EMOTIONS SURVIVAL MANUAL: In Case of Joy: Spread it Around

In light of our series Emotional Survival Manual, let me read you another survival tip from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook that you may find helpful:

How to escape a wild taxi ride

 Claim you have no money. Tell the cabbie you forgot your wallet. The ride should end immediately.

 Light a cigarette. Tell the cabbie that his driving is making you nervous and light a cigarette (or a cigar, for better results). Smoking in cabs is usually illegal and your driver may stop the car.

 Threaten to vomit. Inform the cabbie that his driving is making you sick. There are few things cabbies like less than a passenger who vomits in the backseat. The driver may ask you to exit the cab.

 Use your cell phone. Make a loud show of pretending to call police (or the local taxi commission) and reporting the driver’s name and license/medallion number. The driver will want to get rid of you as soon as possible.

 Run. If the cab stops at a light, open the door and take off.

 Jump. If the driver will not stop, wait until the cab approaches a turn or slows for a light. As the driver brakes, open the door on the side of the cab facing the sidewalk. Do not bail out in traffic. Tuck your chin to your chest, cover your head with your hands, and jump out of the car. Roll away from the taxi in a somersault position, protecting your head with your arms. If you have a bag or leather briefcase, hold it on top of your head for added protection. Make sure your path takes you away from the rear wheels. The cab’s forward momentum will cause you to roll for several yards before coming to a stop.

Joy
Last week we talked about depression and we kind of enjoyed it. This week we are talking about joy, so I hope it doesn’t depress us.

Sometimes it seems as though there is a drought of joy… as though the events of joy in our lives are few and far between. With that in mind, let’s look at a passage of scripture to frame our discussion about joy, and then I want to share with you some of my favorite joy verses.

Numbers 21:10-20 (NKJV)
10 Now the children of Israel moved on and camped in Oboth. 11 And they journeyed from Oboth and camped at Ije Abarim, in the wilderness which is east of Moab, toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved and camped in the Valley of Zered. 13 From there they moved and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, The brooks of the Arnon, 15 And the slope of the brooks That reaches to the dwelling of Ar, And lies on the border of Moab.”
The children of Israel were plodding along, going from one hard-to-pronounce place to another, from one wilderness to the next. Does your life ever feel like that? Where is the joy?
16 From there they went to Beer, which is the well where the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” 17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it— 18 The well the leaders sank, Dug by the nation’s nobles, By the lawgiver, with their staves.” And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looks down on the wasteland.

Traveling in the wilderness you need water. When it has been a while since you have seen water and you don’t know when you’ll see it again, a well or a spring is cause for great joy. It was an oasis from the rigors and the routines of life. They sang and they celebrated. Not only did they fill their water pots with life-giving water, they also filled their souls with life-giving joy. Both are greatly needed.

SPRING UP, O WELL
There is an old camp song based on this passage: “Spring up, O well, within my soul. Spring up O well, and make me whole. Spring up, O well, and give to me that life abundantly.”
The best thing about it are the actions and motions, where you jump up out of your seat and make splashing sounds and motions with your hands. I thought it would be fun to do it together… but I don’t think so. Let’s just use this idea to talk about joy.

SURVIVAL TIP: Everyone needs joy. (Write in below: “And God knows it”)

From there they went to Beer… (Numbers 21:16)
Some of you may be very happy to hear me say that, in God’s mind, Beer is associated with joy. God saw that they needed something to give some joy to their life, so He said, “Let me take you to Beer.” Of course the word ‘Beer’ in Hebrew means “well.”

I think you and I both need to have joy in our lives. It is not just a frivolous thing or an added luxury. We need joy. Everyone does. And God knows your need. He is a God of joy and a giver of joy. Jesus said:

John 15:11 (NKJV)
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

God is not against your joy. He is all for it.

SURVIVAL TIP: Joy has a reason and a response.

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O Well!” (Numbers 21:17)
Israel sang because of the well. The well was the reason and the song was the response. Real joy has a reason and shows a response. Here are some examples:

Luke 15:8-9 (NKJV)
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’

She throws a party because she found her lost coin. Here’s another:

Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Finding a treasure is reason for joy. This man gladly gave up everything for it.

John 16:21 (NKJV)
21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

The reason for joy here is the birth of a little baby. Notice something else in this passage: Joy overcomes sorrow and anguish and pain. Could it be that our problem in life isn’t too much sorrow but actually not enough joy?

SURVIVAL TIP: Share. There is plenty for everyone.

