Keep minds clean, reduce crimes!

EDITOR: WHACK!!! Cain struck his brother Abel and killed him! Genesis 4: 8. This is the first recorded murder in the Bible. What led to this? Cain became jealous of the fact that God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, but not his. (Genesis 4: 3 – 5) God tried to correct Cain, but to no avail. (Genesis 4: 6, 7) Certainly, Cain did not control his thinking. Instead of keeping his mind clean, Cain entertained evil ideas, developed intense hatred for his brother and murdered him. Today, murder and other crimes are influenced by what we think.

Can we learn from the bad example of Cain? We sure can! Like Cain, you may get very angry for some reason. Take deep breaths until you calm down. Avoid close association with hot-tempered persons. Proverbs 22:24, 25. Harming or killing someone is NEVER the answer! When an evil thought comes to your minds, get rid of it right away, as if it is rottened meat. Replace the evil thought with something good. Philippians 4:8. For example, look at God’s creation and admire the beauty! Think about what good things we learn about God from them.

Also, we may think on something else that is positive. If we seriously do so, murder and other crimes will be reduced, as we look forward to the time when God will remove all wickedness from His beautiful creation – the Earth and the human family. Psalm 37: 9 – 11, 29; Proverbs 2:21, 22; Revelation 11:18.

Simeon James