ATTITUDE
© 2007, Stacy R. Miller - Proverbs 31 devotionals - Used by permission
Attitudes can make us or break us. If you have been around someone with a bad attitude, you will notice that you feel like the life is slowly being drained from you. On the other hand, if you are surrounded with those who have a positive attitude, it is like a breath of fresh air. You will leave their presence feeling invigorated.
Because attitudes are so important, I came up with an acrostic for the word “attitude” to help us in adjusting our own attitudes.
A is for acknowledging God. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
T is for trusting God to help you. (Proverbs 3:5)
T is for training yourself to be godly. (First Timothy 4:7)
I is for interrupting ungodly thoughts. (Second Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8)
T is for turning your thoughts heavenward. (Colossians 3:1-2)
U is for unloading your burdens before the Lord. (Psalm 55:22)
D is for daily reading and meditating on the Word. (Psalm 1:1-2; 119:97-98)
E is for extolling the Lord. (Psalm 34:1)
By acknowledging God, we can view any interruption or crisis with a sense of calm, rather than panic. Acknowledging the Lord can make it much easier to trust Him, even when faced with things which we do not understand.
Each day carries annoyances that have the ability to push our hot-buttons. The kids will bicker. The dryer may quit just as we have pulled a load of wet clothes out of the washer. The car battery may go bad just when we have loaded the trunk with groceries. Yet, when we fully trust God to work ALL things together for good, we can train ourselves to respond in a godly fashion, rather than reacting from our fleshly hot-buttons.
When we have trained ourselves to be godly, we will find it is easier to interrupt ungodly thoughts. We will have toned up our spiritual muscles, making us ready to do a “workout” on any ungodly thoughts.
There is something about acknowledging God in those quiet hours, early in the morning. When I take the time to do that, I find my thoughts are more apt to turn heavenward throughout the rest of my day. As I make a habit of turning my thoughts toward the Lord, it becomes a natural thing to unload my burdens to Him.
I have found that taking time to read the Word in the morning helps me to meditate on it as I set about my daily tasks. And the more I meditate on Him and His Word, the more I find myself extolling Him every day.
How about you? Do you need some help with your attitude? Do you need a new attitude?
TRIALS
If Joseph had not been Egypt's prisoner, he never would have been Egypt's governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the gold chain around his neck.
The finest china in the world is burned at least three times, some of it more than three times. Dresdan china is always burned three times. Why does it go through that intense fire? Once ought to be enough; twice ought to be enough. No, three times are necessary to burn that china so that the gold and crimson are brought out more beautifully and then fastened there to stay. We are fashioned after the same principle in human life. Our trials are burned into us once, twice, thrice; and by God's grace these beautiful colors are there, and they are there to stay forever. -- Cortland Myers
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