Gather the people together… (Numbers 21:16) All of you sing to it – (Numbers 21:17)

There were a lot of people here. By all estimations there were a couple million, at least. Gather everyone together. Don’t be stingy. There is enough for everyone. Joy is to be shared. It doesn’t loss strength but gains strength when shared.

Nehemiah 8:9-12 (NKJV)
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

Share joy with others. This is the emphasis for our Host Homes this week.

SURVIVAL TIP: Fill up. It may need to last for a while.

Most of the time Israel didn’t know when they would see their next oasis. So they camped by the water. They drank deeply and they stored it up in any containers they could find.
Joy is the same way. You don’t know when your next oasis may be. Drink deeply of joy every chance you get. Fill up. When one time of joy comes to an end, it may be a while, but another oasis is coming.

Psalm 30:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

Just around the corner… just when you need it… God will provide a well of joy. Don’t miss it.

SURVIVAL TIP: God is the source. Enjoy Him.

"The well the leaders sank, dug by the nation’s nobles, by the lawgiver, with their staves.” (Numbers 21:18)

People can help, but God is the source. Leaders can point you in the right direction. Noble, thoughtful people can help you dig. But God, the Lawgiver, is the source. There is no joy like the joy that comes from Him.

Acts 2:41 (NKJV)
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

Notice in Acts 2 that they gladly received His word. Where are those who are gladly receiving God’s word today? The root of that word is ‘hedone’ from which we get our word hedonist and hedonism, the love of pleasure. They didn’t receive God grudgingly or under a weight of guilt but joyfully, delighting in God.

Desiring God
I can recommend a good book on this topic from John Piper called, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. In it, he writes: “Then I was converted to Christian Hedonism. In a matter of weeks I came to see that it is unbiblical and arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the pleasure to be had in Him.”

One final passage. Jesus is talking to the seventy He sent out to minister:

Luke 10:17-20 (NKJV)
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Do not rejoice in this” as if to say, “You don’t need a reason to rejoice. You just better rejoice for no reason at all.” He says, “Do not rejoice in this… but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” All other reasons will ultimately fade, but not this one. It’s always a reason for rejoicing, a constant supply.

He is our constant source. That’s why Philippians 4:4 is able to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” We always have a reason and worship is our response.

CONCLUSION

Determining our quality of life
From his hospital bed on the eve of open heart surgery, Pastor Bruce McIver asked his cardiologist, Dr. Dudley Johnson, "Can you fix my heart?" The physician, known for being short and to the point, said, "Sure." Then he quickly turned and walked away. Following the 12-hour surgery, McIver asked Dr. Johnson, "In light of the blocked arteries that I had when I checked into the hospital, how much blood supply do I now have?" "All you'll ever need," replied the terse surgeon, who again ended the conversation by walking away.

Upon his discharge from the hospital, McIver's wife, Lawanna, asked the doctor, "What about my husband's future quality of life?" Dr. Johnson paused and then said, "I fixed his heart; the quality of his life is up to him."
[Bruce McIver, "Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was a Pastor" (Guideposts, 1991), p. 244-247; submitted by Hugh Poland, Kingwood, Texas]

Your quality of life is up to you. What will it be?

 How many wells of joy do we walk right by without noticing; without drinking up and filling up?

 How willing are we to share with others the joy that we ourselves have received?

 Do you enjoy your relationship with God, or is it a drag?

It really is up to you.

EMOTIONS SURVIVAL MANUAL: In Case of Depression: Learn from the Worm

Steven Wright quotes
In our emotion series today we are going to be talking about depression. I thought, “How can we make this fun?” I thought of a comedian by the name of Steven Wright. He’s the most depressed comedian you’ll ever see. It may seem like a contradiction, but his stuff is pretty funny.

Here are some quotes:

 The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
 Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.
 If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
 What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
 Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
 The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.
 The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.
 If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.
 Borrow money from pessimists-they don't expect it back.
 Half the people you know are below average.
 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
 When I turned two I was really anxious, because I'd doubled my age in a year.
I thought, if this keeps up, by the time I'm six I'll be ninety.
 When I was a little kid we had a sand box. It was a quicksand box.
I was an only child....eventually.

The mystery of depression
Like many emotions, depression is a mysterious thing. There are many different understandings about the nature and the meaning of the word ‘depression.’ There is something called a ‘tropical depression.’ That seems like a good one to have. If I am going to suffer from depression, I want it to be a tropical depression. Or, here’s another one: The Great Depression. That sounds pretty good, too.
The depression I’m talking about today is not the tropical kind or the great kind.

Disclaimer
I am approaching this topic from a pastoral standpoint. I am not a psychologist or a therapist. I have no training in mental or emotional disorders. I am talking to you as a pastor, making some biblical observations. That’s what I do.

