Tag: emotions

Finding Joy in Marriage

Walking in His Footsteps with Tom Rice

Last Monday, I got to connect with Tom Rice of Great Marriages for Sheboygan County (Sue wasn’t feeling her best, but she chimed in a couple times 😃 ), sharing wisdom and experience from 53 years of finding joy in marriage!

Tom & Sue Rice on their wedding day (a few years ago) — I’m sure it feels like yesterday!
Tom & Sue Rice on their wedding day (a few years ago) — I’m sure it feels like yesterday! 🙂 

TONIGHT, 7-9 PM Central, I’ll get to chat with our disciple-making friend Liz Kohli ~ greater Milwaukee area team leader for the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement! How Is God at work around the world? How can we be a part?

Tune in live at Praydio.com!

You can catch videos of past episodes here:

Footprints from a beach out onto the sea

The Rejected Lamb

This life lesson about the Shepherd and the rejected lamb brought me to tears…

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! 🐑

 
 
 
 
AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: Our book 📚 The Other Side of the Fence is on sale for $1.99 today! There’s a special Kindle Countdown Deal this week where the price goes up $1 each day for 5 days…
 
 

📖 We’d love to hear from you as you read it! 📖

 

 

 
 
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curly haired white lamb
Photo by Valeriia Miller on Pexels.com

Healing & Wholeness in the Scriptures

Isaiah 53, especially verses 4-6, is the foundation of my understanding of healing. 

Isaiah prophetically describes the torture and crucifixion Jesus would go through for our forgiveness and healing.  This passage speaks about emotional restoration (v. 4, for our griefs and sorrows), spiritual restoration (v. 5, for our transgressions and iniquities), and physical restoration (v. 5, for our healing); ultimately, His purpose in all this restoration is to draw lost sheep back to Himself (v. 6).

Some claim that Isaiah 53 is only speaking about spiritual healing.  However, in Matthew 8:14-17, Jesus physically heals Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick in bed with a fever.  He also casts out demons and heals all those who are ill.  Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, states these physical healings and deliverances were to fulfill what was prophesied in Isaiah 53 (Matt. 8:17).

In 1 Peter 2:21-25, Peter summarizes the teachings of Isaiah 53 for New Testament believers. 1 Peter 2:22 seems to reference Isaiah 53:9, and 1 Peter 2:25 parallels Isaiah 53:6.  Peter, under the Spirit’s inspiration, explains that Jesus’ work on the cross heals us from sin and all its effects in our lives (1 Pet. 2:24).  When we return to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls there is true wholeness available for every area of life (physical, emotional, and spiritual).

The “I AM” statements of the LORD reveal to us aspects of His nature and His character, who He is and what we can trust Him to do.  In Exodus 15:26, He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”  This promise was given to the nation of Israel.  However, we learn the principle that the LORD is Healer for His people.  He says that part of His nature and character is to heal from physical disease.  As believers in Jesus, we see from His ministry and the teachings of the New Testament that our Messiah, who is God in the flesh, is still “the LORD who heals” us.

We know from Isaiah 53 that healing is available to all and from Exodus 15 that it’s part of the LORD’s character to heal us.  But do we know that He wants to heal everyone always?

1 Timothy 2:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:9 explain that God wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, not wanting any to perish but to come to repentance.  But what is salvation?  According to Isaiah 53, the salvation that Jesus paid for on the cross is needed because of our turning away from the LORD, our breaking of His Law, our sin.  Salvation is from sin and all its effects in this broken world.   Salvation is restoration to wholeness: spiritual, emotional, and physical.

And yet, many of us can point to an experience of on-going brokenness in our lives or to a seemingly unanswered prayer.  This may be part of the tension we feel in this world between the “already” and the “not yet” aspects of Christ’s kingdom, which is here and coming (Matthew 12:28, Luke 17:21, John 18:36).

In Romans 8:18-25, the Holy Spirit says through Paul that all creation groans to be set free from the effects of sin on this world (v. 22).  One day, Jesus will restore all creation when He sets up His Kingdom on earth with His throne in Jerusalem (Isaiah 25:6-8; Revelation 21:1-5).  Until that day, followers of Jesus are commanded to preach His good news and teach others to obey everything that He taught (Matthew 28:19-20).

He also commanded a group of seventy believers, sent out two by two in Luke 10, to heal the sick and cast out demons in His Name (vv. 1-12, 19-20).  These commands were given to not just the twelve first apostles but to the seventy who represented all the followers of Jesus.  According to Romans 8:19, the whole creation waits for the children of God to be revealed, to rise up, and to share the good news of Jesus and minister restoration (spiritual, emotional, and physical), which has been made available by our crucified and risen Savior to all who will believe. 

Let’s live and pray boldly according to His promises and leave the results in the hands of our mighty and gracious God.

Healing & Wholeness in the Scriptures

Isaiah 53, especially verses 4-6, is the foundation of my understanding of healing. 

Isaiah prophetically describes the torture and crucifixion Jesus would go through for our forgiveness and healing.  This passage speaks about emotional restoration (v. 4, for our griefs and sorrows), spiritual restoration (v. 5, for our transgressions and iniquities), and physical restoration (v. 5, for our healing); ultimately, His purpose in all this restoration is to draw lost sheep back to Himself (v. 6).

Some claim that Isaiah 53 is only speaking about spiritual healing.  However, in Matthew 8:14-17, Jesus physically heals Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick in bed with a fever.  He also casts out demons and heals all those who are ill.  Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, states these physical healings and deliverances were to fulfill what was prophesied in Isaiah 53 (Matt. 8:17).

