Attitude is Everythinig

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Philippians 2:3-8

Meditation: I know a man who liked paperwork. He did not like building things, doing mechanical things or fixing things. But he ended up doing just that – working in a job building and fixing mechanical and electronic things. He hated it;. “Lord, why am I here?” he would cry out. “I hate this job. I don’t have the aptitude for it.” But the Lord had a lesson for him and he toiled away for several years. Finally, one day he realized that it was not about aptitude, but attitude. He became thankful for the good job he had. And then a near miraculous thing occurred. He actually became pretty good at his job and almost came to like it – almost.  I know this to be true, because this man is me.

I still have a tendency to forget that attitude is everything, but it now takes less to bring my thinking back into line. Our attitudes about our job, marriage, children – everything, should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. He gave up the glory of Heaven, the worship and adoration of millions to walk dusty roads, endure the scorn of many and eventually die a horrible death.  He served and died to self daily without a complaint. Who am I to complain about my job that is not me, my wife who is not perfect, and my child who is selfish and self-centered? Would Jesus complain about those things? NO! He was a carpenter. That is a long, long way from being the God of the Universe men! Talk about a downgrade in jobs.

Attitude is everything. We have to stay focused on what is truly important – the Lord and His work for us, not the circumstances we are in. We need to look at that job, wife or child as a blessing and not a curse. And when we do,  we will be blessed. In God’s timing, He will turn those circumstances around.

Challenge: Do you have a bad attitude toward your job, wife, or child,  friend, co-worker, pastor, or someone else? Are you waiting for, or working for a change in the situation? Quite possibly, the Lord wants a change in your attitude. Take the attitude of Christ. Die to self and live a life of thankfulness and love, not a life of complaining and criticizing.

Thought for the Day: Lord change my attitude. Help me to:

Replace a complaining attitude with a thankful attitude.
Replace a covetous attitude with an attitude of contentment.
Replace a critical attitude with an attitude of love.
Replace a doubting attitude with an attitude of faith.
Replace a rebellious attitude with an attitude of submission.

Chris Garner

Used by permission – Fortified Marriages.

 

Maxim of the Moment

Success is getting up one more time than the number of times you fall down. - Julie Bowden