Emotional Health

“About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.” – John 7:14-18

According to Jesus, there are basically two kinds of teachers. Paul echoes this saying in 1 Corinthians 8:1, saying “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up”.

Knowledge teachers puff themselves and their hearers up with pride. They echo the scholars so that you know how smart they are. Their authority is from men as they went to the right schools, took the right classes, read the right books, and got the right degrees. The result of knowledge teachers is that they are theological, but not relational. Knowledge teachers produce critics who spend their days tearing others down.

Love teachers build themselves and their hearers up with love. Love teachers echo the Spirit. Love teachers speak with authority that is from God. This is precisely how Jesus taught according to Matthew 7:28-29, “the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” Love teachers produce Christians who spend their days building others up.

There is nothing wrong with studying or getting a degree. But, there is something wrong with become proud and theological instead of loving and relational. When instructing others in the Word, it is important to do so out of love and humility, not pride in order to give all glory to God, not self.

How about you? Do you listen mainly to knowledge or love teachers? Are you more prone to tear others down or build them up?

You are a person in two parts. You have a visible material aspect to your being that is your body. You have an invisible spiritual aspect to your being that is your soul.

Jesus Christ identifies with all of you. Jesus took upon Himself a physical body and entered in to history to save and serve all of you. Furthermore, Jesus has a resurrection prepared for you so that you can be fully healed and whole in body and spirit forever.

While ministering on the earth, Jesus revealed the Kingdom of God. In John 6, we see one of the most popular Bible stories of all time. It, along with the resurrection, are the only miracles of Jesus recorded in all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). There, we see a crowd of five thousand men, plus women and children, gathering to hear Jesus preach and see Jesus heal. As the crowd grew hungry, a little boy stepped forward to offer his lunch in an effort to help. Jesus then multiplied the lunch to feed everyone until they were full in what was the world’s most unique all-you-can-eat buffet.

In this miracle, we learn that Jesus cares about both your physical and spiritual needs. As the “Bread of Life” Jesus forgives sin and places the Holy Spirit in your soul so that you have spiritual life. Jesus also cares about your physical needs and teaches you to ask in prayer for your “daily bread”.

Sometimes, we can feel awkward asking God to meet physical needs for such things as food, a job, or housing. But, God loves all of you and—as the example with the little boys’ lunch shows—He can help and cares about all of you.

What practical needs has God met for you? Is there any physical need you should be asking God to meet?

Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” (John 4:46–49)

Are you battling an illness? Do you know someone who is?

The Bible has a lot to say about illness, as well as numerous reports of divine healing. Jesus encountered one man who knew that Jesus could save his dying son, so he jumped on a horse, riding as fast as he could, hoping for a miracle. Frantic, the father begged Jesus to heal his son.

Perhaps the only thing worse than slowly and painfully dying is watching death come for your child (or grandchild). These tragedies should never happen, and they scream at us that something has gone terribly wrong in the world. In response, people ask, “Why?”

In the most basic categories, the Bible says that there is suffering and death for three reasons:

Fall: When our first parents sinned, the death process began. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”

Personal sin: Sometimes sickness and death come to people because of their ongoing defiance against God. First Corinthians 11:30 speaks of such people saying, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”

Demonic attack: Satan and demons are devoted to death. Sometimes, people suffer because of demonic attack. At least seven times in the Gospels, we are told that Jesus healed people through demonic deliverance. Matthew 8:16 says, “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.”
To kill death, our God, in the form of Jesus Christ, had to die. To bring life, our God Jesus Christ defeated death by walking away from His grave. When Jesus returns, the curse will be lifted, the dead will be raised, and His Kingdom will come. In the Kingdom, no one will be sick, and there will be no cemeteries or funerals. This is the great hope of the believer. Death does not get the final word. Jesus does!

How can you use your suffering to more greatly appreciate Jesus’ suffering for you?

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” (John 4:39)

I will never forget one person I met with as a young pastor. This person was raised in an abusive home and had worn that abuse like a lead jacket ever since. It weighed the person down and wore him out. For the first few counseling sessions, he never made eye contact with me.

Shame.

We all carry it because of sin we have committed and sins that have been committed against us.

Early in the Bible, before sin entered the world, we are told that people had “no shame.” But, as soon as sin entered the world, our first parents hid from God and each other because of shame.

How about you: What shame do you wear? What burdens do you bear?

Jesus sat down with a woman who was dominated by shame. Her race was the shameful Samaritans. Her religion was a shameful cult that practiced child sacrifice. Her relational life included five husbands and a boyfriend whom she was shacking up with. On top of it all, it is very likely that she was an abuse victim, which may have started this avalanche of pain in her life.

Jesus lifted her shame, and she became a new woman in an instant. When it comes to defining our identity, there are three options.

One: you are defined by what has been done to you.

Two: you are defined by what has been done by you.

Three: you are defined by what Jesus has done for you!

Jesus lifted this woman’s shame from her and onto Himself. He carried her shame to the cross where He took her place to remove her shame. Hebrews 12:2 invites you to start “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Too many Christians know that their sin is forgiven but still carry their shame. Like Lazarus who received new life but still walked around in his grave clothes, they need to have the shame they wear taken off and replaced with the righteousness of Jesus Christ!

How about you: what shame do you carry? Will you today in prayer hand that shame to Jesus and get your burden lifted as this woman did?