The body will deteriorate, it will become frail, the feats we accomplished in our youth no longer to even be attempted, the majority of the population will not be as Moses was blessed to be, “his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” (Deut. 34:7) Yet many, if not most, will allow their mind to become as useless as their bodies will become, they will allow it to become as weak as the flesh that once new great vigor.
One we can do little about this, although the enormous wealth and influence of the medical community would attest differently, many do all that is humanly possible, all that is within their power and financial wherewithal to not only maintain the flesh, but extend it as long as possible. Such, in my opinion, have little desire to be with Christ, or to allow Him to direct this part of their lives. The avoidance of pain and the extension of life seems to be the normal today, not suffering trials and tribulations with joy.
The mind is also capable of being controlled by external influences, this is easily attested to by the enormous clout and wealth of the pharmaceutical corporations on the planet, along with many artificial intelligence devices that can be implanted directly upon the brain. Here my friends, is the truth I rely upon, as my body begins its slow descent towards deterioration, as the flesh begins to obey my commands less and less and goes “the way of the whole earth,” (1 Kings 2:2) I know the truth of Isaiah 26:3; “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
If we determine, by our own volition, to keep our minds stayed upon Christ, upon the truths and promises of His word, then we will be in perfect peace. The body can fail, and peace is still ours, our minds must be our own though, notwithstanding disease or harm from external sources, we have the ability to control every one of our thoughts, this power has been granted us by the Lord. It is one of the truths our adversary is well aware of, and he wastes little time attacking our physical bodies because of this truth, the mind has always been the battle ground, it is here we must be most vigilant.
If we ask it of Him, the Holy Spirit will assist us in the direction our thoughts should take, “He will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13) But you must be a willing pupil, for it is here that we will find our greatest efforts rewarded, not in the doing of our own accord, but in submitting.
Most of us are quite content to return to our own vomit occasionally, and this is understandable to the Lord, He remembers that we are but dust, but the one who determines to be led by Him willingly, this is the man who can become a profitable servant. Paul said thru the Spirit of God, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18) He understood that there is a part of our mind that is intrinsically interconnected to our nature of sin, called the flesh, he understood and tried to explain to us that we must keep the body under subjection, (1 Cor. 9:27) and he knew full well that this started in the mind, the deductive, reasoning based part of us that has no form, the part of us that has the ability to make conscience choices.
We are the ones that allow our minds to become old, as it were, we are the ones who have determined that as the body begins to fail, the mind must also. There are only two avenues when this juncture appears in a man’s life that are available to us, the fear of death, or the anticipation of eternal life. Many will spend the last years of their existence here squandering it, either attempting to fulfill what they call a bucket list today, items they wish to accomplish before their demise, while some will travail in it, wishing they had more time, looking back instead of looking forward. And who can blame them, they have no eternal hope, they have no hope at all, only dread and fear.
For those who rest in the promises, this must not be so, but sadly it is, only in a different form, for they neither have truly prepared or given any in-depth contemplation to this final door of life, they are neither prepared to open it or to have it opened for them. These are those who will be ashamed at His coming, (1 John 2:28) these are those that will be saved, yet only as if by fire. (1 Cor. 3:15) The wise servant has not only given contemplation, serious thought and time, to this time of life, but has learned to prepare for it in the only way that is pleasing to the Lord, by submitting to His will. He has learned to trust, and so his mind is in perfect peace, the peace that passeth all understanding, (Phil. 4:7) the peace that the world can in no way comprehend.
Attempt to speak to anyone about the joy you feel inside at the thought of your death, and you will most generally find the conversation coming to an abrupt end, sadly even amongst many who call Christ Lord. The mind is where we must begin to search for the truth, it is where we begin our search for the face of God, and if the Lord desires it to be so, it is where you will find the mind of Christ. Then peace will be found.
