Do YOU need an Attitude Adjustment?...This is what I want to talk about today. Many times we are so engrossed by our own behavior and what we HAVE to do that we tend to forget what a blessing it is to have what we have and who we share it with. At church this month our pastor is talking about the book of Matthew Chapter 5 vs 3-12. If you are not familiar with The Beatitudes then you really need to dust off your Bible and read them. Read them with an open heart and an open mind. Let me just give you a little bit of my thoughts about The Beatitudes. This is from my Bible, The New Living Translation.
Matthew Chapter 5 verses 3-12
3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."
4 "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
5 "God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth."
6 "God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied."
7 "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God."
9 "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."
10 "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."
11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers."
12 "Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."
These verses are what I would call a Christian "Attitude Adjustment". You know we have all had to have attitude adjustments at one time in our lives. Either by a parent, a teacher, a friend, a mentor.....we have all had to have an attitude adjustment at some point. But did you ever stop to think that we may need to have an Attitude Adjustment from God? During our life we are in the constant state of learning. From the time we are born we learn something new every single day. We have to learn to walk, learn to talk, learn to read...etc...the list goes on. Lessons are the components that we are made from. We may not realize we are learning anything but we are and sometimes lessons can become blessings. Sometimes the lesson comes rather subtle and others it is like being smacked in the face with a frying pan. Some lessons we pack away in our filing cabinets for future use, some we try to ignore, and others we wear them like a badge of honor as if to say..."HEY!! I got this one right!!" But do we really listen when God is handing out the adjustments or do you just blow them off and say, "Ehhh, I will listen to him some other time"? I know I am guilty of tuning him out at times. We all have that gut intuition right? You know what I am talking about, when you are somewhere or doing something and you get this feeling deep down inside your stomach that makes you step back and think "Am I doing the right thing?" or "What if this is wrong?" I was told once by a very good friend of mine that, THAT is God speaking to you. That is the voice of God telling you what you need to do. He either tells you to "walk away" or "stay strong and steady". God isn't going to steer you wrong but many times, and I am guilty of this, many times we blow that feeling off and just keep doing what we were doing. And if it turns out to have a negative effect we often say, "God, why didn't you tell me this wasn't the right thing?" That is because you DIDN'T have your listening ears on that day and he tried but you were just too stubborn to know what was happening. We are all guilty of doing this at some point in our life. And when we do something that turns out good, we all send the praises to God for showing us the right way. For some reason we as humans put God in a spot of, "Damned if you do and Damned if you don't" position.
As Christians we can not see the big picture that God has planned for us. We always seem to live in the here and now aspects of our lives. Once we discover how God wants us to live our lives then we are able to see the world in a whole new perspective. We have to allow God to work through us, not the other way around. So many people hold on to Christianity as an entitlement. Being a Christian is NOT an entitlement, it is something that has to be earned. God sent his son to live among the people, to witness to people, to bring people closer to him and yet he STILL allowed his ONLY son be die on a cross for crimes he did not commit. He died for the crimes that we as humans committed. He died because one person denied knowing him, he died because of OUR sins NOT his sins. Let that sink in a minute. God allowed soldiers to persecute his own flesh so we as Christians could have an eternal life in heaven with him. Seems so selfless doesn't it? And still we walk around in our human flesh and cop attitudes and say, "I don't need Jesus!" THAT MY FRIENDS, is when we need the BIGGEST attitude adjustment out there!! That is when God brings you full circle and says, "I can fix your little red wagon right here and now." Did you ever hear that growing up? lol I did! Many times! Our redemption is the approval of God and our approval of God is not by human effort. Do you even realize when you need God's help? Do you ask for God's help or do you just keep telling yourself, "I've got this....this will all come out in the wash?". As our pastor said, "Redemption is reflected vertically with the Lord and our relationship with people is laid out horizontally." Are you modeling the mercy that God has given you or are you merely going through the motions? I know here in the south we tend to say "Bless his/her heart" a whole lot. If you truly want to bless someone's heart be merciful. Show compassion, show true love and not just go through the motions because it is the "right" thing to do. Promote peace in your life. Connect to those who have done you wrong and forgive them. Do you think it is going to matter one way or the other if you die mad at someone? The only person you are hurting is you. Be peaceful. Say a prayer for a peaceful heart. But above all, just LOVE! Just like in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
So, tonight I give you a challenge. Look at yourself. Do you need a Christian "Attitude Adjustment"? Do you need to re-evaluate how you present yourself to others? Just some food for thought. Have a Blessed Day....I LOVE YOU ALL!!
Marie
