THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

On Tuesday I talked about the Beatitudes Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount. I just keep thinking how amazing God is. Be Attitudes. Jesus was definitely teaching on our attitudes. We have a choice to start each day with a positive attitude. The future looks bright when the attitude is right and the present is much more enjoyable. The positive person understands that the journey is as enjoyable as the destination. Sad to say, our attitudes are not automatically good just because we are Christians. We nurture attitudes of jealously, judgment, self-pity, and selfishness. In Philippians 2:3-8, Paul talks about the attitudes we should possess as Christians. Paul tells us five things about the proper Christian attitude: (1) Do things for the right reasons (v.3), (2) Regard others as more important than yourself (v.3), (3) Look out for the interest of others (v.4),(4) Christ recognized His sonship and therefore was willing to serve God and others (v.6),  (5) Possess the attitude of Christ, who was not power-hungry(v.5) but rather emptied Himself(v.7), demonstrated obedience(v.8), and fulfilled God’s purpose(v.5). Wrong attitudes in our lives will block the blessings of God and cause us to live below God’s potential for our lives.

The attitude is an inward feeling expressed by behavior. That is why an attitude can be seen without a word being said. Scripture teaches us that “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (Samuel 16:7). The Bible says the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, and we cannot understand it. This is why we can’t know for sure what emotions are going on inside someone else. However, many times the outward expressions and actions are like a window to a person’s soul. Sometimes the attitude can be masked outwardly to deceive others. But usually the cover-ups will not last long. There is a constant struggle as the attitude tries to wiggle its way out. A hardened attitude is like a disease. It causes a closed mind and a dark future. When the attitude is positive and expectant to growth, the mind expands and the process begins. What process? I am glad you asked. The process of trusting and obeying God. Our attitude is important to our spiritual growth. Our attitude is also the primary force that will determine whether we succeed or fail. And when I say fail now, I’m speaking in relationship to our walk with God. Attitude can also hinder our successes in life. Some people find a difficulty in every opportunity, and others find an opportunity in every  difficulty. The fact that the attitude can make some while breaking others lets us know its importance. Attitudes determine our relationship with God, our relationships with each other, our life here on this earth, and our eternal life. Our attitude can turn our problems into blessings. Someone said “Adversity is prosperity to those who possess a great attitude.” The author John Maxwell put it like this, “When God wants to educate a man, He does not send him to the school of graces, but to the school of necessities.” What that means to me is that although life storms can be difficult, the attitude we have while going through them can make a difference between winning or losing the battle. When Goliath came up against the Israelites, the soldiers thought, he’s so big, we can never kill him. David looked at this same giant and he thought, He’s so big I can’t miss him. Ha, I love the Bible! It really is our instruction booklet for life. Ok, let me finish up with attitudes. I challenge whoever is reading this for one week to treat every person you meet, without a single exception, as the most important person on earth. Leave a comment here or on FB Emmanuel and let me know how that works for you. I bet you will find that they will begin treating you the same way. Much Love….