On Attitude

[Hope in God]

THE PROPER ATTITUDE OF A BELIEVER
Have you ever met a person who converted, changed, or was transformed by a concept such as a twelve step program whose attitude reflected pride and arrogance, rather than thankfulness and humility?

My work office was once placed near a former alcoholic who read his twelve step manual and attended church faithfully. And yet, the man’s sarcasm and holier-than-thou attitude toward all of life was a constant thorn in my side. As Elihu said to Job's four miserable comforters, “you talk and act as if all of you are ‘the ones’ that wisdom will die with,” (Job 12:2) I wanted to say this to my coworker.

Coming to know the Lord’s Word can do the same thing to young believers. Their zeal can get the better of them. Is it wrong to want to see others turn to Christ? Certainly not. Is it wrong to proclaim the greatness of our God?” No, not at all.

And yet, those around new students of the Bible can be made to feel like they are being attacked every day by an Amway rep who, in his own beguiling way, really only wants them to be on his team to stack his multi-level pyramid, nothing more.

When you are being taught and God’s Word becomes revelation to you, do not allow your heart to be lifted up. Allow the Lord to add temperance (self-restaint) to your words and deeds.

Some advice:

Always keep in mind from where it was the Lord delivered you (and is yet delivering you.) Don’t be wise in your own conceits.
Revelation 3:17
“…thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

Remain contrite.
Psalm 40:17
“But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me…”
Be willing to admit it if you have taken advantage of others or treated them unkindly.

Proverbs 9:8
“…. rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee”
Understand that all men are prone to miss the mark, fall short, experience hard times.

Deuteronomy 24:18
“But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence…”

 

[amadeus]

@David Brayshaw

A good attitude comes from a good Spirit (the Holy Spirit). The Christian does not give a person a good attitude. It really does take God working in us to change us in that direction...

"And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily" I Cor 15:30-31

Paul, I believe, grew closer to God in a great part because he at the very least strived to die daily to the things of his world of flesh:

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." I John 2:16

How many of us try to do this and regularly ask God to help with this?

 

[Hope in God]

Right, amadeus, we do need to die to ourselves, to our flesh. So much of what passes for sound doctrine by prosperity preachers goes contrary to the self denial so important in our cooperation as we grow up in Him. What is taught instead by the big names is self-esteem, self-confidence, etc. when, in fact, we are encouraged to not so much as speak of ourselves. He that does seeks his own glory. (John 7:18)

 

[amadeus]

Right, amadeus, we do need to die to ourselves, to our flesh. So much of what passes for sound doctrine by prosperity preachers goes contrary to the self denial so important in our cooperation as we grow up in Him. What is taught instead by the big names is self-esteem, self-confidence, etc. when, in fact, we are encouraged to not so much as speak of ourselves. He that does seeks his own glory. (John 7:18)

"The big names" too often may be presenting themselves for a reward as these Jesus describes:

"Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." Matt 6:2

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward" Matt 6:5

"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." Matt 6:16

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Phil 2:3

 

[shnarkle]

we do need to die to ourselves, to our flesh. So much of what passes for sound doctrine by prosperity preachers goes contrary to the self denial so important in our cooperation as we grow up in Him. What is taught instead by the big names is self-esteem, self-confidence, etc. when, in fact, we are encouraged to not so much as speak of ourselves. He that does seeks his own glory. (John 7:18)

It's difficult not to get caught up in all that self aggrandizement because at its root, the prosperity gospel is one of self denial. I say this because once one truly lets go of themselves, and all they have, it immediately becomes apparent that everything in all of creation has been given freely by Christ and for Christ, and with true self denial, there is no one left except Christ. In other words, we see that the world has been freely given to us. We live in a world of abundance.