Category Archives: Attitude

Attitude, Bible, Decisions, Rejoicing, Scripture, Testimony

WASH, RINSE, REPEAT

PHILIPPIANS 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Have you ever noticed the directions on a shampoo bottle? Most of them say, “Wash hair, rinse and repeat.” Now, come on. Admit it. How many times do you do that? Not me! I wash and rinse once. If I have an unusually sweaty time outside, I may do the repeat, but rarely. I bet I would have better looking hair if I followed the instructions. But this may just be a sales ploy to get me to use more shampoo. Lol

Paul must have wanted these Philippian believers to revel in their joy, to repeat it over and over again. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance refers to a “oscillatory repetition.” What is that? I used to have my grandma’s old oscillating fan. It would swing back and forth to cover the room. I loved that old fan. It would blow and blow and blow, never seeming to tire. That’s the idea Paul is portraying here. We should rejoice, rejoice and rejoice. The two uses of “rejoice” are commands that we are to repeat over and over again.

APPPLICATION

So, I was thinking. What keeps us from doing this? I believe it is no coincidence that Paul couches this statement right between verses dealing with disharmony (verses 2-3) and verses 6-7 that deal with anxiety. Disharmony and anxiety can kill our desire to rejoice. Jesus tells us to rejoice, even in the midst of persecution. In Luke 6:23 He says, “‘Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way.’”

There is never a reason to not rejoice. We have to have that attitude at all times. Knowing that, we can follow this command from Paul. Rejoice in the bad times. Rejoice in the good times. Rejoice always. I am not saying this is easy, but it is a decision we make. We choose to rejoice rather than complain. We rejoice instead of getting revenge. We rejoice when everything seems to be going against us.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing…” Make up your mind today to rejoice, no matter what. You’ve heard it said, “Turn that frown upside down.” There’s a lot of truth in that little statement. After all, they say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Why overwork?

Lord, give me a spirit of rejoicing today.

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Attitude, Bible, Completeness, Humility, Maturity, Scripture

CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE

PHILIPPIANS 3:15

Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well;”

Watch your attitude, young man. I probably heard that more than once while I was growing up. I did have a little chip on my shoulder as a teenager. I thought I had something to prove. I could get a little cocky and arrogant. Teachers and coaches would call me on it, thank the Lord. I was never allowed to get way out of line. I had that healthy fear of my dad. I didn’t want to disappoint him.

I could have used this verse back then. Paul tells us to check our attitude. He says, “all who are mature.” If you understand the Scriptures, if you are trying to live for the Lord, have this attitude. The Greek word for “attitude” is phroneó, which means “1. to exercise the mind, i.e. entertain or have a sentiment or opinion 2. (by implication) to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction) 3. (intensively) to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience). (Lexicon). The word is used 26 times in the New Testament, 23 times by Paul. It’s used 10 times in Philippians alone.

APPLICATION

We have already seen Paul use phroneó four times in this letter to Philippi and will see it used four more times. Obviously, Paul was addressing an attitude problem, lol. No, I don’t want to imply the Philippians had a problem with their attitude. But any church faces the danger of this. Perhaps, some in the church had become proud because of all they had done to support Paul. Paul’s motive, though, is to point them to the right attitude which can only be found in Christ.

Romans 12:16 is a perfect illustration of what Paul is talking about. “Be of the same mind  toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” What’s Paul talking about? Humility! We saw that in Jesus. We see that in Paul. We should have the same attitude, the same mindset.

So, today I ask you (as I am asking myself) to check your attitude. Our minds need to be focused on how to please our Lord. If others aren’t happy about that, we cannot be concerned about that. Our loyalty, our obedience is to Jesus. Have His mind, as Paul said back in Philippians 2:5-8. Reread that if you need to. Get your attitude in line with His.

Father, help me check my attitude today so that I will be in line with all You teach.

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Attitude, Bible, Jesus, Mind, Scripture, Service

LIKE-MINDED

PHILIPPIANS 2:20

“For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”

Years ago, when our children were small, my wife and I asked some family members to be their custodian if something happened to us. They were chosen mainly because of their walk with the Lord. We knew they would bring up our children in the same manner we were trying to. We knew they would always have their best interest at heart and would do everything they could to give them a great childhood.

Paul makes a tremendous statement in today’s verse about Timothy. He had just told them in the previous verse that he was sending Timothy to them. Now, he describes Timothy as the only one “who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.” What a compliment for his disciple. We should all be striving to be that kind of trustworthy follower of Christ. Don’t you think?

