Mao Zedong, the leader of China
was wrong on so many levels, and the results were catastrophic. He was a Communist
and an atheist, and his mistaken beliefs led to misguided behaviors that are now
writ large across history. For example, in the 1950s Mao developed a belief
that sparrows were a pest. In fact, he developed a “Four Pests Campaign” to rid
China of sparrows, mosquitoes, rats and flies.
He believed that sparrows had to go because they ate grain from the farms. Thus, by killing the sparrows of China, he thought, would result in enough surplus food for 60,000 people. Mao initiated a campaign to kill sparrows—the little birds were shot, their nests were destroyed, their eggs were broken. Chinese Communists succeeded in killing about every sparrow in Chinese air space.
But Mao Zedong was wrong. He was operating on mistaken presuppositions. He did not realize that sparrows are natural predators to locusts. With the sparrows all gone, the locusts multiplied and devastated Chinese agriculture. It is estimated that more than 30 million Chinese died of malnourishment because of the ensuing locust invasion.[1]
The point is that defective
thinking always leads to destructive living. If people are mistaken in their
beliefs, they will be misguided in their behavior. Faulty thinking leads to
flawed habits, because what you think effects how you behave and how you live.
The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). Paul
admonishes us in Rom. 12:2 to undergo a thorough brain washing, “Do not be
conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind…” and that we are to obtain “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).
Becoming a Christian
involves not only giving Jesus your heart, but it also involves giving Him your
mind. By studying God’s word, our thinking patterns are revamped and many of
the false ideas that we’ve come to believe or absorbed from the world are debunked.
A key part of that process is replacing the lies of the Enemy (John 8:44), with
the truth of God (2 Cor. 10:4-6).
Just as a caterpillar
undergoes the slow metamorphosis that transforms it into a butterfly, your mind
is meant to undergo a steady, purposeful change as it is saturated and
controlled by the Word of God. There are no shortcuts and no alternative paths.
The one and only way your mind can be renewed is by the Spirit of God working
through the Word of God.
Tim Challies writes in a
challenging way, “Which direction is your mind changing: toward conformity to
the world or toward transformation into God’s image? Which has more of an
influence over your mind: the sports page or the Word of God? Where do you find
yourself more often: sitting on the couch watching television or bowing on your
knees in prayer over the Word? Over a lifetime of commitment to God’s Word, you
gain new wisdom to replace old foolishness and godly desires to replace satanic
longings. The sins that once fueled your imagination and motivated your actions
begin to lose their power and are displaced by virtues that motivate good to
others and bring glory to God. Your eyes stop their lusting because your mind
is now filled with love; your mouth stops its cursing because your mind is now
filled with joy; your hands stop their stealing because you are convinced you
can be as content with little as with much. Such transformed lives begin with
transformed minds, for your body always obeys your brain.”[2]
-DM
[1] Judith
Shapiro, Mao’s War Against Nature (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2001), 86-89.
[2]
Tim Challies, “Renew Your Mind,” 26 May 2017, <https://www.challies.com/articles/renew-your-mind/>
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