Confronting Emotions: Love Beyond Comfort Zones

Devotional

Day 1: Monitor Your Heart

In our daily lives, the emotions and thoughts we harbor within us have a profound impact on our actions and relationships. Jesus teaches us the importance of monitoring our hearts, as unresolved issues can grow stronger and manifest outwardly, affecting our interactions with others and our relationship with God. By being vigilant about what resides within us, we can prevent negative emotions from taking control and ensure that our actions are guided by love and compassion. This practice requires self-awareness and a commitment to addressing internal struggles before they influence our behavior. [01:19]

Proverbs 4:23-24 (ESV): "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."

Reflection: What unresolved issues or emotions are you currently harboring in your heart? How can you begin to address them today to prevent them from affecting your relationships?

Day 2: Confront Fear and Discomfort

Fear of rejection and discomfort with conflict often disguise themselves as sensitivity, preventing us from acting in love. Jesus calls us to recognize these emotions for what they are and not let them control us. True love sometimes requires us to take uncomfortable actions, such as confronting someone we care about when they are on a destructive path. By confronting our fears and stepping out of our comfort zones, we can engage more authentically with those we love and fulfill the call to love as Jesus did. [05:26]

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV): "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Reflection: Identify a situation where fear or discomfort is holding you back from acting in love. What steps can you take today to confront these emotions and act courageously?

Day 3: Beware of Indifference

Indifference is a dangerous emotion that often masquerades as sensitivity, leading to a lack of concern where there should be care. Jesus challenges us to confront indifference and act in love, even when it feels uncomfortable. By recognizing and addressing indifference in our hearts, we can ensure that our actions are motivated by genuine concern for others' well-being. This requires us to be proactive in our relationships, seeking to understand and support those around us rather than remaining passive. [06:06]

James 4:17 (ESV): "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

Reflection: In what areas of your life have you allowed indifference to take root? How can you actively show care and concern for someone in need today?

Day 4: Love Requires Action

Jesus instructs us to confront those we care about when they are on a destructive path, not out of judgment, but out of love and concern for their well-being. Love is not silent; it speaks up and acts, even when it's difficult. By taking action in love, we demonstrate our commitment to the well-being of others and fulfill the call to be true friends and followers of Christ. This requires courage and a willingness to engage in difficult conversations for the sake of those we love. [23:30]

Galatians 6:1-2 (ESV): "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who may be on a destructive path. How can you lovingly and gently confront them today to help guide them back to a healthier path?

Day 5: Follow Jesus' Example

Jesus' love for us was not passive; He acted, even when it was uncomfortable. We are called to do the same for others, loving them as He has loved us. This is the essence of being a follower of Christ. By following Jesus' example, we can demonstrate His love to those around us and make a meaningful impact in their lives. This requires us to be intentional in our actions, seeking to embody the love and compassion that Jesus showed during His time on earth. [34:35]

1 John 3:18 (ESV): "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Reflection: How can you actively follow Jesus' example of love in your daily interactions? What specific actions can you take today to demonstrate His love to someone in your life?

Sermon Summary

Taking a deep breath, I reflect on the journey we've been on together in this series, "You're Not the Boss of Me." Today, we conclude by focusing on the emotions that disguise themselves as virtues, such as fear, discomfort, and indifference, which often masquerade as sensitivity and concern. These emotions can control us, preventing us from doing what love requires. Jesus teaches us that true love sometimes demands uncomfortable actions, like confronting someone we care about when they are on a destructive path.

Jesus emphasized the importance of monitoring our hearts, as what resides within us eventually manifests outwardly. He warned against allowing unresolved issues to grow stronger within us, likening them to demons lifting weights in the cellar of our souls. To prevent this, we must pay attention to the emotions that vie for control over our moods and words.

In our relationships, fear of rejection and discomfort with conflict can prevent us from acting in love. Jesus calls us to confront these emotions and not let them be the boss of us. He challenges us to step out of our comfort zones and engage with those we care about, even when it feels uncomfortable. Indifference, too, is a dangerous emotion, as it leads to a lack of concern where there should be care.

Jesus' teachings remind us that love is not silent. It requires us to speak up and act, even when it's difficult. He calls us to confront those who are stumbling, not out of judgment, but out of love and concern for their well-being. This is not about being nosy or intrusive, but about being a true friend and follower of Christ, willing to do the hard things for the sake of others.