Let’s begin with a verse from Proverbs:

Proverbs 12:25 (NKJV)
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

The King James Version says:
Proverbs 12:25 (KJV)
25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

You can tell by the word ‘but’ in this verse that an adverse relationship is being set up here. In other words, the last part of this verse is in converse of the first part. Heaviness or anxiety literally makes a heart low, presses it down, ‘depresses’ it. The opposite of that is gladness, joy or rejoicing.

This heaviness of heart, either chronic (lasting a long time) or catastrophic (suicidal) is what I am referring to as depression. The Bible recognizes depression and gives us some practical advice.

A WHALE OF A WORM
Let me ask you a question. How many of you have heard the story of Jonah and the whale? (Show of hands) Okay. Now, how many of you have heard the story Jonah and the worm? (Show of hands) Which of those two animals – a great fish or a small insect – do you think was a greater threat to Jonah? You may be surprised.

Jonah, chapter one: God tells Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh. Jonah didn’t want to, so he hopped on a ship going the opposite direction. A storm comes. Jonah gets tossed overboard and gets swallowed by a great fish.

Jonah, chapter two: Jonah has some time to think in the belly of the fish. He thinks about how great God is and, surprisingly, he is actually in a pretty good mood. He says he remembers the Lord and he has ‘a voice of thanksgiving.’ The fish vomits him up, he brushes off some seaweed and he is no worse for the wear. He’s doing okay.

Jonah, chapter three: God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach. This time Jonah decides it is a pretty good idea. He preaches in Nineveh. The city repents and one hundred and twenty thousand people are saved from destruction.

Jonah, chapter four: Now Jonah isn’t happy, he’s bummed. He’s mad because God saved them. God says, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah says, “Yeah it is. In fact, it would be better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah 4 (NKJV)
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” 4 Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Have you ever been that upset about something? Jonah was so bummed that he didn’t want to live. Jonah was a regular guy. He was about to learn something from a worm.
5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. 6 And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. 7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. 8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” 10 But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?

The whale made Jonah grateful for life. The worm made Jonah want to die.

SURVIVAL TIP: Don’t let depression get you down.

One thing that we learn from scripture is that sadness, or depression, is not a sin. Jonah was sad even to the point of death. He was depressed. Not for a highly rational reason, he just was. Notice that God did not say, “You shouldn’t be sad or upset.” He said, “Shouldn’t I feel the same way about Nineveh?” He doesn’t rebuke Jonah’s depression; He uses it to teach Jonah something about His feelings for Nineveh.

 Don’t add guilt to depression.

Nearly every Christian who suffers from depression, either chronic sadness or catastrophic sadness, adds guilt to their already weighed-down heart. Does that help? No. It comes from the thought that, “If I were real godly, I wouldn’t feel this way.” Is that true? Is that biblical?
Moses was once so discouraged that he asked God to take his life from him (Numbers 11:15). Elijah prayed for God to end his life (1 Kings 19:4). So did Job (Job 6:8-9) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14-18). Those are just the ones we know about.

Jesus, Who suffered just as we suffer, said in the garden, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” (Mark 14:34)

We are told that Martin Luther suffered from bouts of depression. Winston Churchill referred to his depression as ‘The Black Dog.’ C.H. Spurgeon, the ‘Prince of Preachers’ who preached to thousands and is one of the most prolific Christian writers of all time, suffered from well-known bouts of depression.

C.H. Spurgeon on depression
The following by Charles Haddon Spurgeon is from the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 1881, vol. 27, p. 1595:

I know that wise brethren say, ‘You should not give way to feelings of depression.’ … If those who blame quite so furiously could once know what depression is, they would think it cruel to scatter blame where comfort is needed. There are experiences of the children of God which are full of spiritual darkness; and I am almost persuaded that those of God’s servants who have been most highly favoured have, nevertheless, suffered more times of darkness than others.
The covenant is never known to Abraham so well as when a horror of great darkness comes over him, and then he sees the shining lamp moving between the pieces of the sacrifice. A greater than Abraham was early led of the Spirit into the wilderness, and yet again ere He closed His life He was sorrowful and very heavy in the garden.

No sin is necessarily connected with sorrow of heart, for Jesus Christ our Lord once said, ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.’ There was no sin in Him, and consequently none in His deep depression.

I would, therefore, try to cheer any brother who is sad, for his sadness is not necessarily blameworthy. If his downcast spirit arises from unbelief, let him flog himself, and cry to God to be delivered from it; but if the soul is sighing--‘though he slay me, yet will I trust in him’--its being slain is not a fault.

