Do You Have An Attitude

Psalms 139:1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. 5. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

7. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

God knows us totally and completely, nothing is hidden from Him. God looks at our heart and sees things that no one else sees. He knows what you are thinking and what motivates you, and these things do matter to Him.

There is a powerful section of Scripture in the book of Malachi that talks about this very thing. Malachi is often quoted when talking about tithing, but our motives are just as important as our actions. The Lord looks at our motives in everything we do. This explains so much the purpose of our motives that we should look at what is being said here and take it to heart. Lets look.

Malachi 3:13 "Your words have been harsh against Me,’’ says the Lord, "Yet you say, `What have we spoken against You?’ 14. You have said, `It is vain to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? 15. So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; yes, those who tempt God go free. 16. Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. 17. They shall be Mine,’’ says the Lord of hosts, On the day that I make them My jewels. and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. 18. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Here the Lord is speaking through Malachi. The preceding verses of Scripture Mal. 3:8-12. are talking about tithing, and people robbing God by not tithing. Then it goes on to talk about the attitude behind our actions. No matter what we do, if we do it for wrong motives, we are going to rob ourselves of the very blessing God is trying to get to us. We have to do things His way if we are going to receive His promises. It is so important to understand that His way is the only way if we are going to receive His blessings by faith.

This group of people were complaining about serving God. They were actually saying what’s in it for me? We serve God but look at us, were no better off than anyone else. As a matter of fact the wicked are better off than we are, they are living large while we are barely getting by down here on barely get along street. As you read on you can see that this really displeased the Lord. There was another group of people who feared the Lord, and they spoke to one another. The Lord listened to them and heard them, and a book of remembrances were written before Him. He goes on to say in vs.17 and 18 "They shall be Mine,’’ says the Lord of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

This first group of people were not blessed because of their attitude. They had a rotten attitude. They were serving God outwardly but they were mumbling and grumbling and accusing God of not caring. God does care, He loves us with an everlasting love. To say such a things is a false accusation. People who do this can not walk in the blessings of God because they have alienated themselves from God by their attitude and their words. They curse their means of receiving blessing and prevent it from coming to pass. That’s serious stuff to think about. God doesn’t look kindly on this kind of attitude. He wants us blessed and it has to grieve Him when we will not cooperate with Him in receiving the blessing that He wants His children to have. We have to honor Him by our obedience and our attitude towards Him. He talks about this in the first chapter of Malachi.