1 Peter 3:15-16
Giving Others the Reason for Hope
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Job 7:11
Job Speaks Out
11 Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
God has created us in His Image...And He has created us with feelings...We get emotional...We are emotional creatures...And two of the "good" emotions we have are happiness and joy...If the LORD is revered in your heart, wouldn't you be happy?...Wouldn't one think those with great faith and those closest to God would be the happiest?...This was my thinking for many years...I thought that feelings of happiness and joy were linked and connected to signs of faith...So when I read St. Peter's first epistle and that one should always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have...But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander -I took this as not only a reason for hope, but also one of joy...I somehow connected the dots on one's feelings and one's faith...How could one relate negative feelings and emotions to others and get their point across about how Jesus is in one's heart...
Now I think differently...One's life is not completely filled with happiness and joy...Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and Plain testify to my errors about feelings and faith...There maybe a connection or not...Emotions are not faith...And feelings are not faith...One's faith is not all about feelings or how they feel...
Job who had great faith spoke about his feelings and could not keep quiet...God wants us to speak to him about how we feel...
But now I do think there are faithful emotions...Trust, and trusting in God is an example of a faithful emotion...