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Attitude
Phil. 4:4
Ever pilot know
that your attitude determines your altitude. The same is true in the
Christian life. Our life "altitude" in life is about 10% what
happens to us and about 90% of how one reacts to the circumstances
confronting us. Many people have destroyed their life or sold their life
short of its greatest capabilities by hanging onto a bad attitude. Some have
destroyed the life of another by blaming their bad attitude on some else. In
reality, blaming someone or circumstances for your attitude is to surrender
the authority of your spirit to someone other than God. When we have a
complaining, griping attitude we are really finding fault with God's
sufficient grace. When your attitude is wrong, it is because your thinking is
wrong. Your thinking will be wrong when your focus is not on God. Your view
of God will determine your attitude in life. Your view of God will determine
your actions in life. Your view of God will also determine your affirmations.
When your affirmations are wrong you will bring problems in your life (Prov. 25:28). A bad attitude will rob you. A bad attitude
will rule you. If your focus remains not on God, a bad attitude will ruin
you. The most remarkable thing about our attitude is that our
attitude is our choice. We cannot change our past. We cannot change
the inevitable. We cannot change how other people react, but we can change
our attitude by a right focus on our all sufficient Savior. Don't let a wrong
attitude rob you of God's richest blessings. Program your thought life
through the Word of God. You will then have a right focus on God, which will
lead to right thinking, which lead to right attitudes and actions.
A Good Investment
Proverbs 19:17
In recent months the New York Stock
Exchange seems to have broken all records. People seem to be rushing to
invest money. Even the Federal Reserve has warned about the "irrational
exuberance" in which people seem to be investing. Many people are
investing without any knowledge of the market or what causes it to go up or
down in value. Fear and greed are the twin brothers driving much of the
recent market rise. State Farm Insurance did a study a few years ago and
found that about 97% of people who invest in the stock market loose money,
about 2% break even, and only about 1% really gain
from investing in individual stocks.
Gods Word in Proverbs 19:17, tells us of a more sure
investment. To have pity and compassion upon the poor always brings positive
returns upon our investment. The poor are not just neighbors or friends who
have lost something in a flood or fire. The poorest of the poor is that lost
neighbor or friend who does not know Christ as their personal Savior. The
poor is your pastor who cannot do all the church work by himself. The poor is
your church that cannot afford to do all it needs to do to win your community
to Christ. God promises us that when we invest in the poor He will pay
us again. He always pays back more than we lend unto Him. You can
find out about God's loan payment ability by checking God's references. In
Ex. 25:1-12 God is asking for a loan from His people. Over the next forty
years He paid back His loan twice a day in providing manna from heaven. In I
kings 17:1-24 God needed a loan for a poor discouraged preacher named Elijah,
so He sent him down to widow woman to sustain him. God paid her back and gave
her son back after she gave all she had. In John 6:5-13 Jesus was looking for
a loan from a small boy. After the boy gave all he had, Jesus paid back His
loan and sent the boy home with twelve baskets full. When things get tight
don't squeeze down and hold back from God. God is looking for a loan from
you, not because God is broke, but because you need the payments from God. When
you refuse to make God a loan you have no right to expect payments
(blessings) from God.
The best investment for meeting the needs in your life is
to start meeting the needs of others.
Success for Sure
Joshua 1:8
Within the eternal wisdom of God is
the rich wealth of gold that through personal application and understanding
we can be guaranteed to be prosperous. As a Christian we do not measurer
prosperity in the abundance of our possessions, but in the fewness of our
wants. As we meditate on God's word our wants are shaped through the teaching
ministry of the Holy Spirit, so that we begin to desire only that which is
God's best for us. When we meditate on the Word of God our speech becomes
flavored the with salt of God's
wisdom, so that we can speak with conviction, greater accuracy, and precise
meaning. Meditation on God's Word brings our thoughts into captivity of God's
thoughts so that we begin to structure our thinking into His thinking as
presented in scripture. Young people will receive better grades in school as
they begin to think God's thought patterns. Adults will have less strife and
greater success as their Biblical thinking produces right attitudes, right
actions, and right affirmations. As Christians we need to program our thought
life with meditation upon God's Word. "....for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Josh.:8b." The man who has
God's wisdom guiding all his thoughts has found perfect happiness as he
starts to seek and understand life from God's point of view. Proverbs 3:13
says, "Happy is the man that findeth
wisdom...." When through meditation God's wisdom permeates our thoughts
we will have something, "...more precious than rubies: and all the
things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her." Prov. 13:14.
