[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Why Our Attitude Matters

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: "Joe Diaz" <revjoe2701 at comcast.net>
To: "????  Rev. Joe Diaz ????    His Love Extended Ministries
International" <revjoe2701 at comcast.net>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] Why Our Attitude Matters
Date: 
Mon, 30 May 2011 18:10:15 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)

Why Our Attitude Matters

 

By Michael Youssef  (May 19, 2011)

Have you ever suffered from a bad attitude ? not just a short-term bad
mood,
but an all-encompassing negative view on life? When we neglect our
relationship with Christ, our thoughts become influenced by our sinful
human
nature instead of being guided by the Holy Spirit. When we forget to draw
on
God's power to lead our hearts, we quickly succumb to bad attitudes. We
become impatient and selfish. We whine when things do not go our way. We
become dissatisfied with where God has placed us. We grumble against God's
will for our lives. We complain about other believers and our spiritual
leaders.

How quickly we forget the joy of our salvation. When we accepted Christ
as
our Savior, the Holy Spirit gave us overwhelming joy. Do you remember how
you felt the day you became a Christian? Were you so overwhelmed with
gratitude for God's love and mercy that you wanted to shout to the world
what God had done for you? That bliss was never meant to be a one-time
gift.
God wants us to experience His joy every day for the rest of our lives.

At the core of our joy is our relationship with Christ and our obedience
to
Him. When our joy begins slipping and we begin to grumble against God, it
is
a sure sign that we are trying to do things our own way. We are no longer
drawing on God's power, but are trying to rely on our own strength. As we
drift further from Christ, joy decreases and misery increases.

A bad attitude is a significant enough problem when it affects our
personal
walk with Christ and steals our joy. But a far greater consequence of our
grumbling is the effect it has on the nonbeliever. When we allow our bad
attitudes to eclipse our joy, we not only hurt ourselves but our testimony
for Christ. Who would be attracted to the Christian faith when Christians
are miserable, complaining, and bitter? Why would someone want to come to
a
church when its members bicker, gossip, and backbite against each other?

Who would you rather be: the person who spreads misery or the person who
spreads joy? As Christians we have a serious responsibility to witness for
Christ. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making
his appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Our negative testimony could
have eternal consequences for someone who is searching for the Truth. We
may
think we are containing our grumbling and murmuring to ourselves, but the
attitude of our hearts will show in how we treat others, the things we
say,
and in our actions. When we forget our joy, our testimony is no longer
about
the glory of Christ but about our own misery.

How do we live as positive testimonies for Christ? We show our faith
through
our conduct, the way we live, our obedience to Christ, and in the joy
that
our relationship with our Creator brings us. As we follow Christ each
day,
we manifest the fruit of the Spirit and radiate our eternal joy. When we
are
walking in obedience to Him, He will continuously pour His power into our
lives. The world will see the power of the Resurrection in us as we are
transformed more and more each day in Christ-likeness. When His power is
fully at work in us, our joy will be infectious, and others will want to
know Jesus.

The apostle Paul told the Philippians, "Do everything without complaining
or
arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God
without
fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars
in
the universe as you hold out the word of life ? in order that I may boast
on
the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing" (Philippians
2:14-16).

When we are experiencing full joy, we cannot help but let that show
outwardly to everyone around us. When we face trials and crises, we can
continue forward in confidence and with joy, knowing Christ is with us.
When
we experience great successes, we can rejoice in the blessings that God
has
given us. Our gratitude and thanksgiving will overflow and show the world
we
worship a truly amazing and sovereign God.

The world is always watching us. Whether we want to be or not, all
Christians are living testimonies who represent our Christ to the world.
What will they see in you? A miserable, joyless faith? Or the light of
Christ that brings unspeakable joy?