Attitude is Everything.
Growing up playing sports helped me to understand a lot about attitude. I have come to agree with nearly every coach that has made the point to a bad attitude squad, “Attitude is Everything.” Attitude affects effort. Attitude affects teamwork. And ultimately, attitude affects outcome. Over the years as I’ve played and coached, I see that more clearly than ever.
God knew that about us long before the first sport was thought of and long before “coaching” was such a big deal. If you’ll remember, God gave Cain an attitude talk in Genesis 4:6-7,
“Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
Too bad that Cain didn’t listen. The result of his hard-headed thinking was that Abel lost his life. Attitude is Everything.
Fast forward to the New Testament and you see another attitude talk. It’s found in Philippians 2:3-8. I used this passage at the Executive Committee meeting last month after the vote was complete. As I accepted the position of the Troup Baptist Associational Mission Strategist with joy and excitement, I also filtered that excitement through these verses as one of my “life-guiding” passages.
3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
As I have been praying and preparing to take on this role, the Lord impressed me with a long list of things that I’ve narrowed down to four words, each beginning with “S.”
SELFLESS
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit…count others more significant than yourselves…” and “…look not only to his [your] own interests, but also to the interests of others…” Jesus’ attitude was selfless. I heard a pastor say once, “Selfless is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” This is the root attitude, coupled with LOVE, that motivated Jesus to leave His heavenly glory and come down here to sacrifice His life for you and me. We must live daily with the same selfless attitude of Jesus.
SERVE
“[Jesus] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…” The next level is when attitude turns to action. SERVING is selflessness in ACTION. Serving is not just being aware of the needs of our church, community, and world, but when we are compelled to do the things that will make a difference. Jesus “took on the form of a servant” to meet our needs of salvation and abundant life. We are most like Christ when we are SERVING (action) SELFLESSLY (attitude) in LOVE (motive).
SUPPORT
“…begin born in the likeness of men…” Jesus became one of us. He poured Himself into flesh so that He could know our experience, meet our needs, and provide for our life. The way we’ve tried to capture this attitude of support is the old saying, “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” We must be moved by compassion, as Christ was, so that we can not only meet a physical need or throw money at a problem, but step into the middle of the hurt and pain in our world and minister with the love of Christ.
SALVATION
“…He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Here is the ultimate “WHY?” Why did Jesus come? Why did He live with this attitude? Why did He serve? Why did He sacrifice? Because we needed to be saved! Our Associational Mission is lived out through various ministries, projects, and events, but the reason — the WHY — is that we might share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that is still in desperate need of a Savior.
Imagine what our churches, association, and community would look like if we not only grasped this passage, but began to live our lives according to it. Let’s commit to these attitudes today and say, “Let it begin in me.”
Blessings,
Challenge: Take a look at this passage and read on through verse 11. I’d love for you to send me an email with your testimony to the verses. My email is andy@troupbaptist.org