WHO IS IN CONTROL OF YOUR ATTITUDE?

SCRIPTURE:
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also 
for the interests of others.  Let this mind be in you which was 
also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not 
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of 
no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming 
in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a 
man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point 
of death, even the death of the cross.  
(Philippians 2:4-8)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about how your attitude affects who you are?
For a believer, we should want to have the same attitude of Jesus, right?
What was the attitude of Jesus?
It was to do the will of the Father; nothing more and nothing less.

This sums up the ‘reason’ for everything He did.
He allowed the will of the Father to overrule His own will.
That is exactly where we should be with our own attitude.
When we are driven by His will over our own, our lives will be changed!

For instance, the scriptures remind us 
that we are to be mindful of the interests of others.
No longer will we be focused solely on ourselves, 
we will also consider those around us.
That means we will consider how our words and actions impact others.
It also means that we will be sensitive to the needs of those around us.

Lastly, it means that we will not be arrogant or egotistical.
We are told that Jesus was equal to God, 
but did not use His status to create a reputation for Himself.
Instead, He humbled Himself and became a bondservant.

He did not go through life drawing attention to Himself.
His goal was to point everyone to God.
He became totally obedient to His purpose on earth, 
even to the point of death.
His attitude was: Not My will, but God’s will.

That is the example He established for us.
Our attitude should not be on ‘who we are’ or ‘what we’ve done’;
it should be on what God is doing through us to accomplish His will.
It is hard to give up our own will, isn’t it?
But, when we do, God will give us an exciting and new purpose for living.

All glory should be given to Him.
Why, because it is His will living in us.
Who we are as believers, 
should be determined by our attitudes under the control of the Father.
We should keep our mind and attitude focused on Him, 
while being attentive to those around us, so that 
they can experience the life-changing power of Jesus that we have.

ACTION:
Have you given serious thought about your own attitude?
Be honest with yourself and determine if you are
driven by “your” will or “God’s” will?
When He is Lord of your life, you will ‘want’ His will to overrule your will.
And when He is in control, you will not only see the benefits in your own 
life, but you will also have a positive impact on those around you, 
and you will show humble obedience to the God you have given your life to.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know the attitudes of my heart. You also 
know if I am controlled by my will or Your will. When I gave my 
life to You, I may not have fully understood what that meant, but 
now I do. I want You to be in control of my life so that I will humbly 
obey You in all things. I look forward to a new purpose for living as 
You change my attitudes and the way I interact with those around me. 
Thank You Jesus for showing me the type of attitude I should have in 
my life, in order to allow the Father to live in and through me.”