Philippians 2:5 (NIV)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
Attitude is a choice. Charles Swindoll in his book, Improving Your Serve, said this, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. Nor can we change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We also cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so, it is with you—we are in charge of our attitudes.”
I. Attitude is our disposition toward life
Attitude (Webster’s): “a manner of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one’s disposition, opinion, etc.”
Disposition is not about our condition in life but about our posture and perspective on life. Jesus was able to live His life in the midst of adversity and suffering because He maintained a kingdom attitude based upon a kingdom perspective. Attitude has a lot to do with our mindset and the way we think
II. Attitude determines our altitude
It is easy to have a good attitude when the weather is fine. But the real test of attitude comes when the weather gets stormy. In the storm the turkeys and hens gather for shelter while the eagle flies into the storm. It positions its wings so that the wind thrusts it over the top of the storm where the sun is still shining. The storm is the same, but the eagle has a whole different perspective.
My brothers and sisters, we can choose to huddle with the turkeys, or we can soar with the eagles. It is all a matter of attitude. Attitudes are formed from our belief system. If our belief system is based upon this world, then our attitude will reflect what we listen to and what we believe. If our belief system is based upon the word of God, then we will have a kingdom attitude toward life.
III. Attitudes are indicators of the condition of our heart
John Maxwell in his book, Developing the Leader within You, had this to say, “Once our minds are ‘tattooed’ with negative thinking, our chances for long-term success diminish. We cannot continue to function in a manner that we do not truly believe about ourselves. Often, I see people sabotage themselves because of wrong thinking.”
Change your attitude by changing the condition of your heart. Attitudes are like rudders and sails on a ship. Sailors cannot control the wind and the waves, but they can control the direction of the ship by adjusting the rudder and the sails.
Right attitudes are essential to us reaching our full potential in God. Attitudes either bind or release the potential of God inside of us. May God, through the power of the Holy Spirit help us all to develop a kingdom attitude. Amen!
Pastor John Punni