Attitude

As i was re-reading Chapter Seven tonight getting ready to study and write, one word kept jumping off the pages at me over and over.  Attitude.

Oh boy, does this word pack a punch.  Think about if for a minute.  What good are we doing in our life, our husband's life or our children's lives if we do things with the wrong attitude?  And what will they take away if we do things with the right attitude?

No matter the circumstances, the schedules, the to-do lists or the setbacks, our attitude sets the stage for us and our family.  When things start falling apart and crumble, will we stay strong and persevere or will we run hiding our tails?  What response would you want your child to have?  They are watching us - every move, every word, every action and reaction.  If we want them to have a Christ-like attitude and a servant's heart, guess what?  They have to see it in us first.

What's holding you back?  Pray for strength and wisdom, then tackle it head on and be determined to conquer.

Philippians is full of Paul's views on what a Christian attitude should entail.  Here are a few verses to reflect on before we get into Chapter Seven - "What Will They Take Away."

Philippians 1:27 NIV
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. 

Philippians 2:3-7 NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Philippians 2:14-15 NIV
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Wisdom to Know the Difference

Wisdom.  We need it for discernment, for making important decisions and for prioritizing our crazy busy lives.  God freely gives us wisdom if we have our hearts right and genuinely ask for it.

James 1:5 NLT
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Spending time with God in prayer, reading the Bible and just having quiet time opens our hearts and minds to receive His wisdom.  In order to set our priorities, we need to use this wisdom to help us decide what needs to stay and what needs to go.  Darlene says "those things you need to cut should include physical junk (excess) as well as time wasters.  Oh man, is my life cluttered with both!

If we self sacrifice for a "cause," we use wisdom to help us determine the cause.  "We need to decide once and for all what things are important to us and then set our priorities wisely."

Even though our ultimate priorities might be the same, our day to day priorities will look different from each other.  We are all in different seasons of our lives so we won't be the same across the board.  A mother with a new baby will have much different priorities than a wife with grown kids out of the home.

So now is a time to do some real soul searching.  Look deep inside and talk with God about what's in your heart.  Darlene poses some tough questions at the end of Chapter 3.  I encourage you to look over these again and really reflect on them.  Spend time with God and ask for His wisdom concerning these questions.  We all want to be wise and live accordingly.  We just have to make it our priority.

Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.