Your attitude will determine your
altitude.
“Let this same attitude and
purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your
example in humility” ( Philippians 2:5)
The above text begins with “Let
this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you”. It is a command to
all those who are followers of Christ. In these scriptures we see the ultimate
paradigm of Jesus Christ. In Jesus we see the complete manifestation of the
character of God, which God is trying to reproduce in His followers. We are
admonished to have the same attitude of Jesus, which is the genuine
characteristic of an authentic life.
Jesus Christ left us the perfect
example of how our attitude should be. He not only had a positive attitude, He
had a winning attitude. The purpose in front of Him was to please The Father.
His incentive was the joy of being with His Father (Hebrews 12:2) knowing that
He had done His will and saved mankind. The right attitude is not so much about
self-seeking, but self-giving for the sake of others. Now let’s consider
from these scriptures what Jesus had done.
Philippians 2:6-8 says “ Who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself
nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross.”
He emptied Himself of all His
rightful privileges and dignity and instead of selfish ambition He took the
form of a servant. Jesus Christ in humility considered the interests and needs
of others more important than His. And by doing all of this He brought glory to
God. The character of God is revealed through the actions of the Son of God;
Jesus presents God’s divine selflessness and shows that God is not someone who
selfish, but self-giving for the sake of others. We need to understand that
Jesus took on the appearance of a servant and that in becoming human, Christ
did not cease to be divine; He was God living out a truly human life. In Christ
Jesus God has shown his true nature. Jesus not only reveals the character of God
but also reveals what it means for us to be created in the image and likeness
of God and to have His very Nature.
Jesus said, “Learn of Me, for I
am meek, lowly and humble”. This humility and
Obedience is characterized in His
entire human life. Jesus said, “I came to serve and not to be served”. Mother
Teresa said: "Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the
unwanted according to the grace we have received and let us not be ashamed or
slow to do the humble work." She considered serving, loving and caring
others is the right attitude. Teresa of Calcutta set an example for all of us
as she touched others with the loving hands of Christ. This is the kind of
attitude that changes the world.
A positive attitude leads to
happiness and success and can change your whole life. If you look at the bright
side of life, your whole life becomes filled with light. This light affects not
only you and the way you look at the world, but also your whole environment and
the people around you. Your attitude is so important and crucial to your
victory and fulfillment of your God-given destiny. If you have everything else
going well for you, whether you fly, sink or crawl is determined by your
attitude. And the root of your attitude usually your thinking. A lot of people struggle
with what can best be described as ’depressing thinking’ they carry thoughts
like “I’ll never make it”, “Nobody loves me”, “I’m helpless” etc. If you have
been entertaining thoughts like that, you need a ‘Mind flush!’ How can you
expect anything good to happen in your life when you are speaking these things
and you are calling them into being? Victory and Defeat begins in the mind.
Remember your attitude determines your altitude. Get in the Bible and speak
what God says and not what the negative thoughts and news others says. GOD’S
WORD IS TRUTH.
Robert J. Hastings said, “Places
and circumstances never guarantee happiness. You must decide within yourself
whether you want to be happy.”
And that means you need to set
apart more time for the Word of God in your life. The Word of God births faith
in us. And faith alone has the ability to slay the giants on the way to our
destiny. When there is faith, giants become like grasshoppers; mountains become
like bread that is devoured; obstacles become stepping stones to victory! So
get a good positive attitude so you can fly and not sink. Do you realize that
even when a situation looks hopeless, God can still turn it around! You are
responsible for your attitude while your attitude is responsible for your
altitude. That is how far you will go in life depends largely on your attitude.
Attitude is the little key that opens great doors. Attitude is your reactions
and actions combined. Your attitude is how you see an issue. This is so
important because as a man thinks in his heart so he is (Prov. 23:7).
When we understand that our
attitude is a matter of choice and not chance we can go far. But the noblest
attitude is not only the positive one, it’s the one where there’s a vision and
a plan behind it. Where there is no purpose a positive attitude can end up
misguided. And once it’s misguided it’s unlikely that it will last. Your
attitude is your daily choice. Victor Frankl, said: “The last of human freedoms
is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
Human beings can alter their lives by altering and changing
their attitude of mind. Now, with the world, they can get the attitude by the
mental capacity, but with us it’s the spirit. Everything is based on
the attitude. Marilyn Hickey said, “Attitude is everything. It
is a position you take regarding any situation in your life, or anything going
on in your life. Great attitudes produce great results; and so on poor
attitude produces poor results. Each of us shapes our life by our
attitude. Most people never think about their attitude at all, they
start the day in neutral. They react to whatever happens, whatever
they see, they hear or they feel. They are like Chameleons, going
through their day reacting to whatever confronts them. A hardened or
negative attitude is a dreaded disease; it causes a closed mind
and presents a dark future. It is our outward look, based on past
experience.
