Hearts and Minds

 

         I am flooded with emails in the each day from all kinds of groups, most of which I delete and do not even open. I can tell by the subject line that I have no interest in them. At the same time, a number of articles pop up that inform me of the current news and if I am interested, I can click on a link that will take me to additional information. From my standpoint, most of them relate the truth of the Scriptures in regard to the condition of mankind in general. The worst information seems to be coming from the political news of the world even down to the local governments. While it is generally bad we can rightly assume that it did not happen over night. It took some time and the events of today are the fruit of decisions that were made years ago. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

          Francis Schaeffer wrote about how we had, as a people, crossed the line of despair in art, music, philosophy and our religion. It began centuries ago from the 1500's onward. It has gathered steam through the years and the longer we go, we worse it gets. In the 1930's the humanist manifesto came out, signed by our so called educated leaders who endeavored to put man at the top of things and left God out of the picture. Soon after, Bible reading was removed from the schools. Laws about removing the ten commandments in government building were put forth. The value of the sea turtle egg was soon above that of the human baby that was not yet born. We might say, “How much worse can things get?” Only God knows that answer. The Apostle Paul exhorted us to be involved in “mind renewal” in Romans 12:1-2. There are even believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have the need to have their minds renewed as to what is right and just in the their own world. Paul also mentioned in Philippians 4:8 the things that should be the center of our thinking. Everyone is quick to claim their “rights” in the world in which we live. We feel that we have the right for all that the world could ever give us. In reality, I have no rights, only responsibilities from God. It is only by the grace of God that I am where I am and possess the things that I possess. It seems that everyone desires to sit by the fire, a book in our lap, a dog at our side and a cup of hot cocoa next to us but that is not the way things turn out. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah and pointed out the problem and it is with the heart. Things were very bad in Jeremiah's day and when he writes Lamentations through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you began to see the picture of total dismay that fell upon God's chosen people. What's the answer? Romans 12:1-2 exhort us after 11 chapters of doctrine, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” That word “transformed” is the same one used in the Mount of Transfiguration and in 2 Corinthians 3:18. As always, the answer lies in the Bible, the Word of God. We may be surprised and angered by the heart decisions of those around us and while not doing anything about our own hearts. The motto of a church with whom I was associated was, “Scripture and Prayer to conform us to the image of Christ.” It is a good formula for us today. May we take care of our own hearts and then pray for others to do likewise. Praise God that He is still in the business of changing the desires of our hearts.