APPLICATION

The Greek word used for “kindred spirit” is only used right here in today’s verse. It is isopsuchos, which comes “from ísos, ‘equivalent, equal’ and psyxē, ‘soul’ – properly, of equal-soul; having similar identity (values) because like-minded, i.e. equally (similarly) motivated.” (HELPS Word Studies). Like minded! I like that. Are you like-minded with other believers? Are you like-minded with Christ? We are told to have the mind of Christ in 1 Corinthians 2:16. “For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Paul knew Timothy was like-minded with him regarding the Philippians because they were both like-minded with Christ. So, what does that mean? It means we have the views, feelings and temper of Christ, according to Barnes. We are influenced not according to the world but by the Spirit. He will always point us toward the welfare of others.

Today, ask yourself if that describes you. Do you have others’ best interest at heart? When we live our lives with the mind of Christ, we will always seek to serve Him by serving others. That was Timothy’s heart. That was Paul’s heart. It should be ours, as well.

Father, give me the mind of Christ. Let me live my life in a like-minded manner toward others.

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Attitude, Bible, Jesus, Mind, Scripture

THE MIND OF CHRIST

PHILIPPIANS 2:5

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,”

We learn a lot by watching others, don’t we? We have all seen the little boys or girls following their dads around with their little toy lawnmowers as he mows the lawn. They are modeling his behavior. Wouldn’t it be great if we could model the right attitude for our children or grandchildren? If we want to raise godly children, we must live godly. We must model the behaviors and attitudes we want them to live by.

In Philippians 2:5-8, we have a passage which many people have memorized and tried to live by. Ellicott calls this “The Voluntary Humiliation of the Lord.” MacLaren titles it “The Descent of the Word.” Over the next few days, we will dissect this passage and see what the Lord has to say about us having His mind as we live out our lives following Him.

APPLICATION

Sounds simple, huh? “Have this attitude”! But then Paul says, “which was also in Christ Jesus.” Come on Paul! Who can do that? We aren’t Jesus. We can’t think like Him. We can’t be as humble as He was. Yet, I am reminded of John 14:12 which says, “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father.”

What?! Greater things than Him?! That’s what He said, and if He said it, I believe it. That means that I can have the same attitude He had. What was His attitude? Meekness, humility, service, obedience… Shall I go on? To be like Jesus is to think like Jesus. The popular bracelet from years past – WWJD – would be a great reminder for us. Before we do anything, think like Jesus and then do what He would do.

Are you prepared to do that? Are you willing to exchange your way of thinking for Jesus’ way? It’s possible through the transformation of your mind (Romans 12:1-2). Are you willing? Will you let go of your past concepts of how to live and allow Jesus to transform your mind into His mind? Oh, how wonderful that would be for us all.

Lord, give me the mind of Christ in all things.

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Attitude, Bible, Enemies, Friends, Scripture, Separation

PREVIOUS ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS

COLOSSIANS 1:21

“And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,” 

As I get older, I realize I cannot do everything I used to could do. For instance, when I was in high school, I could bench press well over 350 lbs. Now, if I could do half of that I would be excited. What I could do previously is not possible today. But also, what I used to do behaviorally, I don’t do anymore. That previous lifestyle is dead to me. I don’t want to do those things anymore. That’s the point of today’s verse.

Paul says in today’s verse that that were “previously alienated and hostile in attitude.” Whew! That’s harsh, but it’s true. Just like the Colossians believers to whom Paul is writing, I also was alienated from God and hostile in my attitude towards Him. I was basically an enemy of God. But look what Paul says about that in Romans 5:10. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

APPLICATION

You and I were alienated from God before Jesus. That Greek word translated “alienated” is apallotrioó. Notice the “-oó” at the end. Whenever you see that on the end of a Greek word, the emphasis is more on the result of the action of that word and not the action itself. What is the result of being alienated? We are cut off and separated from God.

Then Paul says we are “hostile in attitude.” We have all seen that, haven’t we? The Greek word here is echthros which means an enemy, someone who hates you. Paul is saying we were separated and hateful. That was our lifestyle before Jesus. But we didn’t stay there, did we?

Go back to the beginning of the verse. Paul says we were “previously” this way. That little adverb pote changes everything. It denotes a change in status or condition. You were once that way, but now you are different. You were enemies with God, but now you are friends. You were separated and, now you are joined together. Thank God for changes, amen?

O Lord, You have changed my heart and mind to be more in line with Your heart and mind. I am forever grateful.

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Attention, Attitude, Bible, Boasting, Decisions, Humility, Influence, Pride, Scripture

SHOW OFF

GALATIANS 6:12

“All who want to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.”

