08 | Gladness
The Psalms invite us into raw, passionate, and emotive life with God. The psalmists regularly expose the truth of their feelings before God, even in ways that may seem taboo in our lives. Many of us have believed that feelings are bad and can not be trusted. We've believed that feelings are poor guides, untrustworthy, and will ultimately lead us astray. The truth is, God gave us our emotions. Each of our emotions are helpful tools, leading us to whole-hearted living. Get this - our feelings can be a pathway to Jesus. Emotions expose our neediness. Our neediness provides an opportunity for us to be vulnerable. Genuine prayer allows us to bring our full selves to Jesus. Deep faith and full life include our feelings. We can trust that Jesus can handle, and even use our emotions.
This week we look at Gladness.
Questions for Discussion
Read Psalm 16. What stands out to you?
Is the joy of love, the celebration of being fully alive in relationship, worth the pain?
How is gladness an outcome of being adept at the other emotions?
In what ways do you fight off gladness? In other words, what emotion do you try to avoid?
August 28, 2022 - Gabe Shippam