My Daily Pause

Our attitude in life affects us just like an aircraft’s attitude

Previously, we considered the idea that our prevailing attitude is important because it defines who we are and qualifies us as Christians. Since there are so many godly attitudes we can talk about, we will limit it to just a few today.

The book of Proverbs contains the richest set of practices and observations about what a godly attitude looks like. Let’s dig in!

Reverence for God

This key verse of the book of Proverbs reminds us of the baseline attitude we need to be successful Christians.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction – Proverbs 1:7

This kind of fear is reverence and respect. He is the Creator. He will be the Judge. Without this kind of attitude we will fail to know everything he wants us to know about him.

Contentment

Contentment is a big deal in the Bible. That’s not to say we are not to set goals and work hard to achieve them. A content attitude is one that lacks envy:

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot – Proverbs 14:30

It requires godliness

But godliness with contentment is great gain… – 1 Timothy 6:6

And when we are well off, it requires that we remain generous:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life – 1 Timothy 6:17-19

A Pure Heart

The Bible is full of warnings about what is in the heart. This one though, might summarize them all:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he – Proverbs 23:7 KJV

Whatever we do and say acts just like a meter indicating the level of purity in our heart. How good can we really be when we use crude language, lie, or fail to be encouragers?

Humbleness

I don’t know of any place in the Bible where pride good. It is definitely a dangerous attitude to have. Again, the Proverb writer sums it all up:

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall – Proverbs 16:18

At any point where we let pride get in the lead, hurt is likely to be following

Take Joy in Our Life

Being able to rejoice in any situation is another key attitude. The Bible says it is therapeutic:

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones – Proverbs 17:22

And it says whatever the situation, we have heaven to look forward to:

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven – Matthew 5:12a

Joy is important to Christianity because it is pretty hard to convince people to join us when we are a bunch of sad sacks!

Where do I start?

For many of us, there is a lot of work to do if we are only going to implement these. The good news is that they tend to develop when we live a certain lifestyle. With just a few habits, pointers and actions, the apostle Paul shows us how to develop these attitudes.

That’s where we’ll go next – Stay tuned!

Our general attitude is often displayed for all to see

How is your attitude?

Sometimes we might say something like “I have a bad attitude today.”

Saying that gets the point across, but it is more of an expression of our current state of mind. “I am in a bad mood” is a better way to state it. When we talk about our attitude, it is usually relative to our overall disposition.

Our attitude affects what our mood is most likely to be on any given day. It also affects how much energy it takes to get through a situation.

In fact, the term “Attitude” is even used by a pilots to describe how their craft is positioned in the sky.

An experienced pilot can use the attitude of the airplane to predict a number of things to help it along its journey. Everything about the journey depends on the airplane and how it interacts with the environment – fuel usage, speed, altitude – everything.

People are the same way.

When we understand what attitude is, we can accurately describe a person and understand why they make certain decisions.

An attitude of entitlement causes many to become takers.

An attitude of service causes some to become givers.

The attitude of a victim makes one believe the world is out to get him

Those with an attitude of contentment find the simple pleasure of life to be enough to make them happy.

This is so true that we could look at any given “self-help” book and figure out what kind of attitude the author wants us to have. We have to position ourselves properly in order to achieve our goals in the most efficient manner.

Jesus thought so too.

Attitude is so important to every decision we make in life, that changing the attitude of his potential followers was the first thing Jesus set out to do. The Sermon on the Mount pointed out the flaws in how people were obeying God’s word:

It was no longer going to be enough to simply not kill your neighbor for offending you, you also have to be quick to forgive. (Matthew 5:21-26, 38-42)

It was no longer enough to keep your hands off a woman that was not your wife, you are not supposed to even think of another woman in that way. (Matthew 5:27-30)

It was no longer proper to take an oath to prove you are telling the truth, you should cultivate a reputation of always being truthful. (Matthew 5:33-37)

In order to set things right and serve God the way he had always intended, a new attitude was going to be required.

Think about it for a minute – how easy is it to avoid sin when we look for ways to justify an action that falls into that “gray area?” When we take the approach of obeying the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law, we tend to get comfortable with being in sinful situations.

