Attitudes. How's Yours?

     Hmmmm.... I tried to write this over the weekend, but I couldn't find the words. Sorry for the delay. Let's see what happens This time....

         Today's verses are Proverbs 27:3 "Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.", 29:22 " An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.", 10:9 " The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.", and finally from 10:12 " Hatred stirs up dissension, but Love covers all wrongs."

         Over the last few weeks I've been reminded about what words can do. When I was a little kid we had a rhyme  we'd recite when someone called us a bad word. I'm sure most of you have heard it: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." I don't think the person who created that has heard some of what's said in this world today. Words CAN hurt. Sometimes they shatter lives. The question though, is WHY, and What does this have to do with Hope? How can we stop these words from hurting? Let's dig deeper...

         Well, it starts out simply enough. Someone mouths off with a wisecrack about you or a good friend. Our natural instinct is to get mad or at least annoyed, and to defend ourselves or that friend. But, check out the last half of that first verse from Proverbs; 27:3 "... but provocation by a fool is heavier than both."  In other words, even when people aren't aware of a single fact, the snide comments that they make can carry a lot of weight. How about 29:22? When we get angry and lose control, we allow sin into our lives. We push away love. And, lest we forget, Who is Love? God is love! (1 John 4:16b "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

         A good friend made a comment the other day about how not to lose love. Paraphrased, She said,
 " You can't "Take" offense when someone says something demeaning to you. Offense is being given to those who choose to accept it." Only you can let you get all worked up about something that someone says. If you choose not to pay attention to what is said, you won't get annoyed or angry, which means that you don't lose the love in your heart.  Easy, right?
   
        I know. I know. It's not that easy. But, it begins with the process of understanding that when we let God into our hearts, souls, and minds, there isn't any room for hate or anger. As I've said before, anything that isn't "of" God, is against God. There is NO neutral ground that benefits our soul and our relationship with Him.

        The next verse, " A man of integrity walks securely...". Well, as Christians,  as children of GOD, if " we walk in the light, as HE is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sins." As we develop our spiritual relationship with our Lord, we begin to understand more completely that this earth is full of the devil, and we can't continue to "live" in it. As Christians, we reside in God's spiritual kingdom here on earth. But, in order to live in the Kingdom, we must study His word over and over. His word leads us through the traps and pitfalls of the evil that we must deal with in the physical world. But, each time that we lose control... each time we get angry, each time we plot revenge,.... The devil wins that battle within us. And when the devil wins one battle, he tries even harder to win another. It's like fuel to him. When we allow God's love to leave our hearts, we distance ourselves from His guidance. We get discouraged sometimes after getting mad, which leads to more bad decisions, which leads to our hope fading. See the pattern now? We eventually fall all the way back to the bottom, and away from God. Now we have to start all over again. Who wouldn't get discouraged after feeling God's love, then falling away? It'd be a lot better to keep this from happenin', right? Well, prevention starts with "attitude",  an "attitude" of love towards God.    Proverbs 10:12 "...but Love covers all wrongs."

        So. How do we apply this to our lives? It goes back to one of the other posts I wrote, we LOVE ourselves and others, even our enemies. I actually feel sorry for some of these problem people, instead of the anger that used to take over my whole body it seemed, before I received the love of Jesus. Now, I spend more time these days, thinking about how to speak to others without provoking them. No, I'm NOT always successful. But, I do my best,(most of the time.) I try to improve with each day I'm given. I also attempt to stay away from situations that could lead to these problems. If they are unavoidable, I find a close friend or family member to go with me. Does that sound extreme to you? Maybe, but that's how much I want to keep God's love in my heart. That's how thankful I am to Jesus for bringing me salvation; for saving me from death, and for giving me His Word to study and learn, so that I may develop a personal relationship with Him. Who wouldn't want that?

       Attitudes... A good one will lead you to developing a personal relationship with your Savior, Jesus Christ. He will lead you and bring you hope, faith, and His enduring love.  A bad attitude? What's that bring  you? To the bottom. And in some cases, it brings you to rock-bottom. I've been there. You don't want to go. God's love in your heart and soul will ensure you never come close to the bottom, and you will always have a lifeline of hope, when times get tough, for Him to pull you through.

      May the Lord Jesus bless you all and bring you peace. I promise, HE can bring it to you. It's up to you to follow, though.

Y'all have a great week.
  
             In His Service,
                               Bro. Jay