The Key Role Of Our Attitude

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think of say or do.  It is more important that appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company. . . a church .  . . a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. . . I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you . . . we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.”  —from Attitude by Chuck Swindoll

        If we truly understood the key role our attitude plays in our lives (guiding the way we think, feel, and act) we would take action to train our attitude so that it guides us in a way that blesses us rather than betrays us. Paul realized this and in Philippians 4:8—9 gives his readers a recipe for the type of thoughts that trains our attitude to be God-focused. This ‘attitude food’ is—

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

        Closely look at the standards that Paul highlights: true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute. Now use these standards to evaluate the songs we listen to and allow to circulate in our mind. Use these standards to evaluate the television shows and movies we watch as entertainment. Use these standards to evaluate the jokes we love to tell and the kind or jokes we love to hear. Use these standards to evaluate all that comes into our mind and eventually seep down into our hearts. These are the standards that will mold our attitude and eventually our lives. Apply them well.