"Let Us Go On Unto Perfection"
(Hebrews 6:1)
By Audie Blackaby

Do you want to be happy and have peace of mind? Do you want to grow in Christ, and become spiritually mature by correcting or improving your attitudes and actions toward God, life, and others? This is something we need to continually strive for, and it requires constant vigilance. It demands study, effort, prayer, and a willingness to admit we are not always right, and that we change for the better. Anyone can coast downhill, but it takes strength to climb, and this strength we find in our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Bible furnishes us with the tools for this ascent, and it is incumbent upon us to use them.

In Proverbs 4:23, God enjoins "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." Our hearts control our thoughts, words, and deeds. We can't always control what happens to us, but we can, with God's help, learn to react in the right way.

The development of right attitudes is necessary in order to facilitate this, and God in His word tells us the bad attitudes of which we are to rid ourselves, and the good ones with which to replace them. Our happiness and salvation depend on it. In the Bible we find solutions for developing self-control, and for overcoming all the foes of happiness and peace of mind.

Some of those enemies are attitudes of envy, unforgiveness, ingratitude, harsh judgment and fault-finding, discontent, pride, arrogance, doubt, distrust, fear, and worry. The way to be rid of any bad attitude or habit is to replace it with a good one. Envy can be dispelled by learning to love as Christ taught us to love in I Corinthians 13; then the envy we felt will be replaced with good will and gladness at their excellence and good fortune.

By loving as God loves, we can forgive those who wrong us. That does not mean ignoring sin, but not holding it against them after they ask forgiveness.

Some have the habit of sharply and unjustly criticizing. This can be eradicated when we have godly love for others.

When we count our blessings, it's hard to be ungrateful. Thanking God for all He does for us will help us to overcome the attitude of ingratitude.

Considering our own shortcomings, and how far we fall short of perfection should make us more tolerant of others, and help us not judge them harshly or unfairly.

Contentment is an attitude we can develop by working at it. Paul said, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." {Philippians 4:11} It does not come from external things, but from an inner attitude. We should be content with what we have, but not with what we are, spiritually.

Patience is defined as "bearing pains and trials calmly, or without complaint. Manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain." Many passages of scriptures tell us to follow after patience. (Hebrews 12:1; 2 Corinthians 6:6; Colossians 1:11; 1 Timothy 1:16) It is a command, not an option, if we are to be pleasing to God. Letting God's word have free course in our hearts will result in patience.

In all things, change the heart, and the right actions will follow. In Psalm 40:8, David said, "I delight to do thy will oh my God; yea thy law is within my heart." Perfect devotion requires not only that we do God's will, but that we do it with an attitude of love. God would have us serve Him with delight and with cheerfulness. It is our hearts for which He asks.

The following poem is expressive of good attitude and worthy of your consideration:

My Daily Creed
Let me be a little kinder;
Let me be a little blinder,
To the faults of those about me;
Let me praise a little more;
Let me be, when I am weary,
Just a little bit more cheery;
Let me serve a little better
Those that I am striving for.
 
Let me be a little braver,
When temptation bids me waver,
Let me strive a little harder
To be all that I should be;
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker;
Let me think more of my neighbor
And a little less of me.
 
Let me be a little sweeter;
Make my life a bit completer
By doing what I should do
Every minute of the day;
Let me toil without complaining,
No humble task disdaining;
Let me face the summons calmly
When death beckons me away.
---Selected.


Sister Blackaby has done an excellent job of provoking our thoughts toward developing godly attitudes in our service to Christ. Sometimes, we wonder why we can't do the things God asks of us from day to day. Attitude--Attitude! --KG