Emotion in Overdrive (Daily Encouragement)
Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death – James 1:14-15
As we saw yesterday, emotion is a good gift from God that allows us to reflect Jesus who perfectly displayed godly emotion. But unlike Jesus who had perfect balance, proportion and control, our emotions are unbalanced, out of proportion and can get out of control. Ray Ortlund gets to the source of this flaw:
Our basic flaw is what the New Testament calls “desire.” For example, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14, 15). The word there for “desire” means something like “emotion in overdrive.” It is the death-creating power inside us. It shows up in our wacko emotions.
Let’s never think that just because we feel something honestly and effortlessly and sincerely, therefore it’s an okay feeling. We sinners sin honestly and naturally. We do not have to try. It surges out of us from deep within.
But the gospel remedy is not zero emotion. Christ finds us and receives us as emotional jungles, but he does not turn us into emotional deserts. He cultivates us as emotional gardens, with life and color and order, where our drivenness and compulsiveness and all the rest are redeemed into a holy and beautiful freedom and intensity. That is gospel emotion, given by grace.
If you are out of control, or just dead inside, give yourself to Christ today. His heart is open to you right now. Let’s open ourselves now to his wisdom.
I love the picture of Christ finding us and receiving us as “emotional jungles” and then cultivating us as “emotional gardens” with life and color and order — beauty. Be encouraged as you are accepted in Christ – with all our “emotions in overdrive” – his heart is open to you. Open yourself to his wisdom and work.