Change that attitude!

At 2 am, I awakened and thought about a meeting that is scheduled for today, one that involves conflict. As I thought about the possibilities of the conversation, I wondered if I should cancel it, “Why even attempt to settle this thing?” I wondered. A simmering resentment brought me to full consciousness. Then the Spirit challenged my thoughts to change with the power of the inspired Word.  I felt like  a teenager whose father says, “Hey, check that attitude, OK?”  Just about every parent experiences the ‘tude- the rolled eyes, the dismissive toss of the head, the remark made that is just barely audible.

My Father used Paul’s words to reprimand me and to correct, pointing me in a better direction. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11, NIV)

Pride, that feeling that we must be right, that we must be noticed, that we must be respected, not only complicates relationships; it ultimately destroys them.  It creates an attitude that makes it all but impossible for us to be relational and approachable. Pride causes us to protect our advantage, to use people instead of loving them.  The Spirit sets the bar for us at the highest rung.  “Think of yourself like Christ Jesus thought of Himself!”

The King of Glory, the Agent of Creation, let all that He enjoyed in Heaven go and was born into this world.  Beyond that choice, which in itself is mind-boggling, He chose to become ‘nothing,’ a nobody, from nowhere, the child of peasant girl in a backwater village.  His humiliation did not end with a stable birth to parents of no reputation.  The eternal became limited to time, the immortal to a death of the worst kind – a crucifixion. Why?   It was not a calculated act, designed to gain advantage. It had nothing to do with what anyone thought about Him. He chose this because of love for insignificant human beings – you and me – to make it possible for us to know the love of our Father, to be restored to the place as God’s children that had been lost to sin and disobedience.

So, there in the darkness early this morning, the Spirit reminded me that the better choice in my meeting would be to ‘die to Self,’ to open my ears and my heart, to seek to understand that person who actions have been an irritation, to say the least.  The choice of obedience rests with me.  I heard Him. “Change that attitude!”

How about you? Are you wounded, disappointed, frustrated?
Is there something less than the mind of Christ operating in you?

Change that attitude, for Christ’s sake!

The passage includes that word, “therefore.”  Jesus’ choice of humble obedience created an opportunity for a God-thing to happen.  “God exalted Him!”  When we put ourselves in God’s hands, willingly dying to Self, trusting Him instead of resting on our prideful self-reliance, He can do the unimaginable for us, to us,  and through us because He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20, NIV) I fully expect that as I trust God today, the person most changed by this meeting will be me!  That is often the greatest miracle, what God does in us when we yield our stubborn will to His, when we trust His way over our own agenda.

Here is a word from the Word, which I hope will keep me humbly trusting Him. May it inspire you to ‘change that attitude’ today, as well. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones." (Proverbs 3:5-8, NLT)

__________

O Come To The Altar

Are you hurting and broken within

Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin

Jesus is calling

Have you come to the end of yourself

Do you thirst for a drink from the well

Jesus is calling

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes

Come today there's no reason to wait

Jesus is calling

Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy

From the ashes a new life is born

Jesus is calling

Oh what a Savior

Isn't he wonderful

Sing alleluia Christ is risen

Bow down before him

For he is Lord of all

Sing alleluia Christ is risen

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown

Tell the world of the treasure you've found

Chris Brown | Mack Brock | Steven Furtick | Wade Joye

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