The real secret of success is not discovering some new
electronic gadget that will make us millions of dollars. It is in daily
memorizing and meditating upon God's Word which will put the thoughts of God
in you and guarantee success for sure.
Total Commitment
Num.14:11
The Children of Israel were led out
of Egypt, across the Red Sea and through many miracles as God provided for
them. Their shoes never wore out, their clothes never wore out, they were provided with food and water. God took care of
them! God led them to a mountain and told Moses to pick out
12 men from among the leaders to go in and spy out the land. Now God had
already promised them that He would give them the land. Just look at it,
report how great it is, then take it. Ten of the spies said, "We cannot
take it, we can not possibly fight those giants." The land truly is
great, it does flow with milk and honey as god said, BUT WE CAN'T DO IT!
There are many people who understand what God
is saying to them. They have seen the miracle of God in salvation. They have
seen God many times provide for them. Yet they do not want to trust God. You
may know that God wants you in full time service. You may know that God wants
you to teach Sunday school. You may know that God will defeat the giants you
face, but you will only believe God as far as you can without totally
committing yourself. You believe in missions, but you do not want to commit
yourself to a mission field. You believe in heaven, but you don't want to
live the Christian life. You want a good church, but you don't want to get
involved more than once a week. You believe in stewardship, but are you
committed to tithing?
The Children of Israel believed God, but they did not want
to totally commit themselves to get into the battle. We need
people that will step out into the full view of the enemy and say, God
will give me the victory! God will Supply! Believe that God is able to
defeat the enemies in your life. Do not worry about how you will defeat the
giants in your life, just settle the question who
told you. You must take God at His Word.
Strife &Conflicts
Joshua 13:7
When the herdsmen of Abram and the
herdsmen of Lot were on their way to Bethel
there arose a strife between them. Abram, who was
the peace maker, said "Let there be no strife, ...
for we be brethren." The strife was not a doctrinal strife, or a
moral strife, but rather it was one that was caused because the land could
not sustain their flocks together. Abram did not become bitter, not did he
assert the fact that he was older and had more flocks. He did not attack the
herdsmen of Lot with inflammatory
accusations. He peaceably sought a resolution to the conflict as quickly as
possible.
When conflicts arise between you and another Christian,
never allow self interest to cause Satans'' ugly
head of pride to show itself. Relinquish your rights. That will make it
possible for the offender to have the openness toward you before he offended
you. Remember that Satan loves division. Forgive the offending person even as
your heavenly father forgave you. He was able to say, "Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34. Reject the temptation
of the world, the flesh, and the devil who seeks vengeance. As a Christian we
do not have a right to be bitter or vengeful. Keep the lines of communication
open. Most of us are prone to silence toward the offender as a mean of
punishment, but we never resolve the conflict. Rejoice in the Lord and keep
your focus on God. When someone intentional hurts us we know that the
offender is expecting a response. We have been given a significant
opportunity to show Gods love after a conflict than even before the conflict.
Remember your testimony before the Lord . A bitter
response will cause to you to lower yourself to become like the one who is at
strife toward you. If strife and conflicts are not resolved quickly and
peaceably soon you will doubt your relationship with God. There is nothing in
this world worth jeopardizing our relationship with God.
"Lord, how often shall my bother sin against me
and I forgive him? ... Until seventy times seven." Matt. 18:21-22.
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