Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Attitude”
Our Bible verse for today: “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5
Our thought for today: “A new attitude for the New Year.”
I entered the full-time workforce at the age of only seventeen. In 2017 I will turn sixty-three and so that means I’ve been in the full-time workforce for more than forty-five years now. More than forty of those years have been in positions of leadership – in the civilian sector, in the military, and then in Christian ministry.
In those capacities of leadership I’ve had many hundreds of people work for me over the years and if there is one lesson that stands out in my mind above all others it’s that “attitude is everything.” It’s true. Almost always a good attitude is more important than intelligence or training. I would rather have one worker with an average IQ but a good attitude and a great work ethic, then ten workers with above average IQs but bad attitudes and lazy work habits.
In the long run the person with the good attitude and the great work ethic will not only be more productive and more pleasant to have around, but they will be more successful too. The world is filled with very smart and highly educated failures who despite their high IQs and college degrees, haven’t gotten far in life because they have bad attitudes and nobody likes them. And conversely, there are many success stories of average people who are really nice, who work very hard, and who then go on to own the company.
Attitude is everything, and not just in the workforce but in all of life. Studies of human behavior have proven over and over again that optimists do better, live longer, and are happier than pessimists.
In Philippians 2:5 the Apostle Paul told us that as Christians we are to strive to emulate the attitude of Christ. Did Jesus have a good attitude? (It’s a rhetorical question. Of course He did). What was the attitude of Christ like? A study of the Gospels reveals that He was humble and faithful. He was also full of love and kindness and compassion and mercy. But also He was bold, confident, and passionate about His life and His mission. That should describe us too.
Yesterday, as the New Year’s sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church, I preached on the subject of “A New Year, a New Attitude”. Listening to that sermon would be a pretty good starting point for this month of devotional messages. If you would like to hear it you can go to our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net and click on “listen”.
In life attitude is everything. As we begin the New Year this would be a good time to check your attitude and maybe make a few adjustments in how you think about things and how you approach them. A good attitude will go a long, long way towards having the kind of life you really want to have.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 