Second, Third,…
Exodus 34:1, “Now the LORD said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered.”
When Moses had come down from Sinai after spending 40 days with the Lord, snd he saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf he was frustrated and angry at the Israelites; so he took the tablets of law that God had given and he smashed them.
Many times out of frustration we do things that are out of character for us, and are definitely not what God wants us to do. When we act in ways that are unbecoming to God it breaks His heart, but then if we repent and turn back to Him He will give us a second, third, fourth or how ever many extra chances we need. As long as we never give up on God, He will never give up on us.
God knows that occasionally we are going to mess up. Whether it be because of fear, frustration, anger, dissapointment our emotions are going to lead us astray. Emotions are what makes us human, but they were never meant to control our lives, and when we give them control then we are making a mistake.
The Apostle Judas who betrayed the Lord was led by his emotions. He came to Jesus from a group of zealots that wanted to overthrow the Roman Gov’t, and he thought that Jesus(the Messiah) had come for this reason. He walked with Jesus for three years, and he never saw a sign that Jesus was going to kick the Romans out of Jerusalem. Then he let his emotions take control, and out of frustration he agreed to hand Jesus over to the Romans.
The Apostle Peter was without a doubt my favorite Apostle. He was the epitomy of how emotions left unchecked will mess a person up. He told Jesus that he was prepared to die for Him, and he said in Matthew 26:35, “Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” Peter was very bold in his commitment, but when the moment of testing came Peter was led away by his emotions of fear and he denied Jesus three times.
One of my heroes of the faith is Corrie Ten Boom. Miss Ten Boom went on to be with Lord several years ago, but oh what a God pleasing life she led. In the late 1930’s as the Nazi regime was taking over Europoe she and her family hid Jewish people from them. They were eventually discovered and sent to concentration camps where Corrie’s father and sister died. Corrie eventually became a world wide speaker and evangelist for the Lord Jesus Christ. Recounting her days in the concentration camp Corrie said, “There is no hole so deep that God is not deeper still.” Corrie was never led astray by her emotions. Even in the middle of all her fears and frustration she continuosly held fast to God’s Word believing that He would deliver her.(Miss Ten Boom’s story of her days in the concentration camp can be read in her book, “The Hiding Place”; there is also a movie of the same name, and I highly recomend both.)
Emotions are wonderful, God-given characteristics for us to have, but if we ever give them decision making powers, even for a second, then they will lead us astray. However, my God will always be there to come back too when we come to our senses.
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Father, I thank You for giving me emotions that make me compasionate to other people, and I ask that You help me to use these emotions; but that I never give them control over my actions. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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