The way of sorrow is not the way of sin, but a hallowed road sanctified by the prayers of myriads of pilgrims now with God--pilgrims who, passing through the valley of Baca [lit: of weeping], made it a well, the rain also filled the pools: of such it is written: ‘They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.’

Don’t pile guilt upon your heavy heart. Receive comfort, not condemnation.

SURVIVAL TIP: Think about how God feels.

God used Jonah’s depression to teach Jonah something about Himself. He used the situation to help Jonah see a bigger picture; to see beyond Jonah and his gourd.

It’s a small world
Jonah’s world had become about him and his gourd. When the gourd was dead, Jonah wanted to be dead. That’s the problem with having a very small world – it is very unstable and unsettling. I call it cosmic claustrophobia.

 Beware of cosmic claustrophobia.

Broaden your world and your outlook on things. Could God be teaching you a bigger lesson, maybe even about Him? Could God be preparing you? The short book of Jonah is all about God’s preparation. God prepared a great fish (Jonah 1:17). God prepared a plant (Jonah 4:6). God prepared a worm (Jonah 4:7). God prepared a vehement east wind (Jonah 4:8). All the time, God was preparing Jonah.

SURVIVAL TIP: Get around positive people.

Jonah made another great mistake: He isolated himself from everyone else. Scripture said he went out on a hill outside the city and made a little shelter for himself. Depression tends to cause you to isolate yourself from other people and other things, the very things that are needed to help you get out of depression.

Remember Proverbs 12:25:
Proverbs 12:25 (NKJV)
25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

Where is that ‘good word’ going to come from?

 Don’t isolate yourself from people.

 Don’t isolate yourself from prayer.

 Don’t isolate yourself from praise.

 Don’t isolate yourself from the bible.

You will be tempted to isolate yourself, but don’t do it. Don’t isolate yourself from the very things that you need at the time of your depression.

Bosses act of kindness prevents suicide
Tim Sanders is a leadership coach, author and former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! He urges managers and supervisors to lead through loving. He often tells the story of a young manager named Steve, who was challenged by one of his radio interviews.

Steve resolved to visit each of his employees, all six of whom he had not seen face to face in over six months even though they worked in the same building and on the same floor. Steve wanted to tell each of them how much he appreciated them, and name one thing they did excellently.
After the visit from Steve, one of his software engineers, Lenny, presented him with an Xbox gaming console. Steve was taken aback, as he knew Lenny had taken pay cuts over the last year. But he was more surprised to learn that the money had come from the sale of a nine-millimeter pistol—a pistol Lenny had bought months earlier with the intention of killing himself. Lenny told him of his mother's death the previous year, and of his ensuing loneliness and depression:

I started a routine every night after work: eating a bowl of Ramen, listening to Nirvana, and getting the gun out. It took almost a month to get the courage to put the bullets in the gun. It took another couple of months to get used to the feeling of the barrel of the gun on the top of my teeth. For the last few weeks, I was putting ever so slight pressure on the trigger, and I was getting so close, Steve—so close.

Last week, you freaked me out. You came into my cubicle, put your arm around me, and told me you appreciated me because I turn in all my projects early, and that helps you sleep at night. You also said that I have a great sense of humor over e-mail and that you are glad I came into your life.

That night I went home, ate Ramen, and listened to Nirvana—and when I got the gun out, it scared me silly for the first time. All I could think about was what you said—that you were glad I came into your life.

The next day I went back to the pawnshop and sold the gun. I remembered that you had said you wanted the Xbox more than anything, but with a new baby at home could not afford it. So, for my life, you get this game. Thanks, boss.

"Sometimes people just need people," Sanders writes. "They need encouragement. You have no idea how lonely and sad some people might be. Love them everywhere—not just at home, but at work, or wherever you find them." (From an e-mail newsletter by Tim Sanders; submitted by Rich Tatum, Romeoville, Illinois)

You need people with a positive word in your life. You can be a person with a positive word for someone else’s life.

CONCLUSION
What is your worm?
It may be a whale of a problem that gets you down, or it may be some little worm that just gnaws on you and gnaws on you. Either way, don’t let them eat you.

EMOTIONS SURVIVAL MANUAL: In Case of Poor Visibility: Check the Lamp

Context
The context of a passage is very important and can help in understanding its meaning.

The context for the passage we are about to read goes back to Luke 11:14. Jesus healed a man who couldn’t speak. Scripture says that He cast a demon out of the man and, when the demon was gone, the man could speak. It was an incredible miracle. That verse says, “the multitudes marveled.” It was obvious that something amazing happened.

