Everything started with God! The universe was His idea. Water was His idea. Earth was His idea, and fish, and birds, and animals, and plants, trees, moss, rocks, valleys, mountains, – well, everything seen and unseen. Then, He made us. Made us in His own image. Not just our flesh, but our very soul. He also created the capability and the basis for the mind. None of God’s other created beings can think and reason like God’s God-breathed mankind. Today we proudly declare we have created art, music, and a multitude of other things, and add that it all came from deep within our soul. But who created our soul? Who created the mind? Right, God did, therefore even our art, music, or any idea drawn out from within us that benefits mankind, comes ultimately from God.
But when God created the mind of man He allowed that man to choose to follow after, to be obedient to, God. Having the ability to choose has given man opportunity to choose to NOT follow after God. Sometimes the thought is this: God gave me the ability to choose so it is OK to choose to not follow God all the time. “Ok” with whom? It is ok with Satan. He encourages that choice. It is ok with most of mankind, for it backs up their own choice. But it is not “OK” with God. To choose to NOT follow after, to not be obedient to God, is what God calls – O’ no, here’s that word – SIN. In other words, to allow our mind to make the choice against obedience and belief in all of what has been revealed by God, is to deliberately choose to sin, to go against the One who created us. Unfortunately, that choice has severe consequences.
Abraham Lincoln, in trying to make a point with one who was disputing his conclusions, saw that his hearer was unconvinced and obstinate. Lincoln, understanding the use of illustration, tried another tactic. He said to the disputer, “Well, let’s see now. How many legs does a cow have?” His disputer disgustedly replied, “Four, of course.” Lincoln agreed, “That’s right. Now, suppose you call the cow’s tail a leg; how many legs would the cow have?” His opponent confidently replied, “Why, five, of course.” Lincoln came back, “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Calling a cow’s tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg!” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited – Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988, p. 483).
There is a battle raging over what your mind and the mind of your child will believe. Some have confidently called the work of the Creator by another name, AND act disgustedly when we challenge their loud declarations. They are loud because they CAN NOT back up their new name declarations and they hope their loud belittling disputes against a Creator God will convince our minds that what they say is true. But “calling a cow’s tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg,” nor does calling creation a “random evolution” make the clearly designed work of God less than what it is: a marvelous picture and proof of a very wise Designer. And if we won’t check our brain at the evolution door and their loud declarations, our mind will soon discover that design, not random unprovable mutations, is the foundation of all existence.
The mind is an amazing instrument. When the mind of man pursues God – well, note Romans 12:2; 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. God reminds Job: Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? (Job 38:36). Our mind must be renewed because of what Romans 8:7 tells us: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. If we refuse to allow God to change the basic condition of our mind, this is the result: And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting (Romans 1:28).
None of us should want the disputer to dictate belief. No, we should want TRUTH to reside in our mind. But to try to reconcile their disputes with Truth only stirs up confusion. Yet, if we will choose to pursue God, we have a great promise that makes minuscule any earthly choice: You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3).