How Do You FEEL?

Is God emotional?

While pondering my concept of God last week that question came to mind. Emotions are no small part of our human makeup, so it makes sense that they help shape the backdrop of our God-picture.

Some folks view God through the grid of their own highly tuned emotions. Compassion is his dominant attribute, and the term "broken-hearted" is sometimes used to describe his emotional condition. When he is anthropomorphized too much in this regard God becomes the touchy-feely over-protector of his fragile offspring.

Others perceive God as a cognitive being who wastes no time on petty emotions. Logic and common sense are paramount here. But carried to the extreme, this idea renders our Creator as a cold, stern, unfeeling and relationally distant Force. For this God, principles of duty, obedience, responsibility, and maturity lead the way.

Somewhere between these two general streams we find Jesus.

As The God-Man on earth he experienced the full range of human emotion. He grieved over the death of a friend, laughed with children, wept over Jerusalem, angrily whipped the moneychangers, dreaded the cross, was critical of the Pharisees, loved his mother, and enjoyed his friends.

The agent of our creation had very real feelings - the same ones we experience every day.The difference is that Christ's emotions never controlled him. Neither did he wield them as coping mechanisms.

What about now, though? He no longer walks the earth as a man, but is seated at the pinnacle of universal authority - at the right hand of God. Does he still experience emotions?

I think so.

Scripture seems to identify what might be the Jesus' overriding emotion. In John 15:11 & 17:13, he talks about his joy being complete in his followers.

Interesting notion: A perfect emotive characteristic of God's Son, fulfilled in little old you and me. Wow!

Joy is not only a powerful emotion, it is also a frame of mind. Much more than "happiness", which is only a response to our positive "haps", or circumstances, joy flows from the very center of who we are in Christ (and who he is in us).

It lifts our spirits even in the midst of the most brutal moments of pain and loss.

It settles our wildly fearful thoughts, refocusing our minds on the calming awareness of his ever-present presence.

And because it originates in Jesus, it is complete.

Ezra and Nehemiah proclaimed that the "joy of the Lord" is our strength (Neh 8:10). I used to think that this referred to our joy IN the Lord. But in light of Christ's statements in the Gospels, I wonder if it refers to God's joy in and over us.

Plus, it was for the "joy set before him" than Jesus "endured the cross" (Heb 12:2). What was the joy set before Christ? Could it have been us?

Absolutely!

Sure, Jesus' obedient submission to the cross restored him to his throne of authority in heaven, but that wasn't the primary purpose of the cross.

Christ's finished work on the cross was the cosmic demolition derby. And he won!

The power of sin was crushed.
Satan's grip was mangled.
Death was bulldozed.
Shame and guilt were devastated.
The grave's victory was pulverized.
And . . . you and I were invited to eternity's quintessential family reunion!

THAT was the joy set before Jesus! If it doesn't release a cacophonous jamboree of JOY-filled celebration in and from our hearts . . . then we are little more than sandbags with arms.

God does much more than feel our emotions. He gives us his!

So enJOY Jesus, because he certainly enjoys you.