2026-06-12
Good morning, Dear Ones,
Our Lord Jesus has emotions, which we see in JN 11: 35 when He wept when Lazarus, had passed away in sympathy with his sisters, Mary and Martha. Of course, Jesus knew what He was about to do in raising Lazarus. The sisters didn’t understand the full significance of JN 11: 25-26 yet. Another example is His righteous anger shown in MT 21: 12-13 and MK 11: 15-18, which tells us when and why He turned over the tables in front of the Temple of the moneychangers. There were times when Jesus Himself feels some comfort when He goes up the hill to pray alone after feeding the 5000, in MT 14: 23. Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit and praises God, in LK 10: 21, after sending out the disciples. The joy comes from seeing God’s wisdom revealed to the humble and trusting, not to those relying on human wisdom. He feels joy over the lost in the parable of the lost sheep, in LK 15: 5-7. Our Lord feels joy in the Father’s presence, JN 17: 13, as He prays, ‘These things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.’ He felt joy in fulfilling God’s will and in the unity of the Trinity.
These examples show us that in being Christlike, as we are encouraged to be, we are not kept from feeling the full range of emotions that people without this goal have. The differences are humility and self-control-- gifts of the Holy Spirit found in GA 5: 22-23-- are lacking in this second group of people. Sadly, in our world society, these things are often forgotten. Success in our endeavors all too often comes with egotism and exclusivity. Jesus served, all people regardless of ethnicity, wealth or lack of it, gender, or other human divisions were all served equally, with honesty, and with love. MK 12: 30-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your might.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There are no commandments greater than these.” These words are repeated in both the OT and NT. Christ’s own love was the model for how believers should serve each other without favoritism. He goes on to explain that love does no harm to a neighbor and thus fulfills the law, RO 13: 10. COL 3: 11-12 reveals some of the human divisions that our Lord was rejecting as criteria—Jew or Gentile, circumcised or not, slave or free, male or female—saying “all are one in Christ Jesus.”
That has not changed today. Some of the human differences in addition to those mentioned above today are degree after one’s name indicating his education or lack thereof, prefixes that indicate one’s occupation, one’s bank account contents or lack thereof, one’s position in society or lack thereof, etc. Human criteria mean nothing to God, except whether one is a serial sinner or not. In the final analysis, only God’s opinion matters to our kismet. That is because He is our Supreme God, supreme over all. He has granted us just enough free agency and power to make the above choice. So, how good are we at controlling our emotions? From what I observe: not very good at all! All these political, moral, and other divisions seem to be more acute than ever. God’s will is left in the background and mankind’s will seems to dominate. PR 4: 23, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” This calls for vigilance so emotions remain consistent with love, forgiveness, and righteousness. PR 28: 26, “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but whoever trusts in the Lord is wise.” RO 12: 2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.”
PRAYER: O Lord, only You can help us to learn to control our emotions and live righteously. We appeal to You to grant us wisdom and discernment, so that we will learn and follow Your ways. You tell us in JAS 1: 5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” That is why we make this appeal today and always. Teach us, Dearest Father, to think first and then speak in all our interactions with You and with other people. If the world did this, it would be a more peaceful place. We thank and praise You forever for listening to our prayers and being the Leader of our lives. Praise and thanksgiving to You, our Lord. Amen
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit directs me to write about heaven next week. We will continue looking at why citizenship in heaven for eternity is a worthwhile goal. The book of Revelation tells us about the process that God will order, in His own perfect time, to make the final division between believers in Christ and those who are serial rejecters/sinners. But what is heaven really like? Why is it a place where we should want to be when our earthly test is completed? No one has been there and returned to tell us, but God has things He wants us to know. The rest is left up to us having real and abiding faith. How many of us identify our citizenship as that in His Kingdom? These are the intriguing questions with which we should grapple. In the meanwhile, let me leave you with God’s comforting words, in IS 41: 10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” Blessed be Him!
Grace be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2026. All Rights Reserved.
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