Key Takeaways

1. Monitor Your Heart: Jesus teaches that what is inside us will eventually come out. We must develop the habit of monitoring our hearts to prevent unresolved issues from growing stronger and affecting our relationships with God and others. [01:19]
2. Confront Fear and Discomfort: Fear of rejection and discomfort with conflict can disguise themselves as sensitivity. Jesus calls us to recognize these emotions for what they are and not let them control us. True love sometimes requires uncomfortable actions. [05:26]
3. Beware of Indifference: Indifference is a lack of concern where there should be care. It often hides behind the guise of sensitivity. Jesus challenges us to confront indifference and act in love, even when it feels uncomfortable. [06:06]
4. Love Requires Action: Jesus instructs us to confront those we care about when they are on a destructive path. This is not about judgment, but about love and concern for their well-being. Love is not silent; it speaks up and acts. [23:30]
5. Follow Jesus' Example: Jesus' love for us was not passive. He acted, even when it was uncomfortable. We are called to do the same for others, loving them as He has loved us. This is the essence of being a follower of Christ. [34:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - Introduction to the Series
[00:36] - Monitoring Our Hearts
[01:44] - Dealing with Internal Demons
[02:43] - Emotions Competing for Control
[03:12] - Destructive Emotions Disguised as Virtues
[04:45] - Fear and Discomfort in Relationships
[05:26] - Recognizing and Confronting Fear
[06:06] - The Danger of Indifference
[09:04] - Jesus' Call to Confrontation
[11:15] - The Importance of Not Causing Others to Stumble
[14:15] - Taking Extreme Measures to Avoid Stumbling
[19:33] - The Parable of the Lost Sheep
[23:30] - Our Role in Helping Others
[34:35] - Following Jesus' Example of Love

Sermon Clips

Jesus said that what's on the inside of us eventually comes on the outside of us and consequently we need to not simply monitor what's going on with our behavior, because all of us are pretty good at monitoring our behavior. We need to develop the habit, we need to develop the habit of monitoring our hearts. [00:18:52]

If you don't deal with your demons, those things on the inside of you, not literal demons but the stuff that just kinda, got inside of you because of something that happened in your childhood or something that happened in your high school, or something that happened to you, and you're just dealing with that stuff. [00:12:35]

Fear of rejection. Discomfort with conflict, some of you are conflict-adverse. Apprehension around confrontation. These are emotions that basically disguise themselves as what. As sensitivity and concern. When in fact they're just fear, discomfort and apprehension. [00:04:45]

In order to love other people, in order to be for other people what other people need us to be for them, as we're gonna see in a second. In order to be for other people what Jesus actually calls and commands us to be, we have to recognize fear for what it is, discomfort for what it is, our fear of engaging in things that are uncomfortable for what it is. [00:05:26]

It's not so much a feeling, it's not so much an emotion, as a lack of a feeling or a lack of emotion, where there should be one. It's a lack of concern where there should be concern. And the thing is, we rarely spot indifference in our lives because it's so embarrassing. [00:06:06]

When you need someone, and you will if you haven't already, when you need someone to mind your business because you're not doing such a good job minding your business, are you going to want those people, those friends, to give in to fear and discomfort. Give in to indifference? [00:07:34]

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault. To which you may conclude, you know what, that's reason enough right there to never ever follow Jesus because I'm not ever ever gonna do that, right. I mean let me ask you a question. Who does that? People who care. [00:08:56]

If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me, to stumble, that is to fall down, to get tripped up, to go out of bounds, to get thrown off course. In other words, if anyone who comes along and causes one of these people who are just beginning to believe in me, just beginning to get their life together, just beginning to refocus and recenter their life around me. [00:11:42]

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, here's the key word, and throw it away. It's like okay, literally no. Don't leave early. Not literally. Now, the interesting thing was hundreds of years later there would be a group of Jesus followers who began to take some of these teachings literally. He didn't mean it literally. [00:14:19]

If there's anything in your life that has the potential to get you off course. To create a regret. To create a season of your life that you'll wish you could go back to and relive. If there's anything you have control over right now that could potentially trip you up or is tripping you up, he says get rid of it, and the reason he uses such extreme measures is because God loves you so much. [00:14:56]

Love is not silent when there's something that needs to be said. Fear is silent. Discomfort is silent. Indifference is silent. Love isn't silent. And I've gotta tell you, we've done this so many times, together and separately. It rarely works out well. It rarely goes well, rarely. [00:31:18]

Love forbids me, love forbids me to remain silent. Love forbids me from minding my own business when I notice somebody else needs somebody to mind their business, especially when it's somebody I know. So here's what I wanna say to you, and then we're gonna close. [00:33:14]

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