Not By Emotion But By God
Shedding the old self isn’t something small or simple.
It’s not a quick change of habits or a moment of excitement that fades when life gets hard.
The old ways cling tightly.
The old patterns feel familiar, even when they don’t lead us where we want to go.
Letting them go takes time, honesty, and a kind of surrender that doesn’t come naturally.
But this work isn’t something we force on our own.
It’s God who shapes the heart—
who slowly, patiently begins to renew what’s been worn down by time and choices.
As Scripture says,
“Put off your old self… and be made new in the attitude of your minds.”
(Ephesians 4:22–23)
And again,
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
(Romans 12:2)
This isn’t about emotional highs or bursts of enthusiasm that burn bright and fade quickly.
It’s not just the fire of a moment—it’s the steady, quiet work of a life being reshaped.
It’s choosing, again and again,
to listen instead of react,
to trust instead of control,
to yield instead of resist.
Because if the change isn’t rooted in God,
it won’t last.
But when it is,
it becomes something deeper than effort—it becomes transformation.
So we walk it out, step by step.
Not perfectly.
But deliberately.
Trusting that God is at work in the slow, unseen places—
and that He is faithful to finish what He begins.
Trends in Godliness
It has been my observation that life can look very unfair if we do not view it through the lens of God’s eye. Ecclesiastes 7:15-20 says “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness. Do not be over righteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” [NIV]
Shedding the old ways, the old self, the old attitudes, the old pattern of life is not trivial nor is it easy. Habits are difficult to abandon. This disposition, extraction, adjustments of the old self is a work of God. If they are not of Him, then the adjustments will fail. The adjustments are not a work of passion or heated exuberance; we are not talking about the emotional fire of a revival tent that exudes a zeal for God. Rather we are talking about deliberate, conscious actions, yielding to the wisdom of God.
If the changes are forced on us, we will surely develop pride or conceit of our own ability to bridle our actions in accordance with the Law. We will start finding fault with everything that does not exactly align with our personal view of godliness. We start busying ourselves with the matters of other people, failing to see the logs in our eyes because we are sooooo busy getting all our friends on board with the latest ‘trend’ in godliness. It is true that we can live an ok life with ‘knee jerk’ reactions to the latest trend blowing through our local churches, but I think that there is a better way.
I think if we are to really respect and fear God who created this universe (not a scared, cowering fear), if we are to express a healthy respect for God’s power and righteousness then we will express a desire to emulate Him within our limited capacity. We will gradually develop the need (desire) to serve others, to be steady in the fiercest storms of life, to exude a quiet joy when things are going ‘really good’ rather than some kind of ‘jumping jack flash’ approach to good things. A steady heart, unmoved by any circumstances softens many an angry confrontation. Wisdom brings us to the waters of stability, the calming strength that overwhelms resentful affronts with gentility. Passion has its place, but it must be bridled and managed, or it will bring much trouble to our doorstep.
Solomon tells us (Ecclesiastes 7:23-26) “I am determined to be wise … Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it? So, I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search for wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.“ [NIV]
I think that Solomon, in his search for meaning, felt deluded and foiled by real life. He was earnestly trying to walk with God, but with a few steps closer to God came a step or two backwards away from God. He felt his search was mostly stumbling in the dark. Then comes the awareness of how companions influenced him. He was unable to find companions that shared his interests. He felt trapped. Yet, he also knew a strong woman could be our best friend, she would know our habits and be a sounding board against poor behavior; she can remind us of the original path we set forth on; she can ask the questions that no one else on earth can ask of our actions and behavior. Being one with us, she would know us best and encourage the best for us (implied in Ephesians 5:22-33). What are we asked to do? Love this woman as Jesus loved the Church and died for the Church. Love her even unto death.
I choose Jesus.
The Quiet Balance
Anger has a way of settling in
like a guest who never plans to leave.
At first it feels justified—
like strength, like clarity—
but it slowly takes more than it gives.
It tightens the heart,
dims the smile,
quietly drains the patience
we didn’t realize we were holding onto.
So we’re told—
be slow to anger.
Not quick to react,
not quick to hold onto it.
(James 1:19)
Because anger, when it lingers,
steals space meant for mercy,
and crowds out compassion
we were meant to give.
But then there’s the other side—
the rush of exuberance,
when everything feels bright and loud
and we stop seeing clearly.
We can lose our footing there too,
forgetting humility,
forgetting to listen,
forgetting that not everything is about us.
“Pride goes before destruction,”
the wisdom says,
and suddenly we realize
how easily we can drift.
(Proverbs 16:18)
So maybe the place we’re meant to live
is somewhere in the middle—
not rushing in anger,
not carried away by emotion,
but steady.
A quiet kind of strength.
A thoughtful kind of stillness.
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,”
so that you can test and understand
what is good, what is right,
what is truly God’s will.
