Do We Have a Chip On Our Shoulder? In other words Do We Need and Attitude Adjustment?No one on earth has a life that is deeper, richer, more meaningful, more abundant and more rewarding than the life you and I have as Christians, through Jesus Christ.
*Other people may have more money than you.
*Other people may wear nicer clothes than you.
*Other people may live in nicer homes than you.
*Other people may drive nicer vehicles than you.
But is absolutely impossible for someone who is outside of Jesus Christ to have a life as full and abundant as the life you and I have in Christ.
We have God’s Word to guide us. We have God’s Son to strengthen us. We have God’s Spirit to empower us. We have God’s love to sustain us. We have God’s grace to save us. We have God’s riches to bless us. We have God’s promises to anchor us. And we have God’s Heavenly home waiting for us.
Even if we are blind, we can still see God’s love. Though we can’t hear, we can still hear God’s still small voice. We may be crippled, but we can still walk with Christ. We may not be able to speak, but our life can still speak of God’s glory. Even if die here on earth, we will live with God forever.
Now having said all this, let’s consider a very important question:
If we and I have all these things going for us through Christ Jesus, why in the world would any of us ever choose to go through life with a lousy, rotten, negative, defeatist attitude?
Second only to our daily to do God’s will is our choice of attitude.
Our attitude in life will determine our attitude in life. Our outlook on life will determine our outcome in life. Our attitude is more important than all our talents, all our abilities, all our skills, all our credentials, all our education and all our experience. Because we can have all those things, but if we have the wrong attitude, it will hinder us from reaching our God-given potential in life.
If our attitude is right…………..
No mountain will ever be too high. No obstacle will ever be too big. No goal will ever be too unattainable. No dream will ever be too impossible. No challenge will ever be too great.
No situation will ever be too hopeless. And no foe will ever be too invincible.
But if our attitude is wrong………….
No day will ever be sunny enough. No relationship will ever be rewarding enough.
No amount of praise or attention will ever be adequate enough. No circumstance will ever be good enough. No material possession will ever be satisfying enough.
Our attitude is our choice, be it good or bad!
Here is a soul-searching question this morning. Do we need an attitude adjustment?
When it comes to choosing the right attitude no one provides us with a greater role model than Jesus Christ.
Paul writes in Philippians 2:5: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Can you imagine a church where everyone has the same attitude as Jesus? It would be a church where there is never any fussing and fighting……….or grumbling and complaining. It would be a church where there’s never any criticizing or gossiping or backbiting. It would be a church where everyone cares and shares………a church where everyone is bonded together through the love of Jesus. It would be the kind of church everyone would want to be part of.
And imagine a world where everyone has the same attitude as Jesus. Imagine a world without war, with terror, without conflict. Imagine a world without murder or rape or murder. Imagine a world without corruption and abuse and mistreatment.
Imagine a world where everyone loves his neighbor and everyone is treated with equal fairness…….dignity……..and respect.
Do you see how different things would be if everyone would choose to have the same attitude as Jesus?
Christ had an attitude of selflessness: “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave.” Philippians 2:6-7
There is something wonderfully attractive about the totally selfless attitude of Christ.
……..What if instead of coming here to seek and to save the lost, Jesus had come here to seek and exploit as many people as He could.
………What if instead of being totally selfless Jesus had been a selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed Savior?
No doubt if Jesus had been that kind of man, we would have found the mere mention of His Name repulsive.
But Jesus was not that kind of man at all. Never before has this world ever known someone to be completely selfless. “…he gave up his divine privileges...”.
Instead of dwelling on the unfair treatment He received Jesus chose to focus on the unfair treatment of others.
Instead of dwelling on what was best for Him, Jesus chose to dwell on what was best for others.
Instead of dwelling on people not meeting His needs, Jesus chose to dwell on meeting the needs of other people.
Instead of seeking comfort for His own pain and suffering, Jesus chose to give comfort to others in their pain and suffering.
Complete…….Total…….Selflessness!!!
Are we completely…….totally……..selfless?
Are we always thinking about the needs……..the hurt………..the trials………the burdens……and the troubles of others.
Or are we always thinking about our needs, our hurts, our trials, our burdens and our troubles.
Without a doubt the most miserable people in the world are those who are totally wrapped up in themselves. And as the old saying goes, “He who is all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.”
Here’s a challenge for us this week.
-When we are tempted to complain about our problems, try to think of people who are dealing with bigger problems.
-When we are tempted to complain about how bad we’ve got it, try to think of people are in a much worse situation than us.
-When we are tempted to complain about how heavy our burden is, try to think of people who are carrying much heavier burdens.
Then selflessly reach out to one or more of those people. Send them a card, call them on the phone, text a message, send them a “private” message on Facebook , or how about write them a letter. Note: Does anyone write letters any more?
With the selfless attitude of Christ simply reach out to them.
Some of us are old enough to remember that famous line in President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Christian……..”Ask not what your fellow Christians can do for you, but what you can do for your fellow Christians.”
In his book, Strengthening Your Grip, Charles Swindoll writes these thought-provoking words regarding our attitude.
“Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it. I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. My attitude fuels my fire or assaults my hope.”
Perhaps through this lesson the Lord has made you keenly aware of some areas of your attitude that need some work. And since our attitude is our choice, the only one who can do something about your attitude is you.
May we all strive harder to have the same attitude as Jesus.
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Monday, February 7, 2011
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