In 1 Peter 2:21-25, Peter summarizes the teachings of Isaiah 53 for New Testament believers. 1 Peter 2:22 seems to reference Isaiah 53:9, and 1 Peter 2:25 parallels Isaiah 53:6.  Peter, under the Spirit’s inspiration, explains that Jesus’ work on the cross heals us from sin and all its effects in our lives (1 Pet. 2:24).  When we return to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls there is true wholeness available for every area of life (physical, emotional, and spiritual).

The “I AM” statements of the LORD reveal to us aspects of His nature and His character, who He is and what we can trust Him to do.  In Exodus 15:26, He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”  This promise was given to the nation of Israel.  However, we learn the principle that the LORD is Healer for His people.  He says that part of His nature and character is to heal from physical disease.  As believers in Jesus, we see from His ministry and the teachings of the New Testament that our Messiah, who is God in the flesh, is still “the LORD who heals” us.

We know from Isaiah 53 that healing is available to all and from Exodus 15 that it’s part of the LORD’s character to heal us.  But do we know that He wants to heal everyone always?

1 Timothy 2:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:9 explain that God wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, not wanting any to perish but to come to repentance.  But what is salvation?  According to Isaiah 53, the salvation that Jesus paid for on the cross is needed because of our turning away from the LORD, our breaking of His Law, our sin.  Salvation is from sin and all its effects in this broken world.  Salvation is restoration to wholeness: spiritual, emotional, and physical.

And yet, many of us can point to an experience of on-going brokenness in our lives or to a seemingly unanswered prayer.  This may be part of the tension we feel in this world between the “already” and the “not yet” aspects of Christ’s kingdom, which is here and coming (Matthew 12:28, Luke 17:21, John 18:36).

In Romans 8:18-25, the Holy Spirit says through Paul that all creation groans to be set free from the effects of sin on this world (v. 22).  One day, Jesus will restore all creation when He sets up His Kingdom on earth with His throne in Jerusalem (Isaiah 25:6-8; Revelation 21:1-5).  Until that day, followers of Jesus are commanded to preach His good news and teach others to obey everything that He taught (Matthew 28:19-20).

He also commanded a group of seventy-two believers in Luke 10 to heal the sick and cast out demons in His Name (vv. 1-12, 19-20).  These commands were given to not just the twelve first apostles but to the seventy-two who represented all the followers of Jesus.  According to Romans 8:19, the whole creation waits for the children of God to be revealed, to rise up, and to share the good news of Jesus and minister restoration (spiritual, emotional, and physical), which has been made available by our crucified and risen Savior to all who will believe. 

Let’s live and pray according to His promises and leave the results in the hands of our mighty and gracious God.

Head & Heart – Soulmates

“Would you quit your whimpering?!? I’m trying to think,” Mind growled with an intellectual indifference.

“I can’t help it. This is just so moving!” His companion, Heart, emotionally retorted, sniffling and wiping away tears.
 
I promise, my head and heart don’t have audible conversations within my soul; however, I’ve learned there must be peaceful balance between them. As a follower of Christ, I’m called to think and feel as the Lord Jesus does.
 
I remember learning in a worship music class in Bible college, about the balance between head and heart. Our music professor taught that the arts diverge into two branches: classic, which is orderly and logical, and romantic, which is free and more emotional. Head and heart have arm-wrestled throughout music history. Isn’t this the balance we seek in worship ministry today too?
 
In a preaching class, our professor taught that ministering the Word is both a science, involving mental discipline, and an art, requiring the Holy Spirit’s influence on the speaker’s heart. Head and heart must cooperate under the unction of the Holy Spirit to deliver an effective message.
 
John 1:12 speaks of both receiving Jesus and believing in His Name. The Lord, through John, explains there’s an experiential and an intellectual component to becoming born again as a child of God through Jesus Christ (Jn. 3). We believe the truth of the Gospel and turn from lawbreaking to follow Christ.
 
I was baptized as an infant and grew up in a church where I learned about the Bible. My head was full of knowledge, but I hadn’t encountered the Risen Christ. My heart hadn’t yet been pricked with a godly sorrow that brings repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). When I heard the Gospel call to repent and be saved, the Holy Spirit brought conviction of sin and my need for Jesus. I received and believed.
 
I heard Apologist Josh McDowell explain on the radio once that it was not just intellectual doubt that kept him from faith. Deep emotional wounds from his earthly father hindered his heart from believing in the Heavenly Father. He was convinced an Almighty Father would only cause him more pain. The Holy Spirit used both the love and the intellectual evidence of those who witnessed to McDowell to draw him to Jesus.
 
Everything done well in this life must involve a redeemed head and heart. When we act only from the head, we cause pain. When we’re simply moved by the heart, we cause trouble.
Everything done well in this life must involve a redeemed head and heart. When we act only from the head, we cause pain. When we’re simply moved by the heart, we cause trouble. The unregenerate “heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” and the mind must be renewed (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 12:2).
 
Neither emotion nor reason is inherently evil. They are gifts of God, evidence that people are handcrafted in His Image. There’s an element of reason and emotion required for every wise decision, drawing from Scriptural principles and listening for the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice.
 
This balance between head and heart isn’t something I usually dwell on or am overly introspective about. Instead, we listen to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to convict us of any unconfessed sin. When we act unwisely or uncaringly, He graciously convicts. He wants us to be free (2 Cor. 3:17). When He puts His gentle finger on a specific sin, we turn from the sin toward Jesus and move forward in the freedom of His Spirit.
 
Will Head and Heart ever get along? Through the cleansing Blood of Jesus, they sure can. Let’s eagerly desire both Christ-like thinking and feeling. The head and the heart are, after all, soulmates.

What does this balancing act between intellect and emotion look like in your life and work?