Cultivating a New Attitude

Philippians 2: (NLT) 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8  he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor

 

“Cultivate” is a farming term. Because attitudes “grow” we have to pay attention to factors that affect our attitudes.

 

• A good attitude will not always change our circumstances, but it will always change us. [John Maxwell]

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. [John Maxwell]

Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.  [Walt Emerson] 

 

Attitude is not what people perceive. Attitude is your internal disposition. 

 

Remember this: There are always more people with broken hearts than hard hearts.

 

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word "attitude" means "an internal position or feeling with regard to something else." Other words often used as synonyms are: "disposition, feeling, mood, opinion, sentiment, temper, tone, perspective, frame of mind, outlook, view, or morale."

 

Airplane pilots often use "attitude" to describe their horizontal relationship with the runway then they land. If their attitude isn’t aligned properly, the plane will make contact with the ground at the wrong angle and it will cause them to crash.

 

Your attitude is your inward disposition toward other things, such as people or circumstances. As in with an airplane, attitude is applied whenever you must deal with something other than yourself. According to God’s word, when you become a Christian, a part of your new creation is the development of new attitudes — your attitude should become like that of Jesus. The Bible says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:" (Philippians 2:5). "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off the old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds." (Ephesians 4:22 NIV)

 

What we see may be a reflection of a person’s attitude, but don’t make the mistake of judging people you don’t know. I have a friends who seems to be overly serious, not very “bubbly.” Then I found out that he lost two sons in a car accident. This had happened a long time ago and it obviously changed his life. He does not lack joy and greatly enjoys life. It’s just that some experiences jerk all the slack out of you. Most people still have a lot of slack in their lives.

 

Life circumstances, privileges, or a lack thereof, affect the development and current state of our attitude.