The Christian and His Emotions

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."--1 Corinthians 10:13

God has not promised
Skies always blue;
Flower-strewn pathways
All your life through.

Being a Christian does not mean freedom from conflicts. Trials are a part of the development of Christian character. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:3, 4, "we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope."

Trials, for the Christian, not only develop character; they also give a depth of sympathetic understanding with others likewise afflicted. This sympathy not only enables the Christian to be helpful to others in the present life but, even more importantly, gives him the compassion to deal with the human race when they are raised from the grave in the promised resurrection of all.

In this regard, their experiences are like those of Christ Jesus, their Lord and Master. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15, 16).

The spiritual mind must learn how to deal with STRESS. The hectic pace of life, especially in a technological age, creates great pressures. Some seek escape in the drug culture, others succumb to deep depressions. These stresses contribute to high divorce rates and the increasing violence so evident in today's society. The Christian must learn now to channel these pressures productively, learning that the only final solution is full and complete trust in God, his goodness, and his personal watch care over his children.

Only too frequently stress gives way to ANGER. Anger is born of frustration in not achieving one's own goals and is thus a form of self-love. The Christian needs to learn now to control his temper and modify his own desires with a consideration of the needs and desires of others. There is a righteous anger when the principles of righteousness are violated. But even this PERFECT HATRED (Psalm 139:22) needs to be expressed in a productive manner.

Another stress in the Christian life is to CONFORM. Peer pressure, parental pressure, and the entire framework of society emphasizes the necessity to conform. The Bible emphasizes to the contrary, "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2).

The trials of life are not easy to endure. They are often accompanied by sorrow. Yet, each trial for the Christian is ordered and overruled by a kind and loving God who ADDETH NO SORROW (Proverbs 10:22) to the experience. Each difficulty is accompanied with grace sufficient to endure and secure the lesson intended. The Apostle Paul expressed it well when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9. "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Perhaps there is no greater trial to bear than that of death--whether it be in our own family, a close friend, or those who succumb to the tragedies of which we read in the daily press. The GRIEVING process is universal. Handling of this sorrow has troubled even the best of psychologists. The Bible does not promise immunity from the sorrows of grief, but it does say that he should "sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). It is the hopes of the resurrection which ameliorates the sadness of the death experience--a positive assurance that our loved ones shall live again.

Tragedies and death often raise the question, even to the sincere Christian, WHY DOES GOD PERMIT EVIL? If life is viewed in the narrow context of current existence, there is no logical answer to this question. It is only by taking the broader and more far-reaching view of God's Kingdom that we can begin to appreciate the answer to this troubling inquiry. If man's current experiences of some 80 years, more or less, can be compared with an eternity of life in a perfect earth, the answer begins to emerge. It is only when man has learned both the results of a life under sin and evil with its consequences of sorrow, sickness, and death and the results of a life lived in obedience to God's righteous principles with its consequences of joy, health, and life, that he can make the willing intelligent choice to obey and live.

The answer, easy to express but difficult to attain, is to live a life filled with inner PEACE--not the externals of peace, but the interior peace of mind which enables the Christian to rise above the trials and tribulations of present life. Such peace is not obtained by one's own endeavors. Such bring only frustration. It is arrived at by a full and complete trust in God that all of life's affairs will work out an ultimate good. True peace is not man's ultimate attainment, but Peace is the gift of God.