For a few years I hear people say "you can't run your life on feelings" or something like that. I just don't get it.
We are humans with feelings. Our feelings affect every moment of our lives. How can we just cut them off? What do we have instead?
Beloved ones, many have said,”you can't run your life on feelings" ; I agree. But I also agree you can’t run your life on logic either.
How we should run our life on ? This is what we have heard:
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””
Romans 1:17 NKJV
For in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ— the righteousness of God is revealed from Jesus’s faith to our faith ; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Why I said that we can’t live by our emotions and logic ? This is what we have heard our Lord Jesus Himself said :
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:26
Let me ask you: Is it not hate an emotion ? Why Jesus asked us to hate ?
Let me ask you again : Is it logical to hate your own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even your own life ?
Why Jesus said what he said in Luke 14:26 ?
Is Jesus concerned about us hating our own father and mother? It cannot be!
Jesus would not contradict with God’s commandments to revere our parents.
For we also heard in the book of Luke, what Jesus Himself said :
“You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘
Honor your father and your mother.’ ””
Luke 18:20 NKJV
Beloved ones, how we can honor our father and our mother if we hate them.
Jesus also, is NOT telling us that it is right to hate brothers and sisters!
For Jesus have strongly spoken:
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council;
and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. -Matthew 5:22
How do we understand what Jesus have spoken:
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate wife and children,.... he cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:26
As we have also known what Jesus have spoken:
And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. -Matthew 10:36
Does it mean right to hate your own wives and children and make them their enemies? No !!! Why, for Jesus have also spoken:
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, -Matthew 5:44
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.-Matthew 5:45
Then what does Jesus mean :
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:26
Likewise, Jesus has also spoken:
Whoever LOVES father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever LOVES son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. -Matthew 10:37
What Jesus is strongly concerned those who come to Him who LOVE THEMSELVES OR OTHERS MORE THAN HIM is not worthy of Him.
It is THIS “SELF LOVE” that cause much sinning !
It is that those who have this
SELF LOVE is that hinder many to come to Jesus and cannot become His disciples!!!
It is this “SELF LOVE” that make many unworthy of Jesus.
Let me ask you again: is love not an emotion? It is. If we should love our God with all hearts, minds and strength! Should we not have emotion? We should.
Or do you consider that you should love God with logic !? That would be illogical.
What Jesus really concerns ?
Beloved ones, we should not come to Jesus with self love, but we should come to Jesus with the love of God.
How we should perceive that the just live by faith ?
Beloved ones, Self love is self righteousness.
Self love always defend itself, that it is right to love oneself but Jesus told otherwise, for He gave Himself for us and love us.
Beloved ones, we were not made right because we loved ourselves but because Jesus love us with the love of God the Father that He willingly gave Himself for us as sin offering, that we might be become the righteousness of God in Him.
So we are made right because we are in Him. If we are in Him, we should love one another with the love of God.
How we might understand the just or the righteous live by faith ?
This is what we have heard:
“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”
II Peter 1:1 NKJV
Beloved ones, we live by faith, that we live by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, that is, how the just live by faith.
Beloved ones, let us live by the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is how we live by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Beloved ones, we love God with all of our hearts, that we love Him with the love of Christ; this is godly emotion.
Beloved ones, we love God with all of our minds, that we accept, for we perceive and understand His righteousness in the gospel of Jesus Christ; that is godly logic or godly common sense or godly senses.
Beloved ones, we love God with all of our strength, for we rely not our own strength but we are strengthened by His Spirit, that we may keep His covenant and instructions.
For God is Spirit, that we should love Him through the Spirit of Christ.
To God the Father be all glory and thanksgiving through Christ. Amen.