Willard notes that “feelings are a primary blessing and a primary problem for human life.”[1] We live in a society overwhelmed with how people feel, and many allow the need for feelings and emotions to be satisfied to drive them. Anger, fear, sex, and appearance have become gods in people’s lives. This is not to say that emotions and feelings are inherently wrong, just misplaced. As we grow in our journey to Christlikeness, we must consciously focus our feelings on things that lead away from sin and back to God. The emotions of love, joy, and peace are far more critical things to focus on and will spread through all aspects of our lives like yeast through dough. When God becomes the center of our life, our emotions will affect our behavior positively.

When we try to refocus our thinking and emotions on things of God, how we behave naturally moves in this direction. In this aspect of our identity, Willard notes that “single-minded and joyous devotions to God and to his will, to what God wants for us – and to service to him and others because of him – is what the will transformed into Christlikeness looks like.”[2] We are faced with choices daily, and our behavior indicates what is in our hearts. As we grow in our spiritual journey and learn to follow God’s will, not our own, we begin behaving more like Jesus.

Internal changes in how we think, feel, and act manifest in our physical body. This does not mean that our body is transformed into a god, but that our body is a tool where we “receive a place in time and space and human history.”[3] Our body is how we interact with this world and others around us. As we grow in our spirituality, the inner transformation we are experiencing expresses itself outwardly. We should think of ourselves as stewards of our bodies created in God’s image (Gen 1:27). We need to take care of our physical selves to best do the Lord’s work as we interact with others. One of the most important aspects of a discipling relationship is spending time together. Conversations in each other’s presence allow for reading body language and tone of voice. Willard notes that “spiritual formation, good or bad, is always profoundly social.”[4] Jesus’s teachings were deeply rooted in love and interaction with others. When we allow ourselves to be open to intimate relationships with others, we abandon our defensiveness and desire to attack or withdraw from others. A discipling relationship can be one-on-one or in a small group. The apostles of Jesus spent years watching, listening, and learning from Him and then went out and taught others what they learned. Sometimes individually and sometimes in small or even large groups.

To be continued next week….

Pastor Michael

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[1] Ibid., 117.

[2] Ibid., 143.

[3] Ibid., 161.

[4] Ibid., 182.