The next two verses reveal two interesting reactions that different groups of people had about this miracle. One said, “He casts out demons because He Himself is a demon, or the ruler of the demons.” They saw this miracle and interpreted it in the most negative light possible.

Another group of people responded this way: They said, “Show us a sign.” What? Are you blind? Did you not just see what happened? These people didn’t even see the obvious thing that took place right in front of them.

A miracle occurred. One group saw it as evil. Another group didn’t even recognize it at all. Jesus knew their thoughts and He knew what their problem was.
In verses 17 through 28, Jesus deals with those who saw this wonderful event in an evil way. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” He said.

In verses 29 through 32, He deals with the camp that continually demanded a sign, but couldn’t see the nose in front of their face. “A man greater than Solomon is here…” “A man greater than Jonah is here…”There are two problems here: 1- Not seeing God at work at all; blindness. 2- Seeing good things as bad; obscured vision. Both have devastating effects.

Just Married
I was at an evening wedding. By the time that the bride and groom were leaving the wedding it was very dark outside. The wedding party had decorated the car that they were driving away in. As usual, it said, “Just Married” on the back window. There were hearts drawn on the windows, and wedding bells, the name of the bride and groom, and a lot of other stuff.

The people who decorated the car got so enthusiastic and so carried away, that they decorated not just the back window, but also the side windows and the front windows. In fact, there was a lot of very artistic drawing right in front of the driver’s seat. He had a very difficult time seeing out the window on this dark night to drive his new bride away. I could just envision this lovely couple, sprinkled with rice, climbing into their car amidst shouts of congratulations from their family and friends, and all of us shouting and cheering while he pulled away from the curb and plows into some on-coming traffic.

Of course that didn’t happen. But it highlights the dangers of obscured vision.

The light of the body
Now we come to our reading of the morning. In these next verses, verses 33 through 36, Jesus deals with the problem common to both of these groups: They mistranslated reality through their faulty perception.

Luke 11:33-36 (NKJV) cross reference- Matthew 6:22-23
33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

What is this all about?

Key words/phrases
The word ‘eye’ in this passage is the word ‘opthalmos’ from which we get our word, ‘ophthalmology’. It means eye, but it also means sight or vision or perception. In the context we are given here, I believe it means not the physical eye ball, but our perception of life, how we see life.

We reread this passage to mean, “The lamp of the body is our perception of life. Therefore, when your perception of life is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your perception of life is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that your perception of life is not darkness.”

Take Heed: Scope

The action phrase in this passage is: take heed. It is in the imperative form, which means it is a command. The Greek word is ‘skope’, from which we get our word ‘scope,’ ‘telescope,’ and ‘microscope.’ It is translated in other versions as: make sure (NLT); consider (RSV); watch out (NASB); see to it (NIV); and be constantly scrutinizing yourself (Expanded Edition). This means that this is not only something that you can control, but something that you better make sure to control.

A LIFE FULL OF LIGHT
Does our vision – our perspective, or how we see life – have an impact on our emotions? You bet it does. What is the relationship between attitude and emotions?

SURVIVAL TIP: Your attitude translates life into emotion.

According to this verse, what determines whether my life will be one of darkness or one of light? It is not the circumstances around me, but how I view these circumstances. It is my persepective or attitude.

 Attitude = Perspective

Envision the circumstances of life on one side and your emotions on the other side. The thing that links those two things is your attitude. It is not the circumstances of life that controls your emotions but the attitude which you have about those things.

This is good news. Why? Because the circumstances of life are most often things you can’t change: the weather, the economy, etc. Your attitude is something you can change. If your emotions are dependent on positive circumstances, then you are helpless. If your emotions are dependent on your attitude or perception, then you can influence your emotions. And you do.

Haven’t you ever seen two people with similar circumstances have much different emotions because they view their circumstances differently?

Smells like money
I was in a church in a small town in South Dakota with a childhood friend of my dad. He was a cattle farmer in the area. We stepped outside the church and the wind must have been blowing the wrong way, because there was a very strong smell of cow manure in the air. I jerked back, covering my nose and said, “That smells terrible.” He took a deep sniff and said, “It smells like money to me.” The same smell, two different perceptions.

SURVIVAL TIP: Take every thought captive.

How do we ‘take heed’ to our perception, as this verse says?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Bringing every thought captive
We have got to take every thought captive. It is not only something we can do, it is something we must do.

This word ‘take captive’ comes from the word for spear and it means literally to lead it at the end of a spear as you would a prisoner. If you don’t take your thoughts captive, they will most likely take you captive. I see many people who let every thought that comes into their head lead them around as if they are on the end of a spear.

