeph. 3.17

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A Biblical Worldview Honours Emotions Jesus
Emotions

• He looked around at them with anger he was
  grieved at their hardness of heart Mark 3.5
• Jesus wept John 11.35
• I am deeply grieved, even to death Mark 14.34
• I speak these things in the world so that they
  may have my joy made complete in themselves.
  John 17.13

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A Biblical Worldview Honours EmotionsJesus
Pauls Teaching on Emotions

• Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
  comforted Matt. 5.4
• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those
  who weep. Rom. 12.15
• Be angry but do not sin Eph. 4.26

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The Importance of Emotions Descartes Error

• We need emotions to function and make decisions
  in life
• Rationality is not the god of Christianity
• We need emotions to make rational decisions
  for the most part, we wont start to make the
  right decisions until we start feeling right
  about them

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Emotions as a guide for actions

• Emotions are not true, they are a result of
  lifes programming our experiences, our
  thoughts, our choices, our personality, our faith
• Emotions are based on how we perceive
• Emotions are based on what we deeply believe

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Emotions as a guide for actions

• Since emotions are not necessarily reliable we
  have to be careful how they affect our actions
  and decisions
• How do we prevent ourselves from acting
  destructively on our emotions?

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Emotions as a guide for actions

• Bad programming about emotions is a major cause
  of problems
• How we feel about our feelings is usually more of
  a problem than are the feelings themselves

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Emotions and Responsibility

• We are not directly responsible for our emotions,
  so we can
• 1) accept/acknowledge our emotions (good or
  bad)
• 2) find healthy ways to express them

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Emotions and Responsibility

• But we are responsible for
• how we act/respond to our emotions
• 2) how we train our emotions for the future
• Thus we are indirectly responsible for our
  emotions

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Character

• Character might be the best word to use to
  describe how we shape our emotional responses in
  the future
• Character is built up by things like where we
  give our attention, which actions we consider
  acceptable, who and what we choose to believe,
  practicing positive disciplines, being dependent
  on and obedient to God

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Renewing our Minds Romans 12

• Rom 121-2
• (1) So here's what I want you to do, God helping
  you Take your everyday, ordinary life--your
  sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and
  walking-around life--and place it before God as
  an offering. Embracing what God does for you is
  the best thing you can do for him.
• (2) Don't become so well-adjusted to your
  culture that you fit into it without even
  thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.
  You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily
  recognize what he wants from you, and quickly
  respond to it. Unlike the culture around you,
  always dragging you down to its level of
  immaturity, God brings the best out of you,
  develops well-formed maturity in you.

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Renewing our Minds Romans 12

• Rom 123-4
• (3) I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude
  for all that God has given me, and especially as
  I have responsibilities in relation to you.
  Living then, as every one of you does, in pure
  grace, it's important that you not misinterpret
  yourselves as people who are bringing this
  goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you.
  The only accurate way to understand ourselves is
  by what God is and by what he does for us, not by
  what we are and what we do for him.
• (4) In this way we are like the various parts of
  a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the
  body as a whole, not the other way around.

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Renewing our Minds Romans 12

• Rom 125-7
• (5) The body we're talking about is Christ's
  body of chosen people. Each of us finds our
  meaning and function as a part of his body. But
  as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we
  wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we
  find ourselves fashioned into all these
  excellently formed and marvelously functioning
  parts in Christ's body,
• (6) let's just go ahead and be what we were made
  to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing
  ourselves with each other, or trying to be
  something we aren't. If you preach, just preach
  God's Message, nothing else
• (7) if you help, just help, don't take over if
  you teach, stick to your teaching

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Renewing our Minds Romans 12

• Rom 128-10
• (8) if you give encouraging guidance, be careful
  that you don't get bossy if you're put in
  charge, don't manipulate if you're called to
  give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes
  open and be quick to respond if you work with
  the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get
  irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a
  smile on your face.
• (9) Love from the center of who you are don't
  fake it. Run for dear life from evil hold on for
  dear life to good.
• (10) Be good friends who love deeply practice
  playing second fiddle.

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Renewing our Minds Romans 12

• Rom 1211-15
• (11) Don't burn out keep yourselves fueled and
  aflame. Be alert servants of the Master,
• (12) cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard
  times pray all the harder.
• (13) Help needy Christians be inventive in
  hospitality.
• (14) Bless your enemies no cursing under your
  breath.
• (15) Laugh with your happy friends when they're
  happy share tears when they're down.

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Renewing our Minds Romans 12

• Rom 1216-21
• (16) Get along with each other don't be
  stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies don't be
  the great somebody.
• (17) Don't hit back discover beauty in
  everyone.
• (18) If you've got it in you, get along with
  everybody.
• (19) Don't insist on getting even that's not
  for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God.
  "I'll take care of it."
• (20) Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your
  enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if
  he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity
  will surprise him with goodness.
• (21) Don't let evil get the best of you get the
  best of evil by doing good.

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Summary

• Emotions are created as a gift from God (possibly
  part of being in the image of God)
• Emotions are a necessary part of how we decide
  and act
• Emotions are always okay to feel but never an
  excuse for action/responses
• We can affect how we are likely to feel in the
  future by choosing to renew our minds, i.e.
  build character.