{"id":1416,"date":"2018-09-25T01:47:21","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T01:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=1416"},"modified":"2018-09-25T01:47:21","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T01:47:21","slug":"our-affections-affect-us-whether-we-realize-it-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/?p=1416","title":{"rendered":"Our Affections Affect Us (Whether We Realize it or Not)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jimmy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jimmy looked at his watch again as he anxiously waited outside the director\u2019s office. In a few moments he would find out who was going to be the manager of the new IT department. Did he get the job or did Kevin?\u00a0 Becoming a manager was real important to him, not only because it would make him feel successful, but he desperately needed the extra money.\u00a0 He\u2019d maxed out his credit cards due to unexpected repairs and unwise financial choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Jimmy,\u201d his director said. \u201cWe believe Kevin has demonstrated what we need for this position. Keep working hard and you can apply for future opportunities.”<\/p>\n

The news crushed\u00a0 Jimmy. His anger quickly escalated. \u201cI think you\u2019re making a mistake,\u201d he barked. \u201cKevin\u2026.<\/p>\n

Jimmy went on to untruly attack Kevin’s character, putting into jeopardy his own hope for future promotions.<\/p>\n

Jimmy’s affection<\/em> to appear successful and to have more money influenced him into making very poor choices.<\/p>\n

Our English word \u2018affection<\/em>\u2019 is derived from the Latin \u2018afficere\u2019, which means to influence<\/em>. The definition of \u2018affection<\/em>\u2019 is a fond feeling, a liking or caring about someone or something.<\/p>\n

What We Value, Strongly Affects Our Choices <\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a look around you? Check your heart. What do you care about? Is it possessions, achievements, happiness, relationships? Chances are there\u2019s a mixture.<\/p>\n

We care about people, so we choose to be kind.<\/p>\n

We want to be successful, so we work diligently.<\/p>\n

We favor order over kayos, so we choose to maintain our possessions and to take care of important responsibilities.<\/p>\n

These are positive examples, but like Jimmy, we can harm ourselves and others by valuing something too much.<\/p>\n

Personally, I\u2019ve cared way too much for smooth circumstances over the years. Looking back, I see how this affection<\/em>, adversely affected<\/em> my life and those around me. I sometimes choose to move quickly through difficult trials, denying their gravity. I wanted to get back to feeling ‘okay’<\/i>.\u00a0 However, what I didn\u2019t realize was how this quick dismissal of hard circumstances left emotional pain unattended, both in me and in others.<\/p>\n

One true Affection will Always Affect Our Lives in Positive Ways.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>What I\u2019m realizing is that there is one true affection<\/em> which will always affects<\/em> our lives in positive ways. It can become the great filter for everything which passes through our lives.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus told Martha that her sister, Mary, had chosen the one thing<\/em> which was necessary.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

In Psalm 27, David asked one thing<\/em> as a life\u2019s request: \u00a0to dwell close to God, to behold his beauty and feast upon his nearness.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

One Thing<\/i> – Loving and worshipping God.<\/p>\n

Jesus confirmed this longing when he said,\u00a0 \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.\u201d<\/span> \u00a0Matthew 22:37-38<\/p>\n

In telling us this, Jesus gave us a primary affection to govern all lesser affections.<\/p>\n

One Great, Primary Affection<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving God with all our heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our love for God begins deep within, from our hearts, \u2018the spring of our life.\u2019[3]<\/a>\u00a0 But any love we have for God must stem from His love for us. We love because he first love.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Loving God with all our soul.<\/em><\/p>\n

Our soul \u2013 our mind, will, and emotions. Our thoughts and feelings can deceive us. God\u2019s great love for us can be hidden. We must choose the truth of what God says about us, over and above our feelings and our thoughts.<\/p>\n

Loving God with all our might.<\/em><\/p>\n

Loving God with all our might means more than just loving him with all\u00a0 our strength. It means loving him with all we have at our disposal \u2013 \u201cwith everything we have available for honoring God<\/em> \u2014 which includes our spouse, our children, our house or dorm room, our pets and wardrobe and tools and cell phones and movies and music and computers and time.\u201d [5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Loving God Overflows into What We Do<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Jesus added, \u201cAnd a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets,<\/span>\u201d[6]<\/a> we see the first influence of our affection for God.<\/p>\n

If we love God, we will love people. And if we love people, all\u00a0 lesser affections will play out in loving ways.<\/p>\n

Kevin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kevin heard about Jimmy\u2019s outburst in the director\u2019s office. He felt really hurt. He considered Jimmy a friend.<\/p>\n

Kevin crafted an e-mail to Jimmy defending himself and telling him how hurtful his words were. He read through it and changed it several times. However, he didn\u2019t send it.<\/p>\n

Kevin was trying to live his live through the filter of his affection<\/em> for the Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted every word and action to reflect his love for God and his love for the people in his life.<\/p>\n

He choose to not be offended by what Jimmy had done. He agonized with God about how hurt he was.<\/p>\n

Later, Kevin was able to see Jimmy\u2019s pain in not getting the job. He asked God to show him what loving Jimmy would look like.<\/p>\n

Prayer: \u00a0<\/strong>Lord, thank you for clearly giving us a great affection<\/em> which influences<\/em> every part of our lives. Like Kevin, teach us to allow our choices to flow out of our love for you.<\/p>\n

Please help us know your love for us. Destroy anything that blocks it. May we walk around completed surrendered to your extravagant love.<\/p>\n

Please teach us how to love you with all our hearts, all our souls and all our might.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Luke 10:41-42<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Psalm 27:4<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Proverbs 4:23<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> I John 4:19<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Loving God with Your Everything<\/u>\u00a0 by Jason DeRouchie,\u00a0 www.desiringgod.org\/articles\/love-god-with-your-everything<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Matthew 22:40<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jimmy looked at his watch again as he anxiously waited outside the director\u2019s office. In a few moments he would find out who was going to be the manager of the new IT department. Did he get the job or did Kevin? Becoming a manager was real important to him, not only because it would make him feel successful, but he desperately needed the extra money. He\u2019d maxed out his credit cards due to unexpected repairs and unwise financial choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Jimmy,\u201d his director said. \u201cWe believe Kevin has demonstrated what we need for this position. Keep working hard and you can apply for future opportunities.”
\nThe news crushed Jimmy.
\nHis anger quickly escalated. \u201cI think you\u2019re making a mistake,\u201d he barked. \u201cKevin\u2026.<\/p>\n

Jimmy went on to untruly attack Kevin’s character, putting into jeopardy his own hope for future promotions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[700],"tags":[709,701,704,712,702,705,493,315,710,172,703,707,20,680,714,717,162,708,181,541,674,715,193,706,349,711,716,174,76,713],"class_list":["post-1416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-choosing-our-affection","tag-achievements","tag-affections","tag-afficere","tag-be-kind","tag-choices","tag-debt","tag-following-jesus","tag-foremost-affection","tag-happiness","tag-i-john-419","tag-influence","tag-it","tag-jesus","tag-jesus-is-our-one-thing","tag-kayos","tag-love-your-neighbor","tag-luke-1038-42","tag-manager","tag-matthew-2238-42","tag-one-command","tag-one-thing","tag-order","tag-possessions","tag-promotion","tag-psalm-27","tag-relationships","tag-reponsibilities","tag-the-greatest-command","tag-value","tag-work-diligently"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1416"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1430,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1416\/revisions\/1430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joy-in-the-journey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}