It's no secret that our attitudes are contagious. Our emotions are one of the only things we constantly have control over - we can choose, will we have a good day, or a bad day? It's all about our attitude. Lately, it seems like an overall happy mood is decreasing in popularity, and it's being replaced with negative thinking - a bad attitude. What exactly does that mean? Well, according to good ol' Webster, bad is described as - poor in quality, defective, unpleasant, or unwelcome. Attitude is described as - a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior. If we put this together, a bad attitude is an unpleasant way of thinking, reflected by one's behavior. When we have a bad attitude, our thoughts are of a poor quality. When we have a bad attitude, usually our presence is unwanted and unwelcomed. When we have a bad attitude, we're advertising to the world that we have a defective heart. When we're walking around with a heart and mind full of awful thoughts, we are infecting those around us in a negative way. As Christians, it is Biblical to have glad hearts - in the book of Psalm alone we read so many times that we should have happy, joyful and cheerful hearts.
We all know that a bad attitude is definitely NOT a godly one, so it's important to know what God wants of us concerning our thoughts and our actions.
1. Be quick to hear and slow to speak.
James 1:19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Often times, people listen with the intent to reply rather than the intent to hear. This verse means that we need to be quick to hear, open our ears and listen to what a person is saying to us. We shouldn't be quick to spout of words, or in today's age, a text. We should be slow to our replies, and think about the impact of our words. Lastly, we should be slow to wrath. We really need to give it thought before we become angry for petty or childish reasons.
2. Don't fight fire with fire.
Romans 12:21 - Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
There are some rude and cruel people in this world, that's not new to anyone. No matter who you are, at some point in your life you've either encountered or will encounter an unpleasant or unkind person. When a person is trying to pass off the bad attitude off to you, the best thing to do is give them the cure - kindness. It may not work, but at least you've offered it. When someone is being rude or unkind or just flat out wicked to you, the best response is kindness. Show them the love of Jesus - good attitudes are just as contagious as bad ones.
3. Honor God with your thinking.
James 1:20 - For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Having angry hearts and bad attitudes don't bring God any glory - in fact, they do quite the opposite. If you're a Christian who's walking around with negative thinking and you reflect in your actions and words, you're harming the name of God. Our words and actions and attitudes should all bring God the righteousness and honor that He deserves. When you start to feel that bad attitude sickness creeping in, remember that the goal as a Christian is to be a representative of God.
4. Every day is a blessing - cherish it.
Psalms 118:24 - This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Perhaps this is one of the simplest commandments. Rejoice and be glad in each day that we have. Is this really so hard? When we walk around with a bad attitude, how is that rejoicing in the day that God gave us? I'll give ya a hint - it's not! David, the author of the book of Psalm where this verse came from, went through a lot of turmoil on earth. He was hunted down to be killed for years by his best friend's father, he was constantly running from place to place to hide, before he became king, he was a lowly and ignored shepherd who had little to no respect, he fought in countless wars, he lost is best friend Jonathon, and amongst all this he also endured much emotional turmoil. There are probably very few people who will ever have to go through a day worse than David had to, and if he can rejoice in the day the Lord hath made, I think we can too.
So there we are - 4 simple verses that show us what God wants from us regarding our thoughts, actions and emotions. In the end, it all boils down to the fact that we are to be reflecting the light of Jesus in everything we say and do. It should be our goal to have an attitude that properly represents our Creator. People are watching us each and every day, seeing if we really are a peculiar people. Attitudes are contagious - is yours worth catching?
Stay excellent!
Thanks
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