Take every thought captive. It is your prisoner. Interrogate your thoughts as you would a prisoner. Ask these questions:

 Does this thought agree with God’s word?

 Does it honor God?

 Does it lead to obedience?

 Do I have all the information?

 Does it bring light or darkness?

If a thought comes into your head that can’t answer yes to these questions, then keep it captive. It is a prisoner of war. Some thoughts will try to rip you off. Don’t let them.

Don’t pick this pocket
Back in June of this year there was a story in the paper about a poor old man, 72-year-old Bill Barnes, in a gas station convenience store and a young man of 27 decided to rob him. Bill was scratching of a losing $2 lottery ticket when he felt a hand slip into his front-left pants pocket, where he had $300 cash.

He immediately grabbed the young man’s wrist with his left hand and started throwing punches with his right, landing six or seven blows before a store manager intervened. According to witnesses, there was blood everywhere.

Bill Barnes is a retired iron-worker, he served in the Marines and was regional runner-up in Golden Gloves boxing competition. “I guess he thought I was an easy mark,” Barnes told the Grand Rapids Press.

Barnes said he’d probably do the same thing again under the same circumstances, if for no other reason than what he would face back home. “I wouldn’t want my wife to give me heck [changed word] for lettin’ that guy get my money,” he said with a smile.

Don’t be an easy mark. When bad thoughts and bad attitudes try to pick your pocket, let them have it!

SURVIVAL TIP: Set Your sights on light.

It’s a funny thing about looking for good or looking for light in any situation. If you’re not looking for it, the chances are you are not going to find it. If you’re looking for it, and looking hard, then you’ll probably find it. If you can’t see it, you can still have confidence that it is there. The more light you see the more it is easier to see more and more light.

Looking for crawdads
It is like standing on a bridge over a creek and looking for crawdads. You can stare into the creek and swear that there are none in there. But if you keep looking, after a while you will see one moving around on the rocks in the bottom… and then another one… and then another one. Pretty soon, they are all over the place. But if you don’t look, if you don’t set your sights on them, you won’t see any of them.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

This is my confidence. Whether I see it or not, God is working for my ultimate good. That truth is the basis for my attitude, and for how I chose to see things.

 Not ‘the power of positive thinking.’

Let me make something very clear: This is not a ‘power of positive thinking’ kind of message. I am not a ‘power of positive thinking’ kind of guy. The power of positive thinking says if you think positively enough you can make positive things happen to you. That way I get to define ‘positive.’ I don’t believe that.

Better than visualizing something you want to make it come to pass, (which is a form of manipulation), is looking for God’s good purpose in every circumstance. Not that everything is good, but all things work together for good.

 You are part of a bigger story.

No matter what information you may have about your life, whether it is good or it is bad, you do not have all the information. You are part of a bigger story. It is God’s story.

Psalm 139:16 (NKJV)
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

In writing these words, King David recognized that his life was not chance or random, but the days were fashioned for him before he was ever alive. And these days were written down in a book. His life was just one part of this Great Book that God was writing. God knit together every day of David’s life and then He knit David’s life together with other lives, and other lives to make one beautiful and continuous story.

CONCLUSION
Do you trust God? Do you trust Him enough to choose to have good perception of life? You won’t change the reality of your circumstances that way, but you sure can change your attitude, your emotions, how you treat others and how you move forward.

What do you give up? Self-pity. I cling to a bad attitude because it allows me to say, “Woe is me! Look how bad I have things!” Trade in a life of darkness for a life full of light. It is a good trade.

EMOTIONS SURVIVAL MANUAL In Case of Emotions: You May Be Human

Survival Guides
Perhaps you are familiar with one of the many survival handbooks in bookstores. It is the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. The one I have here is the Extreme Edition. The handbooks are a lot of fun to read because they give very clear directions. I’m not sure, however, how practical they are.

This particular edition has the following sections, among others: How to Escape from a Charging Rhino (no, not ‘take away his credit card’); How to Avoid a Vampire Attack; How to Land a Runaway Hot Air Balloon; How to Survive Nuclear Fallout; How to Clean and Cook a Squirrel; How to Take a Bullet; How to Deal with a Quadruple Blowout; How to Survive When Stuck on an Opening Drawbridge; How to Survive When Trapped in a Sewer; and How to Free Your Leg from a Bear Trap.

Maybe not helpful, but at least the advice is amusing. Take the first chapter, for example, “How to Survive and Elephant Stampede:”

- Take available cover. Elephants stampede when they are startled by a loud noise or to escape a perceived threat. If the elephants are running away from a threat but toward you, do not try to outrun them. Elephants can run at a speed in excess of 25 mph. Even while charging, they can make sharp turns and are able to climb steep slopes. Seek a sturdy structure close by and take cover.

