A Blessed Attitude

INTRO.- Do you have an attitude problem? Who doesn’t at certain times or on certain days?! Something perturbs you and it begins to show in your attitude.

ILL.- Here is a true story about a man who said that one particular event cured him of being obnoxious in a restaurant. He had ordered a steak well done. But when they brought it to him, he cut into it and it was rare. The blood was running out of it.

He waved at the waitress and said, “Come here, come here.” She came and he said, “This steak is too rare.” So she took it to be cooked some more. When she brought it back he cut into it again, but they had overcooked it. Again he waved for the waitress, “Come here. Look, it’s almost burnt to a crisp.” So she took the steak, went to the kitchen and got him another one.

He started cutting it and then waving once again for the waitress, he complained, “It’s too tough. I can’t eat it. Take it back.” So she took it back and brought him yet another one. With the waitress standing there, he cut into that steak and it was just right this time.

Then he cut into his baked potato and it had a black spot in it. Turning to the waitress, he said, “Look at this potato. It’s a bad potato!”

Well, the waitress, who evidently had just about had it at this point, picked up the potato and said, “Bad potato, bad, bad, bad!” (spanking it as she did). Then she put the potato back down on his plate and said, “If you have any more trouble with that potato, just let me know.” And she walked off.

He said that was the last time he ever complained in a restaurant. Chronic complainers have an attitude problem.

ILL.- The Baldwin brothers have been making the news again. That is, the acting Baldwin brothers. Daniel Baldwin, 45 and young brother of Alec Baldwin, was busted for cocaine possession in a Santa Monica motel room. He has admitted that he’s been battling a cocaine addiction since 1989.

The most famous of the Baldwin brothers, Alec, is being sued by an ex-costar. Why? What’s the problem? What’s wrong with Alec Baldwin?

The co-star in Alec Baldwin’s latest play has quit the production and filed a legal case against the actor, claiming her "physical safety, mental health and artistic integrity" were being endangered.

In a personal e-mail that was leaked to the press this week, the actress claimed Baldwin was violent and was endangering her well-being. She brought legal charges against him soon after.

Whether Alec Baldwin is guilty or not of bad behavior, violence, throwing fits, etc. it has been proven in the past that he’s had that problem. His ex-wife, Kim Basinger, has testified to the fact of Baldwin’s anger, temper, etc.

It sounds to me like Alec Baldwin has an attitude problem, a bad attitude rather a blessed attitude!

ILL.- Somebody once said that there are only three ways to make a basic, fundamental change in another person’s attitude: deep psychotherapy, deep religious conversion, or brain surgery. TAKE YOUR CHOICE! I prefer conversion to Christ.

It is my conviction that only the Lord can change anybody, attitude or otherwise. If He can create then He can re-create.

II Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

PROP.- The way to a blessed attitude in life is by the power of God and we see this in the beatitudes.

1- A blessed attitude toward self

2- A blessed attitude toward God

3- A blessed attitude toward people/others

I. A BLESSED ATTITUDE TOWARD SELF

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

To have a blessed attitude in life we all need to be poor in spirit. We need to recognize our spiritual poverty.

ILL.- A man told his friend that he never ate cake, pie or candy. And he never ate food with additives or anything that had been sprayed or anything biologically engineered. His friend ask, “Well, how do you feel?” He replied, “Hungry.”

ILL.- Suppose you were to receive an invitation from me for dinner. And at the same time you received an invitation from Ted Smith for dinner on the same night. And I was going to fix my finest cuisine. Would you like to know what that would be? Tuna helper…cheesy pasta or perhaps Creamy Broccoli.

Do you know how hard it is to prepare tuna pasta? Can you boil water in a microwave?

And let’s say that Ted Smith was also going to prepare his finest cuisine, homemade bread and all.

With whom would you choose to dine? Well, duh. By comparison to Ted Smith and his cooking skills I am very poor. Even worse than poor. My food would be edible but his would be a delight to your palate.