feelings and truth

Yesterday at church I had a thought while our pastor was speaking on Acts 16 - where Paul and Silas are thrown in to jail in Philipi. Their feet are put into stocks after they have been beat up for awhile and their hands chained to a wall. They are sitting this way for hours and hours and what do they do with their limbs all aching into spasms? They sing hymns and pray to God aloud in their cell while everyone listens in.

My pastor is a great story teller so you learn, and grow while being entertained. The main question was how could they praise God while being in so much pain? … and they did all of that before God put the rescue plan into motion.

Then at some points he shares a FB post from his wife earlier in the weekend about her wanting to stop living the life they are living - It's all too much for me she said. In the post she wrote that her 'feelings were trumping her truths' that day.

Our Pastor took us through Philippians and showed us how Paul was able to live out the truth above his feelings … Jesus was just so much more important. What Jesus wanted in his life was just so much more important… so THAT trumped everything else … even horrible pain. To live is Christ to die is gain. It all seems so simple when Paul says it.

Our Pastor then began to speak of actually getting to know Jesus - not just call ourselves Christians - Yay - preach it! He talked about the spiritual disciplines leading us into intimacy with Christ. He took us to the verse that says the truth will set you free. All so we can learn the importance of having truth trump our feelings.

I don't disagree with anything he said.

BUT I think there is something even better. I leaned over to my husband during the service and said … It wasn't JUST that Paul let truth trump his feelings …. IT was that his feelings were UNITED to the truth. The 2 were in unison. This seemed like something from God as I was saying it.

I thought about this idea in relationship to my past 18 months of silence with God. I knew the truth. I never doubted that He loved me - or that He was working - or that He had a plan…. the truth was there. But the truth NEVER changed how I FELT about anything. I kept having to drag my feelings back to the truths to remind them again and again … THIS is what is true - feelings - get on board!

So what are we supposed to do with those things. Feelings are here for a reason - we need them to live a full life - to show love and devotion to God. I think of Piper and his slight change to the Westminster Catechism … what is the chief end of man? To glorify God BY enjoying Him forever. It is in knowing God and loving him with our whole heart that we bring Him glory. It is not beautiful obedience when its done out of duty … its a step in the right direction … but how much better when our heart is IN LINE with the truth. So if our feelings don't move to catch up with truth what must be done?

I don't know, but I am excited to figure it out and study it. Feelings united to truth … seems a good sort of thing to be in possession of. Sign me up.