I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2
A brief survey of this sin-sick world leaves one bewildered as to why people behave in such ways. If you want to feel depressed and anxious, simply turn on the news and watch as scenes of remarkable human debauchery unfold before your very eyes.
Violence continues at an alarming pace. Sexual sin is not only tolerated but glamorized by so many. As a result, there are more and more children forced to live with the consequences of their parent’s decisions; many who survive the womb without being willfully destroyed are unwanted leading to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Not only are helpless children mistreated, but the elderly likewise suffer abuse frequently. The entire family structure has been perverted in our culture as our nation has twisted the meaning of marriage. Boys and girls struggle to know if they are boys or girls. Materialism has produced a society so greedy that often the haves are willing to abuse the have nots to build their empires while the have nots are happy to rob the haves due to an attitude of entitlement coupled with a poor work ethic (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:1). The list of offenses could fill volumes.
Many believe better legislation is the solution to our problems. While we certainly could have a better system of law, I submit this would do little to solve the problems we now face. The reason for this is a growing number of people have lost respect for authority. Understanding that this is true does little to help. What people need to know is why so many have lost respect for mankind, even their own lives.
What we face in our culture today is the result of what some call “stinkin thinkin.” I submit that our problems are produced by a faulty worldview. Proverbs 23:7 rightly says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” After all, it is from the heart that “…evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…” flow (Matthew 15:19). Jesus further explained “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness” (Luke 11:34). It is all a matter of perception.
Every action is preceded by and flows out of a thought. Wayne Jackson rightly said, “If you convince a man he is an ape, he will soon begin to act like one.” As James Allen put it, “A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind.”
With all this in mind, it is clear a change of worldview is what is needed in our world. As a survivor of years of “stinkin thinkin”, I am certain the only true solution is to saturate our culture with the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. It alone contains “…all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) and is therefore able to thoroughly equip mankind for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through the transformation of our minds, we come to know “…what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). So, if we really want to make a difference in our world, let us strive to infuse the leaven of the gospel into the world as we “…make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you...” (Matthew 28:19-20).