USING PEMS IN SPIRITUAL STUDY
Following are a discussion of two words, Love and Joy, that will help justify the use of PEMS in our life. It is always better to understand why we "do" a word, especially a verb. So, I have defined two words using an inquestioning methodology. However, any word or action can be broken down into these 4 categories, and after you start thinking inquestioningly, it becomes a natural part of your thinking. The two words, love and joy, here are important Christian concepts, but they are usually thought of only as words as if there was no consequence to such thinking. Perhaps this little inquestion study will help in understanding the usefulness of the discipline in knowing why and how you believe as you do.
LOVE
1 Corinthians 13 (NIV) 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
physical love
the actions of mental thinking of treating others as you would like to be treated such as being patient and kind; sexual: holding hands, kissing, touching sexual organs, intercourse
emotional love
hormones produced as a result of body maturity and/or physical love actions at the direction of the mental
mental love
thinking: treating others as you want to be treated; understanding and tying together the interaction of emotional/physical love with spiritual love
spiritual love
“knowing”/“seeing”/“sensing” the interaction between mental love and God’s Spiritual love
Spiritual Love
interaction of God with human through our spiritual makeup
JOY
Luke 10 (NIV) 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
physical joy
sometimes smile, spring in step brought on through hormonal influence; actually, little effect as joy is spiritual oriented not physical oriented; biblical reference: Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
emotional joy
some production of brain hormones (serotonin and others) through mental influence
mental joy
prayer communication produces joy; peace of mind; optimistic thinking; spiritually influenced inquestioning; depression-defeating thinking
spiritual joy
part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5 [NIV] 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.) that is given to those who choose to accept it.
