Attitude

I was doing my devotions earlier on today, and today's topic was on ATTITUDE. The particular passage that I read comes from Phillipians. In the 2nd chapter, and the first 11 verses, it talks about living selflessly, having the proper attitude.

Phillipians 2:3-4 says,

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

The Bible says that we should have a HUMBLE attitude, living selflessly for the interests of OTHERS, not ourselves. I think there's a very POWERFUL outcome that results from living selflessly.

I think that the reason why a lot of people are wasting away their lives, trying to fill the emptiness in their hearts, is because they haven't learned the secret to having fulfillness in Christ.
And the secret to being satisfied in Christ is comprised of 4 parts: \

a) Being centred on Christ, having Him as your personal Lord and Saviour
b) Faith that God is in control
c) Contentment in GOD alone
and
d) Selfless Actions, just as Christ did for us. =)

The last one there, selfless actions, is what I intend to write about today. :D
The thing is, when we think of OURSELVES only, and what WE can get from other people, we lose the sense of true JOY. Based on MY experience, I've found that whenever I focus on "ME" and what I want, and what I can get, and MY selfish ambitions, I always end up in a "mess" where I don't feel God's presence as strongly, where I don't feel happy or satisfied.
If you want to experience the JOY,

FOCUS on others! Give to others. As the Bible says, "You reap what you sow."
So if you want good things to happen to you, for prosperity, for happiness, REAP it to other people.

If your parents need help washing the dishes, cleaning the house, running errands, HELP them out. If you see someone struggling to carry things, give him or her a helping hand.
Open the door for people, it doesn't have to be BIG things. It can be LITTLE things.
I usually find that its the SMALL things that people notice :)

Like, okay, I'll be honest. Whenever I do stuff for other people, I get this happy feeling bubbling inside of me, and it feels GREAT. :) I believe that's Jesus inside of me. Because he LOVES it when we do whats right, and its HIM that helps us WANT to and ACT according to HIS good purpose.

"For it is GOD who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Phil 2:13

Obedience to GOD, your parents, and authority figures makes you feel happy. It makes things go RIGHT. If you disobey, that usually just makes you miserable, because either you end up in a mess, hurting yourself, or you feel guilty for disobeying, or you end up losing a close relationship with someone because you hurt them by disobeying, betraying, or whatever.

So, ATTItUDE is everything!! :)

Humility pleases God. Even JESUS, God's son, was humble, even if HE, of ALL people, should have been able to get away with being proud, as He IS the Son of the King of Kings.
But no,

you see Jesus, who had the most ADMIRABLE attitude EVER.

Phillipians 2:5-8 talks of this attitude:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance sas a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!"

Christ must be our role model. He was a HUMBLE person even tho He technically could have gotten away with being proud. But He DIDN'T. In the same way, we need to HUMBLE ourselves. And when we HUMBLE ourselves, God will exalt us. (Check out Phillipians 2:9)

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:9-11


If we have a humble attitude, God will exalt us.
Humility also comes hand in hand with a positive mindset. You need to have a postive mindset to believe that despite BAD things that happen, that God is in control. And when you believe that God is in control, you KNOW that YOU don't know any better, and that constitutes HUMILITY. :D

So yeahh,

live selflessly on account of God's GUIDANCE of course, and you will find that you will sense God's presence more than ever, whether it be JOY that arouses in your heart, or God's love. Either way, God's presence is IMMENSELY AWESOME!
I don't know if this all made sense to you.. i'm just sharing what I'm REMINDING myself. =) hahaa.

Take care all!
God bless. =)