Attitude is one subject that we who are Christians need to fully understand. Many people who are not Christians, as well as many who are, avoid this important subject. How so? Allow me to explain.
The word attitude is defined as "a state of mind or a feeling; disposition." How I look at a matter has great impact on my reaction to any information I receive concerning that matter. Attitude is personal. We all form our own attitudes about things in our lives. Others can influence my attitude, but in the final accounting, I make the call.
Sometimes, we cannot reach those who are outside Christ because they have negative attitudes toward religion, the Bible, and God. One who believes that every religion has some lasting value will find it unnecessary to make an extensive examination of any one particular faith. What if a man thinks all religions are determined to get his money? Doesn't this affect the way he receives any teaching you might attempt? What about the person who is not convinced there is a God? That person's attitude concerning a supreme being greatly influences his/her willingness to discuss matters concerning God. Others may lack confidence in the Bible. Say a person believes that the Bible is nothing more than a good book, with many good suggestions for living a good life. Does that person's attitude toward the Bible's teaching differ from the attitude of one who believes it to be the inspired word of God?
What about we who are Christians; does attitude make a difference? If I have the attitude that I can please God without obeying all His commands, will I feel guilty about missing a service now and then to do something I really want to do? If I have a bad attitude concerning my relationship with my brethren, will we have friendships at times other than when the saints assemble? Many brethren have poor attitudes concerning preaching and preachers. Some believe preachers who preach hard on certain subjects do so only because it's part of the job. Does such an attitude influence the weight they place on gospel preaching and how they apply what they hear?
Does having a negative attitude affect how I hear what another person says? People who have negative attitudes always find more wrong than right with others and the things they do and say. A worker's bad attitude concerning his work affects the way he does his job. What if I have a bad attitude toward my boss? I will always look upon his treatment of me with prejudice and ill will.
In this month's Messenger issue, we examine the Christian's attitude toward serving God. A brother's poor, improper attitude is evidenced in the type of service he renders to God. Understand, anyone can have a bad day, or a string of bad days. But, what concerns me more is the one who begins with a bad spiritual attitude. How we feel about, and our disposition toward, serving God say a lot about how well or inadequately we serve Him. This is one thing over which we who are Christians have control -- our attitudes. Hopefully, after reading these articles, we can honestly examine our attitudes to see if they measure up to God's standard. Believe it or not, my attitude has much to do with how I live my life as a Christian, how much I enjoy that life, my relationship with the world, and my relationship with my brethren. What kind of attitude do you have dear reader? Could it be that, by our attitudes, we make our lives as Christians more difficult?