The Christian Attitude

Brother Jeremy Hupp

Choosing to Look on the Positive Side

The devil likes to paint a gloomy picture when things do not go as you have planned. When this happens, you need to take them to the Lord in prayer. Letting things discourage you is very easy. If you are not careful, you can get a bad attitude about different circumstances that happen and let those things depress you. Most have heard the saying, "Every cloud has a silver lining." You need to look at the positive side of things rather than the negative side. The devil would have you to look at the negative side of things.

The Word of God says to be thankful for the little things. You need to look for the positive in every situation you face. You should not sit around and feel sorry for yourself; then you will become depressed. Look at all the good things you have. When you start thinking about the good things God has done, it gets your mind off the negative and on the positive.

The attitudes you take in situations of life have a great bearing on whether or not you will make it to Heaven. Often you have no control over many situations you face in life, but you do have complete control over how you react to situations. If you have the right attitude and live right, the Lord will work things out. You can spend all day looking at the negative side of things or you can choose to look at the positive.

One songwriter wrote, "Little is much when God is in it." You may have little, but it is much when you give it to God to use. He would rather have quality than quantity. God would rather have perfect unity among the saints of God than to have strife and division working. God loves His church so much that He allowed His only Son to come and shed His blood. Do not think He does not care when people work division and strife. He knows, and He is concerned. The Bible says that few are going to make it through; therefore, you should not be surprised if few are willing to press on. I thank God for those who are willing to keep pressing on.

God is going to bless His people. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: [That sounds bad, doesn't it? But what does the next verse say?] Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

You cannot control what people do around you or when people work against you, but you can control how you react. You can say, "No matter what happens around me or what others choose to do, I will rejoice in the Lord." Too many times, people look at the negative side of life. God wants you to look on the positive side.

If your heart is not right, you cannot uphold the standard of God's Word. You may try in the flesh, but if you do not have the Word and the Spirit working together, though you have understanding, you cannot uphold it. It will quickly fade away. I thank God for men who preach the Truth, and I thank God for the Truth. Also, I thank God that we each can have a pure heart. If you keep your heart pure, God will honor that.

Friend, none of us knows how much time we have left on this earth before the Lord comes again. The way things are looking causes us to think it will not be long. However, we cannot just sit around and wait for the Lord to come back. We need to continue to work for God.

I once read a story about a king and his kingdom. The king called in two servants. He told the first servant, "I want you to go throughout the kingdom and gather weeds of all different varieties and bring them back to me." Then the king told the other servant, "I want you to go around the kingdom and gather flowers of all different kinds and bring them back to me." He told them that they each had one week, and then the two servants went out. The first servant came back after a week with armfuls of all different kinds of weeds. He said, "I never knew there were so many weeds. I am convinced that all we have in this kingdom is weeds."

Soon the other servant returned and said, "Look at all these flowers. I didn't realize we had so many flowers. We have flowers of every variety imaginable. The way I see it, all we have in this kingdom is flowers." One servant saw only weeds; the other one saw only flowers. Why was that? That was what they were looking for. The man who was looking for weeds found weeds, and the man who was looking for flowers found flowers.

Likewise, if you look for negative things, that is what you are going to see. On the other hand, if you look for positive things and look to help others, you will be lifted. You find what you look for. God is faithful to His people. If you seek Him for help and divine direction, He will give you what you need.

When I first joined the Army, people told me, "It is going to be rough. Those drill sergeants are going to scream and yell at you and break you down." So I prepared my mind. I determined that I was going to be ready. It pays to prepare yourself. Sometimes you know what to expect, and you cannot let those things get you down. You should look for positive things and be thankful.

"Be Careful for Nothing"

Paul said in our Scripture text in Philippians 4:4-6: "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Paul said, "Be careful for nothing." We need to pray about everything. It is easier to pray about big things, such as a house, a new car, a good job, or the right companion. Most people pray about those things, but how about the little things? Sometimes people forget to pray about the little things.

The Bible tells us in Song of Solomon 2:15, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." We must be careful to take care of the little things. Paul said, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." He said "in every thing" so that your heart and mind might be kept.

The Word of God says to be prayerful in everything, with thanksgiving. You need to be very careful. Instead of saying, "Oh, that is so bad," you should praise the Lord. For example, you would not say, "Praise the Lord, I have a flat tire," but you could say, "Thank the Lord, I have a jack and a spare and can change it." The Lord tells us to pray with thanksgiving. So, you could look at a situation and say, "Lord, help me to keep my spirit right and to be thankful." You need to be careful of how you view things. Remember, circumstances could be worse. Also, you need to remember that people are watching how you react, and so is God. When adversity comes, how is your attitude? Do you look on the bright side?

