In Monday’s post, we shared about making the decision on becoming an obedient servant of Christ. As I was preparing the notes and scripture references for it, I began to realize that I hadn’t even covered an important part of the lesson – having the proper attitude – and already had a long post. As a part of our decision to place ourselves in the position of being a servant for the Lord Jesus Christ, we must do so with the proper attitude. Actually, this important part of our faith has a profound impact on our spiritual growth, our relationship with other Christians, our church we attend, and even our own walk with the Lord. Our attitude affects so much more than what we sometimes like to admit.
Having the proper attitude is important as we try to live daily for the Lord. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). The Lord counts our obedience as being more important to Him than any sacrifice that we could ever make but that obedience must be with the proper attitude. David wrote, I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore (Psalms 86:12) and I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word (Psalms 119:58). In both of these verses, we see that David has set the Lord as his heart’s desire. In spite of all David’s failings and faults, and in spite of the sins he committed, David had the proper attitude towards the Lord. He wanted to serve the Lord, to study the scriptures, and to please the Lord in all that he did.
The Bible often uses common relationships to teach some of its most simplest truths. Having the proper attitude is one of these truths. There are many passages where marriage, friendships, and even the relationship of a master and servant are used to illustrate this teaching. As any person who has been married knows, there is no such thing as just giving marriage fifty percent and it work. Personally, I believe that is why so many marriages in our nation are failing today because we enter into them with the attitude of “I’m going to give my fifty percent, do my part, and don’t expect anything more…” Ask any couple that has been married for forty or fifty years or more and a few things that each have in common: the attitude of both husband and wife is one of whatever comes up, they are in the marriage until death, they don’t keep score and there is no thing as a fifty/fifty marriage as both give all they can to one another, and everything they do, they do in submission to each other and the Lord. They do these things not because they have to, but because they want to – they have the proper attitude within their marriage. When we read our Bible, when we pray, when we give tithes and offerings, the Lord does not want us to do these things because we have to, but because we want to out of our love for Him – we must have the proper attitude or all that we do for the Lord will come up short.
There is a story told in the beginning of the Bible that demonstrates how having the proper attitude pleases the Lord. There are two parts to the story, but the first one is And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering – God accepted the offering because it had been done with an attitude of obedience. It had been carefully prepared to meet the exact standards that God required (Genesis 4:4). God accepted Abel’s sacrifice because it had been offered in the way that had been prescribed by the Lord, but because it was offered with the proper attitude of gratefulness and worship the Lord desired. The second part of the story, And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:3, 5) shows that Cain did the opposite. He attempted to approach God on his own terms, he did not come to worship God with an attitude of obedience, gratefulness, and worship, but an attitude of disobedience and defiance. The result was that God rejected Cain’s offering.
Within the writings of the apostle Paul, the importance of having the proper attitude is also taught in the verse, Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Although most people associate this verse with giving of tithes and offerings, it actually applies to all that we do. Whatever we are doing for the Lord, we must have the proper attitude. It is not enough just to go through the motions of doing something for the Lord. It must come from our heart. This is really nothing new, because even during the exodus out of Egypt, the Lord told Moses, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering (Exodus 25:2). From my understanding of this verse, the Levites were only instructed to accept the offerings that came from those who had the proper attitude. Could you imagine if more people had their tithes and offerings received at the local church returned to them if their giving was out of the wrong attitude?
Again, the apostle Paul adds to this concept of having the proper attitude when giving by writing to the Christians at Corinth, For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not (2 Corinthians 8:12), clearly teaching that there must be a willing mind and not one that simply gives out of duty. So much of what we do as Christians depends on us having the proper attitude. some of the clearest warnings about the importance of the attitude are found in these verses: And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever (1 Chronicles 28:9), I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:10), and Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:6). So it becomes important for us to not only be an obedient servant, but whatever we do, we do it with the proper attitude.
