Of Sound Mind

II Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Of sound mind. Sometimes that phrase brings making a will to mind. The first statements in a will say that you are of sound mind when you write it. A sound mind is desirable but can be hard with all the changes in society. There are norms to go by in the legal system. It’s good to have a brain in good working order. Illnesses such as dementia and alzheimers are horrible. Many of us have or have had family members with it. It’s like a living death for the person and a nightmare for the families when someone loses their sound mind.

Paul reminds us that soundness of mind, spiritually speaking, is something we can have regardless of what’s going on. If a person is saved and sound in the Lord and later loses the soundness of his mind, he is not accountable for what he does when the illness sets in. The mind might go but the spiritual state is intact. The brain is an organ that can get diseased just like any other part of the body. If a person is sound in the Lord and their brain goes unsound they are still okay with the Lord. My mom had a hard time suffering from many things including depression. She died at the young age of 54. She was sound in the Lord and read the Bible to us and prayed with us often.

The spirit of fear is not how God wants us to live. It is a scary world. There is a nightmarish feel to it. The spirit of error pervades even to the church. Truth is made to be a lie and wrong is right. We don’t have to be deceived. When we think of our future, it can be scary. We have to be thankful. Things could be worse. I hope to have the same soundness as Brother Jay has if I get bad health news. God is able to make us stand. We don’t have to be paralyzed by fear. We have power of a sound mind that creates a relationship with Jesus that remains sound even when things get shaky. Life can be like that swinging bridge, but through it all there is an alternative.

We don’t have the promise that it will get better in this world. It won’t get better. We’ll not get help from Capitol Hill but we can keep our eyes on Jesus. Think of something else instead of doom and gloom. We don’t have a spirit of fear but of love. Things do get us down. Pain hurts. Worry worries. We have alternatives. God provides. We have a choice of what to think about. Philippians 4:8 says Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. God doesn’t rust, fade or get worried. The Bible says For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. In this old ugly world there are lovely things. As long as God loves there will be lovely things. What we have in Jesus is as lovely as its always been.

A good report–things we buy seldom even have a year warranty. The fine print is not much of a warranty; however, God’s fine print is good, always.  Think on them: the true, honest, just, and pure. Choose to think this way. Don’t get so caught up in the ugly that you forget about the lovely. Everything of God is of good report. God never disappoints. Paul said to think on these things. No matter how unsound it gets, remember we have a spirit of soundness with the Lord. When the devil comes, choose to keep your eyes on Jesus. It is our choice.