January 9, 2000 Volume 1 Number 2
ATTITUDE
"I think; In my opinion; I don't believe; No one is going to tell
me; I just don't think a loving God would require such a thing; You can't tell
me that someone is going to be lost just because they did this, or didn't do
that; Now that is really narrow-minded; Everyone has a right to their own
belief; I feel good about myself and that is what counts; I'm sincere."
Those phrases should sound familiar to any faithful child of God. Those phrases manifest an attitude of people who base their attitudes on listening to the voice of the world, rather than the voice of God, which says, ”O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" Jer 10:23 (see also 2 Cor 10:12, 18, 13:5). The subject is attitude: the posture or position of a person showing or meant to show a mental state, emotion or mood. The manner of acting, feeling or thinking that shows one's disposition. Not to be confused with an opinion; a belief not based on absolute certainty or positive knowledge but on what seems true, valid, or probable to one's own mind; judgment. The Bible never mentions the word attitude but there are many lessons and principles that speak to this part of our lives. Jesus began His public ministry with His famous "sermon on the mount," (Mt 5,6,7) which began describing the traits and principles of the proper attitude. Solomon also tells us in (Prov. 23:7), "For as he (a man) thinks in his heart, so is he." He tells his son in (Prov 4:23), "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Again Jesus says “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45). The crucial question in not whether we have an attitude or not, but rather what kind of attitude we do have (or ought to have) as a Christian toward the many different people and circumstances we face on a daily basis. Attitudes govern actions. We cannot expect our actions to be in harmony with God's word unless we acquire and maintain the proper attitude He requires, neither can we expect to enjoy the joys of His kingdom without this proper, or "Godly" attitude.
Attitude
Or Disposition Has A Great Affect On Our Lives!
First of all, If you are carnally minded you will do things to satisfy
the flesh. If you are spiritually minded, the opposite is true (Rom 8:5-7). For
example, If our heart is in our job, we will have a certain attitude about our
job. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt 6:21.
This also applies toward our families and toward God, toward the flesh. Note “Prov
27:19, “As in water face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man.”
Such a clear example of looking at ourselves in a body of water, (today
we would use a mirror) , lets us know what we look like, so do actions,
thoughts, words reflect the heart; the true man. We must think or be of the same mind as Christ Jesus (Phil
2:5). We must accept the admonition
given to us be Paul, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever
things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. 9 The things
which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of
peace will be with you” (Phil 4:8-9). These things will affect the way we
live. Whose voice do we listen to?
Notice these words found in Prov 16:25-"There is a way that seems right to
a man, but its end is the way of death."
We must understand that our attitude must be in harmony with God’s word
if we are to gain the rewards of our relationship with God.
How
Do We Gain The Proper Attitude?
The proper attitude can be gained by setting our minds on things above,
not on things on the earth (Col 3:2). So
attitudes do affect our lives. They
affect our thoughts, our conduct and our words.
As Christian's we need to have the proper attitude toward God. He is to
be recognized (Jas 2:19, Ex 9:16; Rom 1:19,20). He is to be worshipped (Isa
45:20-25; Rom 14:10-11; Mt 4:9,10). He is to be obeyed (Ex 5:2; Job 21:15; Rom
6:15-23) We also need to consider our attitude toward Satan.
Where did he come from (Col 1:16; Jn 1:3). What is his objective (Lk
8:12; 1 Pet 5:8), how does he operate today (2 Cor 11:3,4; Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9)?
What do you think of sin: What
is it? It is practicing lawlessness (1 Jn 3:4), it is all unrighteousness (1 Jn
5:17) it is not of faith (Rom 14:23). What does sin cause?
It causes separation from God (Isa 59:2), it hardens our hearts (Heb
3:13), it sears our conscience (1 Tim 4:2), it is death (Rom 6:23). Individuals are responsible for their own sins.
Ezek 18:20 teaches us that, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall
not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.”
Gal 6:5—says, “For each one shall bear his own load.” When sin enters our
own lives it need to be removed. We need to confess our sins, and repent of them
(1 Jn 1:8,9; Acts 8:22: Prov 28:13: Acts 22:16; Ps 32:1).
What is your attitude toward any and every thing?
Whose voice do you listen to; God’s or the world? If it is not in
accordance to God's will then you need to re-evaluate your heart and align
yourself with the will of God.
~
Carlos M. Aguilar
Home
and Family:
TESTED IDEAS FOR A GOOD MARRIAGE
It has been observed that “A successful marriage is one where you give
the best years of your life to the one who makes them the best years”. Someone
else has said that “a good marriage partner is comparable with a good athlete,
he gives most when the going is tough”. Couples who have these attitudes in
their marriage will certainly succeed. Of course, the best advice cannot help
without the cooperation of the people involved. The following suggestions will
help to assure success in marriage, if they are practiced. However, like the
doctor's medicine, they will, only if they are used.