(Romans 12:2)
Because when the noise settles—
when anger doesn’t lead,
and exuberance doesn’t pull us off course—
we can finally see clearly.
And in that clarity,
something soft happens:
less of me…
more of Him.
And somehow,
that’s where peace begins.
Anger is Not our Friend
It has been my observation while reading Ecclesiastes that I have much to learn if I want to walk peacefully with God. Ecclesiastes 7:1-6 says “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. … The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. “[NIV]
Our behavior matters, Paul tells us that we should walk humbly before God and people, that we should be men and women who can be trusted, acting with self-control and serious minded, that we should have a respect for order, we should be a person who is comfortable with guests In our house, a ready teacher, truthful, able to manage our social interactions, and to be comfortable with our income, not desiring riches (implied in 1 Timothy 3:2-8).
Our lifestyle should not be easily influenced by our surroundings or by events. We should be sensitive to help from wise men and women, avoiding flippant exuberance, we should seek stability rather than pleasure. Solomon is clear on how life can be lived in power. Foolish behavior is meaningless, it makes more sense to get focused, get serious, and walk humbly before God. This is where the power exists… Anger mutes this expression of life, Anger distracts our heart, controls our emotions, and steals our peace. We should avoid this thief.
Dark days come and go like storm clouds. They dot the sky, they bring rain, but they also bring thunder, lightning, and wind. When the blue sky (high pressure cells) collide with dark clouds (low pressure cells) friction occurs, in some cases a tornado develops, but like all things, the darkness moves on and the blue sky is restored. Our trials are similar. The trouble does not seem so bothersome the day after, just as a tornado lasts for a short time, it is better to be patient and navigate through the storm rather than be hasty to force a solution and stand in pride at the outcome. Else, if we encourage and support the tornado, we have weeks of clean up to repair the poor decisions.
Anger is not our friend; long term anger should never be our companion. The energy required to maintain anger steals our heart, our smile, our ability to help, our ability to be compassionate. We should be terribly slow to anger, always looking for an alternative to resentfulness.
Exuberance is not our friend. It steals the show, causes us to not see things clearly with prudence. We lose perspective and we lose humility. It leads to resentful actions when someone appears to be trying to impair our exuberance.
Someplace in the middle is where we belong. When we are balanced in our emotions, not pinging off the wall from anger or from exuberance; we are able to gather facts properly, sift through the information in front of us accurately, apply discernment to the situation and then find God’s plan. Because we are thinking clearly, we are able to yield easily to his will. Exuberance and anger are both self-focused, they both impair our ability to yield to God (less of me and more of Jesus). We are to be of sound judgement.
Only foolish people embrace the noise and showiness of anger. Loud does not make right, nor does it excuse our poor habits. Mercy for our actions is difficult to find if we are unable to extend mercy to others. If all we do is make noise from anger or exuberance, how can others feel our compassion?
Complaining and murmuring are poor substitutes for humility, mercy, kindness, and grace. Bragging about how blessed we are does not always create the desired result. People stop seeing Jesus in you and only see your mouth pushing oxygen in an endless stream of self-adoration.
When we are balanced, the clouds come and go, but God’s grace remains, it remains firm in our heart, unchanging, always present. Be careful that your foolishness does not bring you to stand against God, for we are very unwise of we engage in quarrels with God about His behavior and plan.
Walking with God’s version of balance and wisdom delivers a bonus. God provides a strong inheritance for our children as we pass his wisdom and lifestyle to the generations to come. Wisdom brings us shelter and peace even when there is a raging storm all about us, The Word of God shelters us from the scorching heat of the day, bringing a calm approach to our daily life, it strengthens us through all the struggles and keeps us from too much buoyancy when things are good.
Balance in everything is the goal, garnering strength from God to manage both the good and bad in a way that is pleasing to the God we serve. Truth and wisdom will undergird our walk with God and strengthen men for services under their sufferings.
Ecclesiastes 7:18-19 tells us — Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city (NIV). How can we not clamor towards this goal? How can we not sift through the scriptures hunting down wisdom like a miner who hunts for Gold?
Fearing God is a simple thing – it is respecting his sovereign actions and wisdom that guides us through the storms of life to his safe haven. Respect him. Live well. Anger is a thief. It steals your time. Walk away from the thief – put your anger to rest.
I choose Jesus.
O Gladsome Light
“Phos Hilaron” (O Gladsome Light)
(c. 3rd–4th century, early Christian hymn)
Often considered one of the oldest known Christian hymns still in use.
O Gladsome Light,
Of the holy glory of the immortal Father,
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ:
Now that we have come to the setting of the sun,
And behold the light of evening,
We praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For meet it is at all times to worship Thee
With voices of praise,
O Son of God and Giver of life;
Therefore all the world doth glorify Thee.
Shalom Talk 