Some people are all show. They want everyone to see them and what they have accomplished. I love the verse that our ministry has adopted, Isaiah 26:12. “Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.” The last phrase is what we claim. It’s all Him, not us. We have nothing to brag or boast about.

Paul pointed out in this verse today that those who were trying to compel the Galatians to get circumcised only cared about themselves. They were trying to appease the Jewish leaders with their Mosaic Law following. It wasn’t about Jesus. It was about what they could do, even to their flesh, to appear more spiritual or to be a more sincere follower.

APPLICATION

What kind of “showing” are you making? Is it all about you or is it about Jesus? We should echo the words of John the Baptist. “‘He must become greater; I must become less.’” John knew he was just the forerunner of Christ. He was there to proclaim the message God had given him. He wasn’t “The Man.” Too many people today think they are.

Remember this story from Acts 8? “9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’” We know what happened to him, don’t we? Are you sure? He got saved through the preaching of Philip, but he still struggled with this desire to be “The Man.”

Later in the chapter, he is confronted by Peter because Simon offered to buy the power to lay hands on people which he had seen done by the apostles. He still hungered for the attention he had earlier. Thankfully, after Peter rebuked him, he repented. As far as we know, we will get to meet Simon in heaven and ask him more about his life. What will your story be? Will it be about yourself or about Jesus? I can’t wait to see.

Hide me behind the cross daily, Lord. Let others see Jesus and not me. 

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Attitude, Bible, Blessing, Boasting, Comparison, Examine, Holiness, Influence, Modeling, Scripture, Testing

EXAMINE YOURSELF

 

GALATIANS 6:4

 

“But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another.”

 

Do you remember those days in school when your teacher would announce a pop test? I hated that. I was a pretty good student, but I didn’t like those surprise tests. But then she would say when everyone was finished, “Okay, I want each of you to grade your own paper as I call out the answers.” Now you would see how you did on that unexpected test. Only you and the teacher would know the result, unless you shared it with someone else.

 

Paul tells the Galatians to take out that clean sheet of paper and prepare to examine themselves. It did not matter what others thought about them. It only mattered what God thought. They were to measure themselves not against someone else but only Jesus and His expectations of them. Then and only then would they have reason for rejoicing, and even then, only in Him.

 

APPLICATION

 

Proverbs 14:14 says, “A good man shall be satisfied from himself.” A good man (or woman) shall examine himself according to God’s law. When he finds himself in agreement with God, he can rejoice. Albert Barnes says this in regard to this verse. “Here is the true secret of happiness. It consists: (1) In not forming an improper estimate of ourselves; in knowing just what we are, (2) in leading such a life that it may be examined to the core, and (3) in not being dependent on the fickle applause of the world for our comfort.”

 

What is your measure of yourself? How do you measure yourself? Each week in a weekly meeting I am in, we have to measure ourselves in about seven or eight areas. One of those is our walk with God. Another is our family life. These categories give us a snapshot of that particular week. My score changes weekly. I am never the same. Things change every week and how I respond to those things change as well.

 

But there is one area in which I shall never change, in which I can measure myself well. That area is in my personal relationship with Christ. I know it is secure. I know I am sealed for all eternity under the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing will ever change that. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

 

Father, examine me and show me my faults so that I can better represent You to others.

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Attitude, Bible, Brain, Devil, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Remembering, Scripture

NO OTHER VIEW

GALATIANS 5:10

“I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear the punishment, whoever he is.”

Our brains are amazing things. My wife and I have been watching a television series where they quite often perform brain surgery. It is amazing how the brain works but how quickly it can be affected by the smallest of tumors or brain bleeds. Those can cause us to start having strange behaviors or bodily functions. It doesn’t take anything large to cause a large change.

The Greek word that is translated into the phrase “will adopt no other view” is a difficult word to put completely in the English. It has the idea of an inner perspective showing itself in outward behavior. But that doesn’t even quite get the meaning from the Greek. Paul was directed to use this word by the Holy Spirit for a reason. Perhaps the idea of using a word that was hard to understand tells us something. Other ideas can confuse us. We have to be on guard against any of those, no matter how small they may seem.

APPLICATION

Jesus uses this same word in Matthew 16:23 when He rebukes Peter. “But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.’” Peter allowed another thought to enter his mind that was not from God.

