Dear Reader
“That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (Please read 1 Peter 4:1-9).
The Spirit of God brings before us a pure Object for our minds and hearts: the Lord Jesus. It does not matter how young we are, nor does it matter how old we are: We have the same Object for our hearts, because Christ is the only One who can fill and satisfy our hearts. If we are not satisfied, we may have to pass through experiences of trial. As Peter is presenting the wilderness pathway to us, he looks back and sees the Lord Jesus here in this wilderness and how He suffered in the flesh. What does it mean: atonement? No, that is not what Peter means here. He is speaking of what Christ suffered, going through this world. “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.” The Lord Jesus suffered to the extent that He died on the cross, but the side of it here is, “Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.” The Lord Jesus suffered in the flesh, surrounded by evil which opposed Him at every turn. He is the sinless ONE. In Him there was NO sin, HE knew NO sin, and He did NO sin.
As a Man here in this world, the Lord Jesus had one thing before Him, and that was to please the Father. Thus, you and I must have that one thing before us.
“For the time past of our life may suffice us.” Peter says, “It is enough.” We know what we have been in the past; it is enough. What are we going to do the rest of the time? Are we going to live the rest of the time to the lust of the flesh, or to the will of God? Of course, we are in the world, which thinks it strange that we do not run to the same excess of riot, but the Scriptures speaks of temperance in all things. Many things are necessary down here, and let us not be indifferent. Let us find a balance in Scripture for our lives, not going from one extreme to another. Let us just follow in the path.
Let us have the determination to no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. How much time do we have? It may be an hour, a day, a month, or ten years, yet we do not know, cannot see how it could be that long. May it be our desire that when the Lord Jesus comes, He may find us walking in the path in which He walked—the path of faith. For The Rest of the Time.
Praying that the Lord would use the articles in this issue to build you up and help you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the emails I receive from far and near expressing how much they have benefited from the Toward the Mark articles and how some are using it for their group Bible studies.
Thank you for your e-mails and notes of encouragement. Please keep praying for the Lord’s blessing on Toward the Mark.
Yours in our soon-coming Lord,
Emil S. Nashed
Please send your questions and comments to:
Toward The Mark
c/o Wayne Christian Assembly
60 Smith Lane
Wayne, NJ 07470-5354
Attention: Emil S. Nashed
www.towardthemark.org