- Climb a tree. The elephants are likely to avoid trees when running. Grab a branch at its base and use your legs to power yourself up the tree, keeping three of your limbs in contact with the tree at all times as you climb. If you cannot climb the tree, stand behind it. Elephants will avoid large obstacles when running.

- Lie down. Unless the elephant is intent on trampling you, because you are hunting or the elephant thinks you are hunting, elephants typically avoid stepping on a prone human being, even while charging.

What would this look like? A picture is provided.

Although I think this handbook may be a good idea, I don’t know if it is information I am really going to use. (At least I hope not.)

Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying, “Expect the Unexpected.” I think that is also the Boy Scouts motto. Funny thing about the unexpected, once you expect it, it isn’t the unexpected anymore. Think about it.

Instead of trying to expect the unexpected, how about we take on an easier task? How about expecting the expected? We’re not even very good at that.

If I were to write a Survival Guide, I would want to make it about something that we actually face on a regular basis. That is how we are going to be looking at the topic of emotions over the next number of weeks together. Emotions are one of those things that can be ever bit as scary as an elephant stampede, but is much more likely to be a part of our daily life. Enter our sermon series: “Emotions Survival Manual: Survival Tips You Can Use.”

We will talk about depression, and loneliness, and joy, and anxiety, and other emotions that we actually deal with. But today is mainly an introduction.

Let’s begin by reading from a familiar passage. Ecclesiastes 3 begins with the phrase, “To everything there is a season; a time for every purpose under heaven.” Then a number of things are listed that are good and right within their appropriate context. What I’m interested in is verse four:

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NKJV) 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

There are four expressions of emotion listed in this verse: weeping, laughing, mourning and dancing. Each one, according to this verse, have their purpose. They are all appropriate at some time or another – though not all at the same time. Can you imagine someone weeping and laughing and mourning and dancing all at the same time? That would be an emotional stampede. You might as well lie down and cover your face.

SURVIVAL TIPS YOU CAN USE
Throughout the course of this series I will try to give you survival tips that you can use. Though today is an introduction, let’s begin with some survival tips.

SURVIVAL TIP: Be emotional.

This may sound silly, but it really isn’t. We have to begin by recognizing that we are emotional beings. It is in our wiring. Some people seem to think that being emotional is a weakness or a flaw in our programming. No, it is part of our programming.

Follow this progression of thought with me:

- God knows your emotions.

It is not a surprise to Him. You don’t have to hide your emotions from Him. King David certainly didn’t. Just read the Psalms.

- God cares about your emotions.

He not only knows about them, but He cares about them. Jesus came, not just to set the captives free, but also to bind up the broken hearted. How you feel emotionally is a big concern to Him.

- God created your emotions.

God made you a physical being. God made you a spiritual being. God made you an emotional being. It is not a flaw in the programming. He did it on purpose and for a reason.

- God is emotional.

To some people this may sound blasphemous. Someone might say, “How dare you accuse God of being emotional. He is perfect!” Again I say that emotion is not an imperfection. God is emotional.

All through scripture God shows emotion. He is angry at His stubborn people. He suffers the pain of rejection when they turn away from Him. Because of His zeal for God’s house, Jesus chases the moneychangers from the temple. The shortest but perhaps most poignant verse in the Bible tells us that “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)

God is emotional and we are emotional. He made us ‘imago Dei’, in the image of God. Emotions are a wonderful, unseen part of that image.

Mankind’s superpowers
Imagine the very earliest days of creation when mankind was created and they were discovering things about themselves that they didn’t know before, things that made them different from the rest of creation.

I think of Adam, Eve and the first family discovering these emotions that were in them like Spiderman discovering his superpowers. That is my favorite scene in the movie, when he reaches for a falling tray in the school cafeteria and web comes shooting out. He had to be thinking, “What is that?” The school bully takes a swing at him and because of his spidey reflexes it’s as if it’s in slow motion. Then he takes a swing at the bully and knocks him across the room. This was all new stuff.

Later he learns how to control these new superpowers and he is a superhero.
In Genesis 1:18-20 God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” and loneliness was recognized for the first time. When Adam looked around at all of creation it says that there was no suitable companion for Adam. He may have felt a pain inside that had never been felt before and thought, “Oh, so that is loneliness.”

Then God created Eve and Adam felt another feeling that had never been felt before.
In Genesis 3, after they ate of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve felt shame for the first time, because they knew that they were naked.