We see it used again by Paul in Romans 8:5. “For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Then Paul uses it again in Philippians 2:2. “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

We cannot let any other thought enter our minds, our brains that does not belong to God. We know the evil one wants to corrupt our minds, to get our thoughts off of Jesus. He is the one who “is disturbing you” today. Don’t think for a minute that you are free from his attacks. Keep your focus on Jesus. Listen closely to His voice. Then do what He says.

Father, I want to keep only Your thoughts in my mind. Help me hear You clearly.

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Attention, Attitude, Bible, Boasting, Compassion, Envy, Favoritism, God's Will, Goodness, Humility, Jealousy, Scripture

NO FAVORITISM

GALATIANS 2:6

“But from those who were of considerable repute (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism)—well, those who were of repute contributed nothing to me.”

I grew up with three siblings – an older brother and sister and a younger sister. Of course, I was mama’s favorite, lol. Just kidding! My mama never really showed any favoritism that I knew of. Each of her children were precious to her, and she showered each of us with her love and affection. She had enough love for us all.

Paul makes an interesting statement here in today’s verse – “God shows no favoritism.” Actually, the literal Greek says, “a person’s face God does not accept.” Isn’t that strange? But this goes back to a Hebrew saying about accepting a man’s face or showing partiality. Paul is saying this in relation to the apostles he met with in Jerusalem. He is saying that God did not see James and Peter as better than him. They were all equal in God’s sight.

APPLICATION

We are commanded throughout the Word to do exactly what God does. In Acts 10:34 we read, “Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,’” This was in the story of Peter and the Centurion, Cornelius, who had the vision and sent for Peter. This experience changed Peter’s outlook on the Gentiles.

Also, we see in Romans 2:11, “For there is no partiality with God.” Neither the Jew nor the Greek were seen as better than the other in God’s eyes. Christ died for both. I was sitting in a coffee shop recently people watching with my wife. Why do coffee shops attract such, should I say, “diverse” people? Green dyed hair, white-faced with black lipstick, homeless, etc. As we sat there, my wife and I were quickly reminded that Christ loves each of these people and died for them.

How about James 2:1? “My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.” You should really go to James 2 and read verses 1-7 to get the full picture of what James was saying. We have no right to put ourselves above anyone. We are all the same in God’s eyes.

Be honest! Do you ever think you’re just a little bit better than someone else? I can do that if I am not careful. After all, I am serving God. I give to the church and other ministries. I pray and read my Bible. But I have to remember that none of that makes God love me more. I do all that BECAUSE He loves me. And He loves those less fortunate than us. Reach out this week and show His love.

Father, I am eternally grateful for all the love You have shown me.

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Alone, Attitude, Bible, Calling, Clarity, Distractions, Holy Spirit, Indwelling, Peace, Restoration, Scripture

GOT TO GET AWAY

GALATIANS 1:17

“nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.”

Have you ever just had to get away? I mean, out of Dodge, away from it all. Sometimes that is nice. My wife and I like to go to the mountains. Others like the beach scene. But I especially like to get in the woods. If I am hunting, that’s just icing on the cake. The real treat is just to get away. That is not meant to be a slam against anyone. I love people. Getting away from all the “noise” allows me to hear God more clearly. How about you?

In today’s verse, Paul describes an event that is absent from the book of Acts’ description of his early years. Paul, obviously, knew where he was then better than Luke (the author of Acts) did. To recap – Paul gets saved and then goes away for a period of time into Arabia. We don’t know exactly where he was or what he was doing. We can only conjecture. The point Paul is making in today’s verse is that he did not get his message from men. He got it from God.

APPLICATION

What can we learn from Paul in today’s verse and how do we apply that to our lives? We can learn that even the most honored Biblical saints needed to get away. Paul had to “unlearn” a lot of his earthly teachings and begin to listen to the Holy Spirit. Hmmm? What can we learn from that? We need to listen, don’t you think?  One way is to get into His Word. I recently read that the Scriptures give us communication with God so we can commune with God and have union with God. I like that.

Luke 5:16 tells us something about Jesus that we see reflected here in Paul’s life. “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” If Jesus modeled this and Paul did this, why shouldn’t we? I have found value in doing this. It clears my head. Do I always come back with some great new insight? Nope. But do I come back feeling more in tune with my Lord? You better believe it.

We can’t live in the wilderness. Paul didn’t stay in the wilderness. Jesus didn’t stay there either. He had work to do. We have work to do. In fact, we have HIS work to do. May you experience some solitude so your attitude can give you the fortitude to advance His kingdom. (That last sentence is an original Carl quote, lol.)

O Father, I thank You for those times I am able to get away and hear You clearly. I want to hear Your marching orders.

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