Top ten indicators that you're having a lousy day
10. You wake up and your braces are locked together.
9. You put both contact lenses in the same eye.
8. Your wife says, "Good morning Bill," and your name is George
7. You turn on the news and they're showing emergency routes out of the city.
6. You receive a notice in the mail that your income tax check has bounced.
5. On your way to work your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hells Angels on the freeway.
4. You see a "60 Minutes" news team waiting in your office.
3. At your birthday party, your cake collapses from the weight of the candles.
2. Your twin sister forgets your birthday.
1. You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold.
Some days are better than others. But one thing can make every day the best - our attitude. In life, I'll encounter circumstances good and bad. Yet, regardless, God plans for us to live life to the fullest.
Paul testifies about how God enabled him to live a contented, fulfilled life, regardless of circumstance (read 4:11-13). The word "learned" Paul uses in verse 11 has the original meaning of being initiated into a secret. Paul had learned a very great secret: how to be totally satisfied regardless of his circumstance. By choosing an attitude of faith, Paul lived life to the full, even when all the "things" the world says are necessary to be happy were absent.
Paul precedes his testimony of faith in verses 10-13, with teaching about faith in verses 4-9. If I live with the attitude of faith I will live:
Focused on Jesus - v.4
Paul indicates this is a choice by stating this as an exhortation. Each day I live, I can either be a worrier or a worshipper.
By choosing to rejoice in the Lord, I turn my attention away from my imperfect and changing circumstances to my perfect and unchanging Savior. I'm reminded my sufficiency is found in Christ, not my circumstances; He's my "all in all" - all I need in all circumstances!
"All of you is more than enough for all of me; For every thirst and every need, you satisfy me with your love; And all I have in you is more than enough. More than all I want, more than all I need You are more than enough for me. More than all I know, more than all I can say; You are more than enough."
I will worship instead of worry.
Aware of Christ's presence - v. 5
The great evangelist, Angel Martinez, said he thought 99% of our problems in life stem from relationships. The longer I live, I am more convinced he was right. Paul understood this to be true, too. That's why he encourages us to relate to others patiently and gently. To motivate us, Paul says, "The Lord is near." This could be a reminder the Lord is always with us or that He's coming again. Either motivates us to relate to others in a kind and patient manner.
The Lord's always with me, so He sees how I relate to others. He's also aware of how others treat me. Nothing escapes God's notice. Because I know He's returning one day, I can count on the fact that when He does, He'll make all things right. All who've mistreated me, taken advantage of or abused me, will be called to account; but so will I!
Also, knowing the Lord's return is near motivates me to relate to others in a way that will encourage them to give their lives to Jesus.
"Beloved have you ever thought that someday you will not have anything to try you, or anyone to vex you again? There will be no opportunity in heaven to learn or to show the spirit of patience, forbearance, and longsuffering. If you are to practice these things, it must be now." - A. B. Simpson
Each day affords countless opportunities to present a positive testimony in our relationships with others. Let's not waste them.
I will focus on my testimony more than my troubles.
Involved in prayer - vs. 6-7
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." - The Message
A survey said an average person's worries fall in these categories:
8% - about real problems they can do something about
10% - about health, which gets worse with stress
12% - things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
30% - things about the past that can't be changed
40% - things that haven't happened or won't happen
For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. "Good evening," said the man of the house. "I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you."
So, what are we to do with our worries? We need to go to God with them! As promised, He will minister His peace to our hearts.
And when it comes to those things we CAN and SHOULD do something about, we must seek His guidance to do things right!
Through prayer, we can sort out our circumstances, as Bill Hybels, explains in his book, Too Busy Not To Pray:
If the request is wrong, God says, "No."
If the timing is wrong, God says, "Slow."
If you are wrong, God says, "Grow."
If the request, the timing, and you are right, God says, "Go!"
Prayer will keep us on the right path.
Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
I will seek God rather than sulk.
Thinking on right things - v. 8
Paul says even in a world of negativity, there are positive things God is up to. Living with an attitude of faith means I will look for the positive things God is doing and will think them!
"Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from His perspective." - Colossians 3:2 (The Message)
A man goes to the rabbi and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. what can I do?' The rabbi answers, "Take your goat into the room with you." The man is incredulous, but the rabbi insists. "Do as I say and come back in a week." A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. "We cannot stand it," he tells the rabbi. "The goat is filthy." The rabbi then tells him, "Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week." A radiant man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, "Life is beautiful. we enjoy every minute of it now that there's no goat - only the nine of us."
I will see things positively instead of negatively!
Holding firm to what I have learned - v. 9
As we live with an attitude of faith, we'll grow in our understanding of how God wants us to live. And since we believe God's way is the best way, we'll seek to apply the truth we are learning to our daily lives.
An older lady, long a member of her community and church, shook hands with the minister after the service one Sunday morning. "That was a wonderful sermon," she told him, "Just wonderful. Everything you said applies to someone I know."
I will be living what I'm learning!
Conclusion: If you are going to experience true success in life, then you must choose each day to live with the attitude of faith. You must daily choose to live your life:
Focused on Jesus - worshiping instead of worrying.
Aware of Christ's presence - focused on testimony, not troubles.
Involved in prayer - seeking God rather than sulking.
Thinking on right things - thinking positively, not negatively.
Holding firm to what you have learned - living what I'm learning.
