It is very important to remember that one of the great purposes of God in the new birth and sanctification is to restore our feelings to their proper place in our lives, so that they are governed by the will of God and not by whims or emotions which overtake us in so many different ways and at different times. Some of the feelings which we should be seeking are the outcome of the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and so on. These are feelings which come to us as the direct work of the Spirit within us and, as Christians, we should be allowing the Spirit to make such changes in us – that is, to change our fallen feelings into those of the fruit of the Spirit.
From: Rejoice…Always!: Studies in Philippians 4 by John Gwyn-Thomas (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1989), p. 18.
The Rev. John Gwyn-Thomas (1923-1977) was vicar of St. Paul’s, Cambridge. He exercised a widespread influence as a biblical expositor. He and J. I. Packer were close friends for more than a quarter of a century.