If you want to succeed in marriage, avoid being negative, picky, or
critical with your partner. Here is the way some husbands sound: "The
pancakes are cold"; or, "the eggs aren't done"; or, "the
coffee's too strong"; or, "Why isn't dinner ready"; or, "why
don't you clean the house"; or, "why aren't you dressed?". Or the
wife begins: "What kept you so late?"; "What is your excuse this
time?"; "You never do anything with the family"; "Why can't
you be thoughtful like Mary's husband?'. You see, the thing wrong with this
approach is that it is totally negative and nobody wins. What is needed is to
convert this into positive action. This is what Christianity is all about.
Romans 12:2, says, "And be not conformed to this world, but be you
transformed by the renewing of your mind". Sometimes we use the excuse:
"I've been this way all my life, it's just my nature." Nevertheless,
the fact is, we can change if it means enough to us.
Another factor that always gets results is courtesy. We must learn to
extend common courtesies to each other. Just as love is the foundation of a
happy marriage, good manners are the walls and the roof. Before you married that
sweet young lady, you complimented her looks; you took her out to dinner, you
occasionally brought her candy and flowers; you just may have even opened the
car door for her. Who gave you the idea these things are only for lovers before
marriage? They work after marriage, too.
You gals, work on making this easy for the husband. Take pride in your
physical appearance. You did have a figure with honorable dimensions when you
married him. Do, within reason, whatever is necessary to maintain your figure.
Keep a tidy home - don't be a sloppy housekeeper. One wife speaking in defense
of her bad housekeeping habits said" "Well, I get so far ahead in my
washing." The husband replied: "No, you don't get ahead in your
washing, you just get behind in your ironing." It does make a difference
how you look at it. The New Testament admonishes wives to be "workers at
home". (Titus 2:5). Thus, it is necessary to be a good homemaker. Do
something extra special at times. Put those hot meals on the table. The person
who said: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach", made a
very wise observation, but he didn't have potpies and T.V. dinners in mind.
By all means, don't criticize or ridicule each other in front of friends.
Laugh with each other, but never at each other. To downgrade in the presence of
friends is most humiliating and destructive. Another thing to avoid is suspicion
and distrust. Always plan to conduct yourself so that mutual trust is a normal
pattern. Never deliberately, do or say anything that would give your mate reason
to question your loyalty. This will keep the destructive qualities of fear or
jealousy from rearing their ugly heads. Marriages have often been dissolved
because of unjustified fears or distrust.
The Bible
reads: "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but
whoremongers and adulterers God will judge". (Hebrews 13:4)
This final thought: Capitalize on the Law of Human Returns. Jesus said:
"Give and it shall be given unto you." He ended by saying: "for
the measure you give will be the measure you get." This is Luke 6:38,
quoted from the Revised Standard Version. My attitude should be: "What can
I give to this marriage to make it fully satisfying for my partner? Not . . .
what will I receive?" Dr. Harold Hazlelip made this statement in a lecture
on the home. He said, "I have chosen whom I please and I shall spend the
rest of my life pleasing whom I have chosen." Isn't that a marvelous
attitude! I made my choice at the time of marriage. Now my task is to spend my
life pleasing the one I have chosen. Isn't this what the apostle is saying in
Ephesians 5:33, when he writes: "Nevertheless let everyone of you in
particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence
her husband."
I have given you some tested ideas for a good marriage. If you apply them
to your marriage, I can assure you they will do a lot of good.
From
“Bible Answers”
“A
successful marriage is one where you give the best years of your life to the one
who . . .makes them the best years of your life.”
“CHRISTIAN”
FOOTBALL
Quarterback
Sneak - Church members quietly leaving during the invitation.
Draw Play -
What many children do with the bulletin during worship.
Halftime
- The period between Sunday School and worship when many choose to leave.
Benchwarmer
- Those who do not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.
Backfield-in-Motion
- Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) during the service.
Staying
in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the
Lord's work.
Two-minute
Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to
gather up your children and belongings.
Instant
Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week's
illustrations.
Sudden
Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher
goes "overtime".
Trap
play - You're called on to pray and are asleep.
End
Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow
member.
Flex
Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to
affect your life.
Halfback
Option - The decision of 50% of the congregation not to return for the evening
service.
Blitz
- The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.
Supplied by Kent E.
Heaton, Sr.
Sentence
Sermons
It
is better to dig for facts than to jump to conclusions.
Before trying to
improve others, we should try to improve ourselves.
We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study.
2
Sam 22:31
As
for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to
all who trust in Him. NKJV