Born.Again.Christian.

James 1:2 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials." Keeping faith in God during hard times should be relatively easy if you know the truth and have the truth within you because you know that this world is just a flash in comparison to eternity ( 2 Corinthians 4:17 ) and that no matter what happens, nothing changes the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, for Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever ( Hebrews 13:8). However to remain joyful in that faith is a different matter and is much more difficult. James 1:2 does not just tell us to remain faithful through hard times, but also to remain joyful in that faith.  How can one take joy in a terrible bleak situation? First, note James 1:3: ""knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1 tells us to have joy during trials because the testing of faith produces patience. Therefore, James 1 is talking to those who already have a fait...

Psalm 22 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so  far from helping Me, And from  the words of My groaning? 2  O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3  But You  are  holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4  Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5  They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6  But I  am  a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7  All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head,  saying, 8  “He trusted in the  Lord , let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” 9  But You  are  He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust  while  on My mother’s breasts. 10  I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You ...

Emotions are one of the biggest downfall of mankind. They are fickle. They come and go and they can be deceptive. If we were to act on every emotion we have then our lives would be incredibly volatile. We would probably end up with a lot of broken down relationships, and possibly in jail (or is that just me?).  Martin Luther (the 16thC reformist, not Martin Luther King) said “Feelings come and feelings go, And feelings are deceiving; My warrant is the Word of God-- Naught else is worth believing.” As humans our emotions are a natural thing to us, both bad and good. Not often do we think about the Lord as an emotional being. When we speak about what Christ has done, we talk about it in a cold and unemotional way. We are able to say "Jesus died for you" with ease as if it is some empty phrase. It is easy to think about Christ as God Almighty who came to the earth to defeat sin and was perfect. However, we must not forget that the Lord Jesus was also an emotion...