I want you to read a little story called The Fence.

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him to hammer a nail in the back fence every time he lost his temper. The first day the boy drove thirty-seven nails into the fence, and then it gradually dwindled down.

He discovered that it was easier to control his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally, the day came when the boy did not lose his temper at all. He told his father about it, and his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he controlled his temper. The days passed, and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that the nails were all gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, those words leave a scar, just as these nails have. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, but no matter how many times you said "I'm sorry," the wound would still be there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."

Maintaining a Good Attitude

People are watching how you react to adversity. A successful person is one who can adapt in adversity. In the military they take the men who go through basic training and are the most easily adaptable to harsh conditions and make them elite soldiers, such as the Navy Seals. The most successful people are those who react to adversity in the proper way.

Do not think on the negative things in life. You need to think on the positive. If you react in the wrong way, there are consequences. People are watching your life. If you allow your temper to get out of control, people will see. If you are sad and depressed all the time, people notice that, and it will leave a mark on their lives. The little boy who pounded the nails in the fence pulled them out, but they still left marks. Friend, you can go back and tell people, "I'm sorry that I lost my temper," and they can forgive you, but it will leave a mark. Some people will hold you for the things you do. Thank God, you can get right with God, and He does forget, but your reactions still leave marks on people's lives.

Again, you can go back and apologize for losing your temper or for being grumpy or sad all the time, but the scar will still be there. That will make it difficult for people to get help in their souls. You could go to work and witness to people day after day, but if you were to lose your temper because you could not have the next Friday off, you would leave a bad impression on those who saw you. Then, the next time you ask, "Will you come to church with me?" they would probably say, "No, definitely not. I don't want what you have."

Your attitude is very important. At times it takes much effort to maintain a good attitude. I work very hard to remain upbeat on the job. My goal is to smile and think on good things. You might have a really bad day and have to work late, but think on the positive side and keep an upbeat attitude. Often people have asked me, "Why do you smile all the time?" What an opportunity to let them know that it is because I have the Lord. On the other hand, if someone were to ask you, "Why are you so sad all the time?" that person would not want what you have.

The attitude that you show in your daily living is a witness to others. You can slowly plant seeds in people's lives. I try to enjoy life and enjoy my job. Even when things are not going well, if you keep the joy of the Lord in your life, you will show people something that they will want.

Think on Good Things

The Apostle Paul did not say, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are false, whatsoever things are a lie, whatsoever things are unfair, whatsoever things are despicable, whatsoever things are of a negative report; think on these things." This is the attitude that many people take. They only think about the lies that people have told about them. They think about all the times they have been wronged, all the times people have not acted lovely to them, and all the negative reports. What about the positive reports?

Paul said in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true [if something is not true, do not think about it], whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Many people are so quick to look at the negative side of everything. We live in a very critical world. People are more critical of the church than they have ever been.

Certainly at times you have a legitimate reason to be upset about things. Undoubtedly there will be times when someone will do you wrong or when someone will cheat you. Those things happen. Someone may do something against Truth or against you; someone may lie about you. Nevertheless, you have no right to hold them for it. The Word of God says in Hebrews 13:1, "Let brotherly love continue." Many people are not willing to do that. They think on the negative things, but that is not what God has commanded us to do.

Even during the times when you feel that you have a legitimate reason to be upset, you should not think on those things. If you catch yourself thinking on those things, remember what God's Word says. It has a list of good things to think on, and none of those things is negative or bad. God wants you to think on godly, holy, pure, honest things.

A wrong or a negative attitude will drain you emotionally and spiritually. If you think on negative things all week, you will go to church on Sunday spiritually drained. Remember, the attitudes that you have go a long way in determining whether or not you will make it to Heaven.

Shining Forth in Adversity

Acts 16:19-24 reads: "And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks."

That was not a good day for Paul and Silas. It was a horrible day. If anyone had reason to complain, they did. They could have said, "Let's think about what has happened to us. Those people told lies about us and whipped us for nothing. That is unfair! What about the despicable way they ripped off our clothes in public and beat us? That was so unfair of them to cast us into prison and put our feet in stocks." However, Paul and Silas did not do that. They did not think on their negative circumstances.

What did Paul and Silas do? Verses 25-28 tell us: "And at midnight [at the darkest hour] Paul and Silas [they did not complain and grumble] prayed, and sang praises unto God [no doubt people were watching them, wondering how they were going to react]: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here." All the prisoners were right there; no one had escaped.

The Bible says at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, sang songs, and praised the Lord, and all the prisoners heard them. What happened next? There was a great earthquake, the prison doors were opened, and everyone's shackles fell off. You would have thought that most of them would have gotten up and said, "This is our chance to escape! Let's get out of here!" However, that is not what they did. They wanted to see who Paul and Silas were. They were not worried about getting free from prison. No doubt, they wanted to see what Paul and Silas had to offer. Christian friend, people are watching your life.

