The Proper Attitude for Your Life ~

Just to remind you,  I'm sharing the lessons on Attitudes written by Ron Roark. And I'm sure you've anticipated the Beatitudes as a part of these lessons. Picture the multitudes as they listened to Jesus speaking these words, and imagine them  as they listened in amazement to a message they'd never heard before, nor ever expected to hear. It doesn't really matter to us today where the sermon took place, except that we love the idea of following Jesus' footsteps as He made His earthly sojourn.

The emphasis here is that we have the Sermon on the Mount, and we want to embrace its message. We can study it in depth later. For now,  it's helpful to know that the word "beatitude" means supreme, utmost bliss and happiness. I'm giving you the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:3-12, so that you can read them slowly for yourself, and realize that when Jesus talked about the kinds of people who are happy and blessed, He was also talking about YOU! The Beatitudes portray the proper attitude for Christians!

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                                                                                            

In the Beatitudes, you have the proper attitude, along with its reward. Now let's look at another example of the proper attitude in Mark 12:34, when Jesus goes to the temple and is asked which commandment is first. Jesus told the Scribes that the first commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And the second was to love your neighbor as yourself. One of the Scribes was impressed with Jesus' answer and told Him so. And then the Scribe said that loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving one's neighbor as oneself is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. This wise answer brought this reply from Jesus: "You are not far from the kingdom of God." The Scribe's attitude is the proper one. 

And we can also find the proper attitude for saints. When reading a text like this, I remember C. S. Lewis' observation that Christianity is both hard and easy. You may agree after reading Philippians 1:4-9.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.

And while I'm sure you're daily rejoicing in the Lord, how's your gentleness holding up? And with anxiety so rampant these days, what happens when you're under stress? Because even though you know that the antedote is prayer and thanksgiving, asking God for what you want and need, you can lose your focus on God's part in your life. If you think about it, you'll remember that when you do your part, God gives you peace, which keeps watch over your heart and mind. Easy peasy? No, I'm not saying it's easy. But it is possible to do your best every day, and by doing your best every day, to find success when you least expect it. 

There is so much to say about the proper attitude, but I'm going to stop for now and continue another day. It's so important for us to understand the way our attitudes can create or destroy the good life we crave. Please give this message some thought, and see if you can find the proper attitude for yourself. And have a wonderful Sunday!

Blessings...Mimi

  

Attitudes for Your Life ~

I will lift up my eyes to the hills-
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. 
 Psalm 121:1-2

I've decided to continue my Bible blog at this time because my brother, Ron Roark, has written a set of Bible lessons on Attitudes. In a world that allows us to get by with a selfish attitude, this has become a very important subject. You'll be getting a combination of my thoughts along with Ron's teaching. I'll start by giving you a good definition of the word attitude, so that we can begin on the same page. Webster's dictionary gives this definition: attitude is the posture or position of a person showing, or meant to show, a mental state, emotion or mood. Or, attitude is the manner of acting, feeling or thinking that shows one's disposition, opinion, etc. What does having the right attitude mean to you?  I wonder if we're aware of how often a bad attitude ruins our day!

Consider these statements from the Bible:

• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...
• If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free...if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
• I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
• We give thanks to God always for you all, ... remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope....

How do these expressions of attitude make you feel? Are they attitudes you'd like to embrace? Why? We all know there are attitudes we like when we're on the receiving end, but what about our own attitudes? In this study, we'll look at circumstances that happen in our lives, and then see what attitude God wants us to have. That's the secret of an abundant, meaningful, useful and happy life--having the proper attitude toward God and our circumstances.

When you're making a decision or wondering what to do, you may deal with ignorance, false information, inexperience and emotions, causing you to make poor choices. If you want to make good choices, you'll need truthful information, knowledge, experience and reason. So, having the right attitude can make all the difference to your happiness. It can determine how many hills and valleys you have in your life--whether good times or bad, happiness or sorrow, highs or lows.

                                                                                                       

Remember that an attitude is a pattern of thought which is developed by repeated affirmations to the subconscious. So having the proper attitude is essential to having a happy life. And you'll also remember that being unhappy involves being upset, anxious, depressed and irritable. The choice is yours, and you will make a choice whether you realize it or not!  

Tomorrow we'll look at the Proper Attitude, and then we'll begin to look at the valleys of life before we start climbing up the hills. I hope you'll enjoy thinking about these biblical attitudes with me. 

Blessings...Mimi