“Don’t do everything your emotions tell you to do, because they don’t have any brains.” My children often heard this phrase as they were growing up. I’m sure there was some eye rolling! This came from a class, “Ministers Spiritual Life’ taught by brother Truman Scott, who was a counselor, instructor and gospel preacher. We can understand they are God-given, and so recognize that they are part of who we are in Christ. But we may ask, "What is their purpose?” Another quote from Brother Scott gives some insight, “Our emotions were given as color, bright and dark, aright, for our lives, not as mandates of action .” The part we choose for emotions to play in our life will affect our growth in Christ. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes...
We need constant reminders of important things: We keep calendars, memos and notes on our refrigerators, our computers and phones with reminders of appointments and important dates, like birthdays and anniversaries, dinner invitations… the list goes on. We get upset when we forget to set the reminder option. Then it can cost us money or an opportunity to give timely congratulations, or a missed date with a good friend. How much more precious are these reminders in God’s holy word of what happens when we become complacent and forgetful of our most holy faith. We let opportunities go by to spend precious time with brothers and sisters studying the word, being uplifted and instructed in the ways of God. We sometimes get careless on Sundays and get caught up in the plans of the day or the week and thoughtlessly partake of the Lord’s supper in a less than appreciative, grateful or worthy manner. We forget how great the Father’s love is f...