Check Your Attitude

Check Your Attitude “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-23 As I was growing up I can remember my grandmother telling me, when I got-out-of-line, to check my attitude. Our attitude is usually the first sign that we are upset about something, and is often a reflection of how we feel inside. There are so many things that go on all around us that can give us a bad attitude about how we view our circumstances. Our finances, our jobs, our neighbors, our relationships with others are just some of the things that can cause our attitudes to become sour and affect our lives. We go around with a chip on our shoulders, and are ready to pounce on anyone that we think is out to take advantage of us. We honk our horns at people in traffic; we are rude to waitresses and our fellow employees. We are no different from the children of Israel, as after they were delivered from Egyptian bondage, their hard hearts and attitudes got in the way of their progress. As a result, they repeatedly expressed their displeasure with God’s handling of their lives. Eventually, God refused to allow them to enter the promise land. We need to reconcile our feelings, our attitude and begin to let God take charge of our lives, and then our attitudes will begin to change. Just like the people of Israel’s wilderness experience, many Christians are going through great tests of their faith. When you embrace God’s perspective and adopt the proper heart attitude toward Him in your times of trial, you will have an attitude of peace and joy. You will have an attitude that will be pleasing to God, and one that will be the influence on others that God wants. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven January 14