Let’s ask it again

Now – how is your attitude?

Think about what you have accomplished this year. Think about what you plan to do today. Think about your relationship in general with someone important to you.

These are some things that can give you clues to how those around you see you on a day-to-day basis.

We are going to look at this from a Scriptural standpoint this week – stay tuned.

Giacomo Franceschini – Gesù e la Samaritana al pozzo – 17th or 18th century

Sometimes we know too much for our own good.

It’s just an attitude issue though. We see the disciples with a little attitude when they passed through Samaria. (John 4:1-42) Notice how the Samaritan woman understood who she was with and began spreading the word immediately.

She had no predisposition of entitlement or wisdom. She just knew she was with the Christ (John 4:29)

The disciples were not impressed that Jesus was talking to her. (John 4:27) As their tradition would have it, they were too far above these people socially to even bother with them. Yet here was their teacher having cordial dealings with her.

The contrast is that the disciples were in direct contact with Jesus and his teachings, but they still had doubts throughout his ministry. The Samaritan woman had no doubt.

It is a lot like the Parable Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The way we approach any given situation – our general attitude – has everything to do with what is in our heart.

And Jesus can see right down into your heart.

Pharisäer und Zöllner – Fresko (F3), Basilika Ottobeuren

How is your attitude?

Attitudes seem like they can fluctuate from day to day. That is more likely a reflection of mood than attitude.

Attitude is more of a long term disposition than a short term measure of how we feel. Our attitude controls whether we always find the negative in a situation or if we are able to find something to learn from it.

Pilots describe their aircraft’s position in the sky as its attitude. If it isn’t oriented just right relative to the horizon, then it will not fly efficiently. It might get to where it is going, but it will have used more fuel and suffered more wear and tear than normal.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) is the portrait of attitude.

“Lord, Look at me!’

Vs.

“Lord, I can’t bear for you to see me”

One has accomplished everything he can…

…and…

…one is growing by leaps and bounds.

Paul reminds us that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10) and everyone has sinned. (Romans 3:23) Yet many have an attitude that causes them to be like the Pharisee and totally miss that point. Even though his attitude makes his sin even more visible to us, he is totally blind to it himself!

Challenge: In Philippians 4:4-13, Paul lists a numbers of things that will change our attitude. Pick one of the things there that might need some improvement. What is it doing to your attitude and what could you accomplish if you changed it?

Christ at Simon the Pharisee – 1620 – Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

“That person has done so much for me. I just love him!”

We remember those who have given us the most of themselves. Teachers, Coaches, Bosses – people who are in the position to give us something and stand out when they go above and beyond what was required.

When Jesus went to Simon the Pharisee’s house, the events played out to illustrate that part of our nature. (Luke 7:36-50) Esteeming people important to our success is fine, but here we have a warning of how we handle it as we mature past those needy times.

The more our situation improves, the harder it is to stay humble and remember those we esteemed so highly.

Simon thought he was bringing Jesus in to be examined and found the situation turned around on him. Simon, like most of the Pharisees, thought he was in a saved state just because he was a Jew. This goes a long way toward explaining why they had such a hard time accepting the Messiah.

It reminds me a little of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. (Luke 18:9-14) When we can admit our shortcomings, it is easier to humble ourselves and look for a way to correct them. Jesus said there that the “humble will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

In the same way Jesus lifted the sinful woman…

just like his praise for the honest publican…

our forgiveness will be most abundant when we are humble in attitude.

Here’s the warning:

We are more likely to forget to pray when things are going good for us –

• When we have plenty of money
• When we feel like we are living “right”
• When our relationships are going smoothly

These are the times we might look at others in a judgmental way.

These are the times when we forget how much we need a savior.

Here’s the prevention:

We need to picture ourselves in the same place as the sinful woman or the publican.

When we do, we will be more likely to remember to keep Jesus in his esteemed place as our savior. Therefore:

• We will remember to love him actively.
• We will remember to talk to God often.
• We will remember to be genuinely thankful.

Most importantly…

We will remember to say, “The Lord has done so much for me. I just love him!”