Because of the mind of Christ, those days that are difficult, those times that seem hopeless, and this life that is so fleeting do not bother me, at least as long as I allow His mind to rule my thinking. Jesus has an eternal perspective and is happy to share it with His children. That is, when this life turned against Him, He had His mind on something else and therefore could say, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
The secret of thinking that way is in looking to eternity.
The Bible tells me to “run with endurance the race that is set before me, looking to Jesus, the
founder and perfecter of my faith, who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despised the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the
throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2, personalized)
The older I get, the more excited I am at the thought of
eternity with God be. However, even without the aging process and the inevitability
of dying, there have been tough times where God showed me that having Jesus living
in me was a treasure beyond compare. How else could I stay calm in threats to
my family? How else could I endure physical pain and close calls to health? How
else could I not worry when life became hopeless and I was helpless? It is Jesus,
my treasure, who gives victory . . .
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to
show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted
in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying
in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death
for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal
flesh . . .” (2 Corinthians 4:7–12)
Knowing Jesus and trusting Him means “knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will
raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.” When I die, I will live forever
with God. I will also share that joy that enabled Jesus to endure the cross.
With this secure, then all else is bearable, even seems a small thing. Because
of Jesus, life is as the rest of this passage says . . .
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self
is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light
momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that
are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are
unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
This is not a pie-in-the-sky faith, nor is it a form of
defeatism. It is not an excuse to be uninvolved in life. Rather, having this
treasure means death not my enemy, and life is an amazing adventure where I can
confidently give it my all knowing that He is with me. Even on those days where
my confidence lapses or I worry instead of pray, I still have that deep sense
of hope and joy, not because of me, but because of this amazing treasure that
lives within.
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