Children can be a challenge sometimes. Our granddaughter has days when she’s just got an “attitude.” She doesn’t want to take a nap or pick up her toys and tells us, “No!” When she does this Nana will say to her, “Don’t give me that attitude, young lady!”
Most of the time, however, she’s laughing, eager to please, sharing her toys with her cousin. On those days, when she leaves to go home, we say to each other, “She had a good attitude today.”
Zig Ziglar says, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” If we have a negative, self-seeking attitude we’re not going to get far in life. But if we are positive, caring about others, and putting their needs first, we can make a real difference in the world for good.
The Bible tells us, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (Philippians 2:5 NLT). What was Jesus’ attitude? He “gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (vs. 7).
In the eyes of the universe you can’t get much lower than a human being. Afterall, we are the one planet that rebelled against God and our behavior has been pretty disgusting since. Yet, Jesus loved us so much He became one of us, so that we might be saved.
When you truly accept Jesus as your Savior and give Him full control in your life, He changes your whole attitude towards others. Where once you were selfish, arrogant, quick to get angry, critical, you now are kind, compassionate, and “humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves”, not looking “out only for your own interests, but [taking] an interest in others too.” (vs 3). In other words you “have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
I’m not saying you will be like this all the time. Just like our granddaughter’s attitude can change from day-to-day, if we take our eyes off Jesus, we can easily slip back into our old sour attitude. But, as we spend more and more time with Jesus we will become more and more like Him, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (vs. 13).
James 4:10 tells us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” Or as Zig Ziglar said, “Your attitude…will determine your altitude.” Ask God to give you the mind of Christ today and “humble yourselves before the Lord.” If you do, He will someday lift you up to heights you’ve never dreamed of, to a seat with Him on His throne (Revelation 4:2). And you can’t get any higher than that! But it all starts with attitude.