If you study the ministry of Jesus, you will see He was a man of emotions, and He was not afraid to show them. Jesus cried with remorse when His friend, Lazarus, died. He displayed infinite tenderness toward the woman taken in adultery.
Jesus was moved with compassion for the hungry multitudes who followed Him, ministering to their needs. He took children gently into His arms and loved them. On the cross, in the midst of His agony, He showed His utmost love for His mother as He instructed John to care for her.
Other emotions were also evident in Jesus’ life. He displayed intense anger when the money changers cheated the temple worshippers. His frustration showed when His own disciples were doubtful and unbelieving.
His revulsion for the hypocritical actions of religious leaders was evident on several occasions. And in the garden of Gethsemane, the emotional torture He experienced was so great that He sweat great drops of blood.
Jesus Was A Man Of Sorrows
Isaiah describes Jesus as a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3). While He was in the garden, His agony came from yielding His will to the Father’s will. Perhaps He realized His separation from the Father would be almost unbearable. The stress was so great, the mental anguish so intense, that He bled.
He was a man of sorrow who understands what we go through. He shed His cleansing and healing blood for us that night even before going to the cross.
We need to be honest as men and recognize we have feelings, too. Just because access to those feelings is often difficult for us, that doesn’t excuse our tendency to ignore them. Ignoring them simply shows our ignorance!
Paul—Another Example
The apostle Paul didn’t ignore his feelings in times of distress. He wrote of the hardships he endured, and of God’s delivering grace in those hard times. His intense zeal for God was often misunderstood and disliked. His preaching was rejected by many of his Jewish brethren, and they retaliated severely.
But, rather than hide his feelings, Paul revealed them, because he understood the comfort of God. He realized his words would comfort others for ages to come. “Blessed be God…the God of all comfort,” he wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3. Another translation says that “He is the God of unlimited encouragement.” I like that!
We don’t have to hide our feelings as men. Jesus, the greatest man who ever walked this earth, certainly didn’t. Why should we?
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Buddy Harrison and his wife, Pat, were co-founders of Faith Christian Fellowship International Church. He served as president of the organization from 1978 until he went home to be with the Lord on November 28, 1998.
The Lord instructed Buddy to be a pastor to pastors and Ministers, providing guidance for them in the spiritual and natural realms. FCF International is in relationship with more than 1000 churches and 2000 ministers globally. As the co-founder and chairman of Harrison House Publishers, Buddy obeyed God's vision provide ministers a vehicle by which to put their message in print.
Buddy Harrison successfully incorporated his knowledge and skills of the corporate world with the Lord's calling on his life. As an anointed teacher and astute businessman, he traveled the world sharing these steps to success and favor.
