21st November 2021
Philippians 2:5
Let’s read it in a couple different versions:
Amplified: Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus
Barclay: Have within yourselves the same disposition of mind as was in Christ Jesus
KJV: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Lightfoot: Reflect in your own minds, the mind of Christ Jesus. Be humble, as he also was humble
Phillips: Let Christ himself be your example as to what your attitude should be.
Young’s Literal: For, let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus.
Today I would like to talk about attitudes.
Attitudes?
Yep. Our attitudes towards things can have such a huge influence on how successful we are in them.
Ever heard of a defeatist attitude?
Expand…
“Having a defeatist attitude means that you give up before you’ve even started, like the runner who is so convinced he’s going to lose the race that he doesn’t even bother to go to the starting line. A defeatist is the opposite of an optimist.”
Our attitude directly plays a part in how we interact with things.
I like what you said earlier. Our attitudes towards things can have such a huge influence on how successful we are in them.
Let’s really think about things!
Do you know how many jobs do people lose every day because of poor attitudes? Do you know how many people are passed over for promotion because of the way they approach their work and the people around them? I wonder how many relationships fall apart because of poor attitudes. It would be impossible to calculate.
The truth is that no one should ever lose a job, miss a promotion, or destroy a relationship because of a poor attitude. Why? Because a person’s attitude isn’t set; it’s a choice.
Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It’s more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day 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’m convinced that life is 10 per cent what happens to me and 90 per cent how I react to it. And so it is with you…We are in charge of our attitudes.’
Let’s get back to the verse!
Paul writes, ‘You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.’
Spurgeon once said, “What an example we have set before us in the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus is the divine example of love and self-denial, and as we hope to be saved by Him we must diligently copy Him. He is now exalted to the highest glory as the reward of His voluntary humiliation, and by the same means must His disciples rise to honour. We must stoop to conquer. He who is willing to be nothing shall be possessor of all things.”
So, this raises a few questions:
What kind of attitude did Jesus exhibit?
What characterized His behaviour toward others?
The mind of the Christ is often summarised as:
(1) The selfless mind;
(2) The sacrificial mind;
(3) The serving mind.
Or I guess we could just say this:
“The Lord Jesus consistently thought of others.”
And in this verse we see Paul command the saints at Philippi “This be ye constantly thinking in you which also was in Christ Jesus.” Jesus always approached people with love, grace, acceptance, and a heart to serve rather than be served.
So if your attitude hasn’t been as good as it could be, make this your starting point.
My Sunday Skl 
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