Dying to the Flesh
Where do you focus your thoughts? Do you think about things of heaven? Or the things of earth? Our focus determines the outcome of our lives. Even more, our thoughts feed into our horse and will affect how good, or bad, of a ride we have. For what the mind thinks, the body hears, and the horse feels and in turn will respond to.
What this verse is talking about is not to forget our responsibilities in this life on this earth, but to make sure our focus is for heavenly gain, not earthly gain. Jesus said:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21
We died to this life, life in the flesh, so we could have life in the Spirit of the Lord. That means our flesh no longer rules us. We no longer live according to our emotions, physical desires, or go after the things that only this world promises. We are not ruled by fear, fear of the future or the what ifs because we know who holds the future. That doesn't mean that we don't heed a fear when it comes, for all emotions are God given to help us navigate through life. It means that we can truly rationalize the fears and not just heed irrational fears, such as "what one might think of us."
We also are not ruled by the lusts of the flesh. We don't chase that feeling in our relationships. We make our choices and we stick with them and work them out and once we have entered into a covenant before man and God to join in union, we don't just "get out" because it's easier or more convenient. No, we honor the covenant we made realizing that true love is not an emotion, but a decision. We love how God has loved us.
We do not combat the trials of this world the same way that those in the flesh do. We don't feed our emotions with unhealthy food. We face them head on with the Lord at our side. We take those feelings, fears, worries, and anxieties to the Lord in prayer and work through them. We realize who we are in His sight and we treat ourselves accordingly. We don't worry what the world thinks of us, we are only concerned with what the Lord thinks of us and we measure ourselves against His standard an no other. We also have a great hope, knowing that we can never measure up to His standard, but that through Jesus we are made perfect. But that doesn't mean we don't strive for perfection knowing that is what good and right in the eyes of the Lord.
We truly achieve this through the symbolism of baptism. For it is in baptism we share in the Lord's death, our death to the flesh, by going under the water; and we share in His resurrection in coming up from the water. Baptism is the outward expression of an inward decision.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
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