For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

Finding Life And Peace

Man has searched for the meaning of life since time began. His quest for answers to why he exists has driven him to seek every means possible for happiness. The basic nature of sin is the allurement of finding pleasure, offering an empty hope of defining what a man is and why he lives. There are only two ways to find happiness. The first man lives according to his fleshly desires, setting his mind on fulfilling everything carnal. Sin is attractive. There is no doubt it is fun, or so many people would not enjoy it so much. He only wants to taste every fruit of the flesh to its fullest enjoyment and pleasure.

The problem with fleshly desires is that while they experience euphoria for a moment, nothing will last long. A man enjoys drinking with his buddies, becoming intoxicated to the point of being wasted. He will experience many side effects like a drunken stupor, impairment, vomiting on some occasions, and a hangover. It is remarkable that he enjoys the experience and looks forward to when he can do it again. Bars and nightclubs are filled with people trying to find life and peace, and they never find it at the bottom of a drink.

Fleshly desires lead men and women to seek every sexual experience they can. Marriages are filled with immorality and unfaithfulness because the joy has gone. Same-sex relationships argue they want to find fulfillment and never do. Life is an empty cauldron of lies and failed promises. There is never joy and happiness that is lasting. The flesh is filled, but the need to fill it again drives the desire to engage in deeper pursuits of ungodliness. There is no purpose in life.

Every carnal pursuit ends with an empty promise. Everything Satan promises in the fleshly appetites is a lie. It’s a big lie. There is no life in the flesh. Peace is never found because it does not exist in the carnal mind. God created man to be a spiritual being formed in His image. When men try to find life and peace in the flesh, they fail miserably. What men call peace in the flesh is a vapor that quickly vanishes. The testimony of the aged men and women who wasted their lives pursuing the flesh declares that life is empty and waste. They have no friends, family, or hope. Carnality has drained their lives of its goodness.

There is only one place a man will find life and peace. Those who live according to the glory of God will discover what life means, why man walks on the earth, and what life holds for him after death. The flesh cannot answer these questions. When a man allows the Spirit of God to direct his life, he will find the true meaning of happiness. He will sleep in the peace of Christ, knowing he is loved and redeemed by the blood of God’s Son. The child of God understands the nature of life. Death does not have to be feared. The challenges of life make his spirit stronger. Life is meaningful. When one surrounds their heart with God’s love, they will find a peace that passes understanding.

There is only one place to find life and peace. God sent His Son to earth to show men where they can find life and peace. In Christ, there is hope eternal. God never suggested that the life of a Christian would be easy, but when the early saints faced persecution, they did so with peace. The spirit of the martyred saints changed the minds of many in the world because of their determined faith in believing in what they could not see. While the world lived for the flesh and carnality, the Christians lived for Jesus Christ and found life and peace. The only answer is found in Jesus Christ. Do you want life? Is it your desire to seek peace? There is only one place to find it.