Genesis 3:10 is the first time fear comes into the picture: “I was afraid, so I hid myself.”

In Genesis 4:5 Cain, Adam and Eve’s son, was angry because his offering was not accepted. That anger, uncontrolled, led to murder. And in Genesis 4:9 Cain tries to cover his guilt over what he had down to his brother with lies.

We are emotional people, from the very beginning. Emotions can be superpowers, but we have to learn to control them.

SURVIVAL TIP: Expect the ups and downs of emotions.

Look at that verse in Ecclesiastes again. You will see an interesting pattern.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NKJV) 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

Emotions are equated with ups and downs. “A time to weep.” When someone weeps we refer to them as being ‘down.’ “A time to laugh.” If someone is laughing, then they are ‘up.’ “A time to mourn.” Whoa! Back down again. “And a time to dance.” And then we cruise back up again. Emotions themselves are not only tricky to deal with, but so are the transitions, the ups and downs, from one to another. We refer to this sometimes as the rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes it’s not very fun.

Hang on
There will be ups and downs. You can count on it. Knowing that, you can hang on and brace yourself for the ride. On a rollercoaster, you’ll sometimes see people riding with their hands up in the air to get more motion out of the ride. But they are buckled in and ready for what’s coming. If you’re not ready and not buckled in, you’d get thrown off.

Hang on so that you won’t get thrown and so you can help someone else who is being thrown around on the ride.

- Emotion is a currency to be shared.

Romans 12:15 (NKJV) 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Emotion is also something that we can share with someone else. It is a very valuable commodity. There are not many greater acts of love than to share emotions with someone else. If someone rejoices, rejoice with them. If someone is hurting, hurt with them. We are to care about other people and their emotions and about how they feel.

*** Video: Welcome (3:00) ***

In that clip, what was being given that was so meaningful to those who received it? It was a gift of emotion. It was caring. The final line: “They hand out cookies. But, frankly, the smiles, the hugs and the handshakes are a whole lot more important.”

SURVIVAL TIP: Know what the Bible says about emotion.

This is what we are going to be doing over the next weeks together. We are going to explore what the Bible says about emotion. The Bible is our ultimate users manual. It answers our questions on every issue of living, especially this one. Some people may see faith and emotion as two separate, unrelated topics. I disagree. I really disagree. I emotionally disagree.

Our faith should have an emotional response. It shouldn’t be just emotional, for sure. But if I am not emotional about my faith, then I think that something needs to change.

- The greatest challenges of faith play out on the field of emotions.

Great men and women of faith were men and women of emotion.

“Do you struggle with that?”
A was talking with a woman who was experiencing a real difficulty in her faith. She came back to relationship with God through her time here at New Hope. She has grown in her faith over the last few years and has loved getting to know Jesus. She has consistently felt His presence in her life. She told me that when she lost two close family members at different times, she made it through because of this church and because she felt God’s nearness.

Now things are going well. She is not facing any major tragedies. But she is going through a major faith struggle because, for the first time in many years, she doesn’t feel God right next to her. He seems distant. She came in looking for some wisdom.

And I delivered it! I listened to her, and I gave her some great wisdom. I shared some insight from my observations. I shared with her some biblical truth about the situation she was in. I really nailed it. But it didn’t seem to help.

Then, as our time together was winding down, she asked me, “Do you ever struggle with your faith?” I looked her straight in the eye and told her, “Yes. I struggle too.” Her countenance changed immediately and she said, “That makes me feel better.”

None of my theology or explanations could do what these three words could do: I struggle too. You’re not alone. I feel the same as you.

Mother Teresa
I was thinking about the impact of that when I read recently that even Mother Teresa suffered with the same emotions. A new book, “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light,” is based on 66 years of her correspondence. The letters reveal a startling fact: For the last 50 years of her life, this iconic, holy woman felt spiritually abandoned, cut off from God. She felt no Presence. She felt alone.

"... The silence and emptiness is so great," she wrote in 1979, "that I look and do not see, - Listen and do not hear ..."

"... I am told God loves me," she wrote in an undated letter, "- and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."

Those emotions are real. If you struggle with similar emotions, you may just be human.

Conclusion
God is emotional about you

In closing, let me return back to a point that I made earlier, that God is emotional. “What is He emotional about?” you might ask. Mainly, it is about you.

He refers to people as the apple of His eye. (Deut. 32:10, Psalm 17:8, Zech. 2:8)

Scripture says, “He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

As Jesus neared Jerusalem He wept and said, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. I have wanted to gather you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matt. 23:37)

Jesus said, “I have called you friends.” (John 15:15)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. (John 3:16)