HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Interesting that today,'s Yahoo News opened with "Singapore ranks as most emotionless society in the world", based on a survey by Gallup poll.
Not sure I can agree with that but this brings to mind an article by the great American theologian, Jonathan Edwards, and what he wrote about "affections" or deep feelings, deep conviction for the thing of God that 'springs us into action."
Do we love God? Do we say we have hope, joy, compassion for the fatherless, hatred for sin, mercy for those who lack?
If we do, then there must be action. For these - love, hope, joy, mercy - are not mere head knowledge; they come from deep places in our hearts where we can feel them.
And if we feel them, then it will result in praying, stepping out in faith to help, give, lend a hand, do something.
Anyone can "like" a post about the underprivileged and wounded. But the purpose of God is set in motion by lovers and doers in the kingdom.
"No time", "no leave", "no opportunity" are no excuses anymore. The only reason we are living mediocre, hum-drum lives is "no heart."

EXCERPTS FROM RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)


“When we look at the world, we see that people are exceedingly busy. It is their affections that keep them busy. If we were to take away affections, the world would be motionless
and dead; there would be no such thing as activity. It is the affection we call covetousness
that moves a person to seek worldly profits; it is the affection we call ambition that
moves a person to pursue worldly glory; . . . . Just as worldly affections are the spring of worldly actions, so the religious affections are the spring of religious actions.

“ . . . Nothing is more apparent than this: our religion takes root within us only as deep as our affections attract it. There are thousands who hear the Word of God, who hear great and exceedingly important truths about themselves and their lives, and yet all they hear has no effect upon them, makes no change in the way they live. The reason is this: they are not affected with what they hear.

“ . . . I believe that no one is ever changed, either by doctrine, by hearing the Word, or by the preaching or teaching of another, unless the affections are moved by these things. No one ever seeks salvation, no one ever cries for wisdom, no one ever wrestles with God, no one ever kneels in prayer or flees from sin, with a heart that remains unaffected. In a word, there is never any great achievement by the things of religion without a heart deeply affected by those things.”