Our emotions play a crucial role in our spiritual growth and mission as followers of Christ. While the Bible has remained consistent throughout history, sometimes our understanding of what it teaches about emotions needs refinement. The truth is that emotions are deeply connected to our physical bodies - something Scripture has always recognized through its descriptions of compassion as being felt in the "gut" and anger making the "nose hot.

Why Are Emotions Important to Our Christian Walk?

You cannot be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. As Pete Scazzero wisely noted, "You can't be spiritually mature and emotionally stunted." If Alsbury is going to be a hospital for those wounded by sin, death, and difficult experiences, then the emotions we feel, express, model, and tolerate will determine whether we're a legitimate place of healing.
Our Christian emotions are both a personal responsibility and a community project. We must develop emotions that reflect Jesus while recognizing how our emotional expressions impact those around us.

How Can We Develop Joy as Followers of Christ?

Paul commands us to "rejoice in the Lord always" and then emphasizes it by saying "again I will say, rejoice." This repetition shows how essential joy is to our Christian experience. Here are four observations about joy:

• Our range of emotions is partially shaped by what's modeled for us. If you grew up in an environment where emotions were suppressed or considered "feminine," you might struggle with expressing joy. This may require unlearning and relearning emotional expression.

• Joy and happiness affect our spirits like emotional food. We naturally crave joy, and we need regular "feeding" of it, much like our bodies need physical nourishment.
• Gratitude is a quick-start guide to joy. Especially for those who struggle with expressing joy, saying "thank you" to God and others about specific things will prime your engine for joy.
• Self-awareness combined with a disciple's attitude increases our joy in the Lord. As we become aware of what makes us grumpy or sour, we can bring our knowledge of Jesus into those areas.

What Does It Mean to Be Reasonable and Gentle?

Paul instructs us to "let your reasonableness be known to everyone." The ESV translates this as "reasonableness" while other translations use "gentleness." Both capture an important truth - as people living in anticipation of Christ's return, we can be patient with broken people and systems because we know Jesus will ultimately fix everything.
Unfortunately, Christians in North America aren't generally known for being gentle, reasonable, or tolerant. Instead, we're often perceived as difficult people. Paul challenges us to be different - to give people the benefit of the doubt and show patience and kindness.
This doesn't mean abandoning truth or having no backbone. Rather, it means approaching others with a humane attempt to understand their brokenness and sin. Without this approach, we discredit ourselves as gospel messengers.

How Should Christians Handle Anxiety?

When Paul says, "be anxious about nothing," he's not condemning those with anxiety disorders or suggesting that Christians should never experience worry. Sometimes our bodies react before our conscious minds are ready, especially after traumatic experiences.
Instead, Paul is teaching us what to do when anxiety arises: "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Worry that prompts quality prayers leads both to answers from God and peace from God.
Think of it like productivity expert David Allen's advice: "The human brain is great for coming up with ideas, but not for holding onto them." When worries arise, don't ruminate on them - pray about them and entrust them to God. Our inner person isn't designed to constantly dwell on troubling thoughts.

How Does Our Thinking Shape Our Community?

Paul instructs us to think about "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable." This requires intentional time for reflection, which is increasingly difficult in our distraction-filled world.
These virtues can serve as personal filters for our thoughts, but they also encourage us to think beyond ourselves - to consider what is true, honorable, and just for our neighborhoods and communities. When we think about these higher virtues, we build bridges with people who don't yet follow Jesus but who care about truth, beauty, and justice.

Why Is Modeling the Christian Life So Important?

Paul concludes by saying, "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." This is whole-life modeling - Paul was so deliberate in how he lived that he could confidently tell others to imitate him.
This modeling includes how we handle our emotions. We bring our brokenness and what our parents modeled for us into our Christian communities. Like Paul, we may need regular reminders of the gospel to overcome unhealthy patterns.
The promise is powerful: as we practice these things, "the God of peace will be with you." God's presence becomes more noticeable and real in our lives as we align with His ways.

Life Application

This week, take these steps to develop healthier Christian emotions:

1. Practice expressing gratitude daily - write down three specific things you're thankful for each morning or evening.

2. Pay attention to your emotional reactions - when you feel anxious or upset, pause to pray specifically about those concerns instead of ruminating on them.

3. Intentionally set aside time without distractions to think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable in your community and world.

4. Consider how your emotional expressions might be influencing others around you, especially those newer to faith.

Ask yourself:

• Which emotion do I most need to develop to become more like Jesus?

• How might my emotional responses be affecting my witness to others?

• What patterns of thinking do I need to change to experience more of God's peace?

• Who in my life models healthy Christian emotions that I could learn from?

Remember, experiencing the fullness of God's presence often comes when we align our emotional lives with His character and ways.