Attitude is the library of our past, the speaker of our present, the prophet of our future. Watch your thoughts, they will become your believing, watch your believing they will become your words, watch your words, they will become your actions, watch your actions they become your habits, watch your habits they become your character, watch your character, they become your destiny. When your attitude is positive and conducive to growth, the mind expanses and progress begins. Your attitude in the midst of negative situations and circumstances determines your outcome. God wants to show Himself strong on your behalf, but you must refuse to be negative and you must stand on the Word of God during hard times. Our attitude makes the way for our destiny-whether good or bad. Are you staying positive in your attitude? You cannot expect victory in your life and remain negative. Your today’s Choices Determine Your Tomorrow.
Attitude is the library of our past, the speaker of our present, the prophet of our future. Watch your thoughts, they will become your believing, watch your believing they will become your words, watch your words, they will become your actions, watch your actions they become your habits, watch your habits they become your character, watch your character, they become your destiny. When your attitude is positive and conducive to growth, the mind expanses and progress begins. Your attitude in the midst of negative situations and circumstances determines your outcome. God wants to show Himself strong on your behalf, but you must refuse to be negative and you must stand on the Word of God during hard times. Our attitude makes the way for our destiny-whether good or bad. Are you staying positive in your attitude? You cannot expect victory in your life and remain negative. Your today’s Choices Determine Your Tomorrow.
Negative attitude is our biggest
obstacle to maintain friendships, jobs, marriage& relationships. Because
Negative people usually blame the whole world, their parents, teachers, spouse, the economy and the government for
their failures. Ability without the right attitude is wasted energy. People
with positive attitude are caring, confident, patient, and humble. A person
with a positive attitude is like a fruit of all season. Stay away from negative
influences, people, behavior& environments start our day with positive
thoughts.
God asked Abraham to count the
stars and the sands of the sea shores; He was actually checking his attitude.
Your perceptions about things determines your take home pay in the work shop of
life, for example, some people see challenges as suffering while others see it
as training ground, preparing them greatness. Some people see delay as denial
while others see it as preparation for a greater testimony. Some people see
problems as setbacks while some see it as situations looking for solutions.
Jesus urges us to be of good cheers even in the midst of Challenges. Jesus said "I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.
Circumstances in life may not
always be the best, but we can make a right choice & wise decision to stay
positive in spite of negative circumstances by trusting in God and refusing to
quit when situations seems hopeless. In the world, happiness is based on what
is happening; but in God’s economy, it does not have to be that way. The Sermon
on the Mount we call them the “BE-attitudes” or the way we should BE. If you
want to be happy, you have to maintain a good attitude no matter what life
offers. The way we think about the world around us, makes an enormous
difference in the quality of our life. So stay in control of our attitude,
& make that life the best it can be. Even in paradise fault finders will
find faults. Most people find what they are looking for. If you’re looking for
Blessings, holiness, happiness, & Peace, that is what you get.
Our attitude is one of the
primary factors that decide whether we will persevere towards success in life.
If our attitude is right we can conquer any obstacle in life. That reminds me
of a story I once read. Allow me to share it… A little girl walked to and from
school daily. The weather one morning was questionable and clouds were forming,
yet she made her daily walk to the elementary school. As the afternoon
progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning. The mother
of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she
walked home from school and she feared that the electrical storm might harm her
child. Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a flaming sword, would
cut through the sky. Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and
drove along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little
girl walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look
up and smile. Another and another were to follow quickly and with each the
little girl would look at the spark of light and smile. When the mother's car
drew up beside the child she lowered the window and called to her with anxiety,
"What are you doing? Why do you keep smiling?" The child answered,
"I am trying to look pretty. God keeps taking my picture." As you
face the storms that come your way! It’s all about your attitude.
A positive attitude can be
the salvation of a difficult situation. James
1:2-6 says “My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials
come your way, for you know that when your faith
succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to
endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way
without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
nothing. But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who
will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever
doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind.”
David, the ancient Jewish king said
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I may learn thy
statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)We learn some important lesson in life, only through
difficult situation. Distress is there to correct us, when responded correctly.
God is far more interested in our character than our comfort. Psalmist says
"It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to
pay attention to your laws." The distress we face will either defeat
us or develop us - depending on how we respond to them. God wants to use the
troubles for good in our lives. We react rudely rather than pausing to consider
what benefit they might bring. We can rejoice when we run into problems... they
help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us
& helps us to trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope
&faith are strong and steady." Our relationship to God and our
character are the only two things we're going to take with us into eternity.
A positive attitude can be the salvation of a difficult situation.
"Attitude which does not reveal
the mind of Christ increases the darkness."
Bishop Lalachan M .A