Verses 28-30 say: "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" How you react in adversity and the attitudes you take have a great impact on winning souls for God. Paul and Silas could have sat in that prison and felt sorry for themselves, cried over their open wounds, and complained about how they had been wrongly imprisoned and unjustly beaten. Yet, they chose to praise God, and it reaped great rewards.

Friend, as people watch your life, are they drawn to Christ or pushed away because of how you react in adversity? The men in the prison were drawn to Paul and Silas, and the jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Life is not always fair, and the sooner you realize it, the better you can cope with adversity. People are going to wrong you and do things against you. Some may try to do everything they can to destroy you. You might as well be ready to look on the positive side. People may tell lies about you, cheat you, and bring negative reports about you. Nevertheless, you should not dwell on those things. Life may not seem fair, but you must think on good things. Take the trial or the persecution that you are going through and turn it around for the betterment of souls.

Paul and Silas suffered persecution. If you have spent any time in the Word of God, you know that the righteous suffer persecution. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself to be ready to react in a positive way, just as Paul and Silas did. Paul and Silas did not see their trial as a place to become discouraged. They saw it as an opportunity to reach out to souls. Are you reacting in a way that draws souls to Christ? Friend, attitude is everything. People cannot see what is in your heart, but they can see how you react to things. They can see whether you are really happy in the life that you are living.

The Two Choices

I have a story that I would like to share with you. It is a good illustration of how one's attitude affects self and others.

Jerry was the kind of guy some people just did not like. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone asked him how he was doing, he replied, "If I were any better, I would be twins." He was a unique manager because he had several waiters that followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was due to his positive attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry told the employee how to look for the positive side of the situation.

Seeing his style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it. You can't be a positive person all the time. How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today: you can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. The bottom line is, it is your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Jerry said, and soon afterward, I left the restaurant business to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him, and I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later I heard that Jerry did something that you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business. He left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Fortunately, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to a local trauma center. After eighteen hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullet still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I would be twins." Then, he said, "Do you want to see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door. Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die, and I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room, I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and the nurses, and I got really scared. In their eyes I read, 'He's a dead man; He's not going to make it.' So I knew that I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

He said, "Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me. And she asked if I was allergic to anything." 'Yes,' I replied, and the doctors and nurses all stopped working and waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and said, 'Bullets.' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I'm choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.' " Jerry lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Friend, you have a choice concerning how you live each day. You can choose to be a happy Christian or you can choose to be depressed. Many people walk around feeling as though they are being cheated out of life because they are Christians. They need to walk closer to God. You cannot control some circumstances in life, but thank God, you can control how you react to each situation.

The man named Jerry in the story chose to live, and his positive attitude allowed him to do that. The same applies to you. The attitude you take in everything will determine whether you live or die spiritually. Thank God, the Word of God can lift you and help you to maintain the right attitude necessary to press on. You may be going through a time in life where you feel depressed, but the Word of God can encourage you.

Looking to God's Word for Encouragement

You may think, "This situation is impossible," but you can look to the Bible. Jesus said in Luke 18:27, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." You may say, "I'm too tired." Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." You may say, "No one really loves me," but you can read in John, Chapter 3, that God loves you. You may say, "I can't go on," but 2 Corinthians 12:9 states, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." You may say, "I can't do it," but Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

You may say, "I'm not able," but 2 Corinthians 9:8 says "God is able." You may say, "I can't forgive myself," but in 1 John 1:9 God says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You may say, "I can't manage," but God says in Philippians 4:19, "God shall supply all your need." You can say, "I am afraid," but 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear." You may say, "I am always worried and frustrated," but God says in 1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." You may say, "I don't have enough faith," but Romans 12:3 says, "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." You may say, "I am not smart enough," but in James 1:5 God says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." You may say, "I feel all alone," but in Hebrews 13:5 God says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

You can think of many negatives, but God wants you to look on the positive side. Notice that all those negatives were not found in the Bible; however, to find the positive side of all those things, all you have to do is look to God's Word. He has a silver lining to every dark cloud you face. In everything you go through in life, when you feel that you cannot make it or when you feel that you do not understand, remember that God has a silver lining.

God wants you to lean heavily upon Him and look to His Word. He wants you to look to Him to see what to do and how to react. Sometimes you may not know what to do and all you can do is say, "Help me, Lord." Often when you read the Bible, the Lord will direct you to the promise you need to help you make it through the situation. God has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Again, our text says in verse 8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

(Cassette C-4461A)

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