Did Jesus ever teach about feelings? I got to thinking on this and thinking how some churches pronounce on the feeling. Feeling being more on emotional roller coaster of everyday life. One moment a person is happy the next sad and if to changeable you got a mental illness according to science. I began to think on my own experience of feeling the presence of God in my life. Some would call it that tingling feeling or elation of joy of God’s promises to the conviction of the Spirit of God. Whatever the feeling for the moment it does pass. Yet one would like to feel the joy continuously in one’s life, but it not so. What put me in remembrance of those feelings was the years of working at camp. The spiritual high maybe more like a revival spirit for a summer. That feeling of God moving mountains in one life as well as others and the joy of receiving God’s truth.

There are people who desire the emotion rather then the actual word of God. It is probably the one feeling that is long for, but it has to have a purpose of where it comes from to be of God. Perhaps the story of the sower explains these feelings for a moment more clearly. A person hears the word of the Lord and is overjoyed by what they hear only to loose the joy when the devil steals the word of God from them. In other words the sower spreading among the stones. Vines and grass off come up through the rocks, but it does not last. The water and nutrients that the good vines need to grow is not in the rocky soil. Yet seeds planted in the good ground springs up and produces fruit. Joy comes with each sinner that is saved. Joy is emotion because of the truth of salvation given. The joy of the Lord is not about emotion but about understanding the truth. One might express that joy many different ways, from shouting to dancing but these outburst does not produce salvation in others that will last for they seek the antics and not the Gospel of peace and truth. When the word of truth comes and is received it has to be planted in fertile soil that will produce. In soil that devil can not find a way to root itself in to steal the truth away. Salvation coming first with belief unto repentance and confession of sin. Faith is important for salvation without it no salvation comes, with out turning from sin you choosing to believe God exist but no desire to change from one’s bad habits. It that lighting up of a cigarette that harmful, but no desire to change from smoking, instead the smoke eventually causes cancer in one lungs because of the harmful chemicals traveling in that smoke and leveling plaque and other problems in the lining of the lungs. Sin is like those chemicals traveling by way of smoke screen. It not harmful but in truth it is deadly. There is only joy of sin for a season, and joy of salvation truth for a life time upon belief. The emotion of joy might not be long lasting in one sense, but it is a peace of mind that is eternal.

No Jesus did not teach on feelings but he explains feels as part of receiving good news of the Gospel message. Receiving it with elation and jubilee. Jesus did not talk about expression of joy. Yet through out Jewish history joy was expressed through dance, songs, praising and shouting. Some people understand not these expression. Yet it is part of the football game when one receives a touch down. Let us not mock the expressionist but understand the reason of the joy it has more value in truth and understanding that it is only necessary to receive truth and expression is only extension of how you express joy in daily life.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for the joy you bring upon hearing your word, but not only hearing but receiving of the truth that brings forth fruit of salvation not just in ourselves but in others. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion: