Today I want to begin a series of messages about attitude. Our attitude is such a powerful force in our lives. Your attitude will build you up or tear you down. We are living in an economic and social environment when it is vitally important that we find a positive God based attitude. Everywhere you turn you hear bad news. When you pick up the paper you read a lot of bad news. Newspapers and the evening news speak of the high rate of unemployment; the decline of the stock market; CEO’s who have swindled millions out of their company; political in-fighting; or the latest murder. In times like these we need to seek a God shaped attitude.
I heard about a young girl who became a Christian in a revival at her church and was baptized the following Sunday morning. That afternoon she ran through the house singing and dancing. Her grandfather had a sour attitude and rebuked her with these words, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You just joined the church and you’re singing and dancing on the Lord’s Day!” Crushed by her grandfather’s attitude, the little girl went out to the barn, climbed up on the corral fence, and observed an old mule standing there with a sad, droopy face. As she reached over and patted the mule sympathetically, she said, “Don’t cry, ole mule. I guess you’ve got the same kind of religion that Grandpa has!”
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Bart Leger)
Ladies and gentleman, I do not want to be a person with a negative attitude that discourages others. I want to bring a word of hope.
Illustration: I imagine all of you have heard stories about Thomas Edison. He was named “Life” magazines man of the millennium. He invented 1,093 items and held more patents than any other person in the world. He was granted at least one patent a year for sixty-five consecutive years. Many people credit his success to genius but his greatest attributes may have been his fortitude and positive attitude. It took him approximately 10,000 tries to find the right materials for the incandescent light bulb.
Probably the most notable display of Edison’s positive attitude can be seen in the way he approached a tragedy that occurred when he was in his late sixties. The lab he had built in West Orange, New Jersey, was world famous. He called the fourteen building complex his invention factory. Its main building was massive—greater than three football fields in size. From that base of operations, he and his staff conceived inventions developed prototypes, manufactured products, and shipped them to customers. It became a model for modern research and manufacturing.
Edison loved the place. He spent every minute
he could there. He even slept there,often on one of the lab tables. But on a December day in 1914,his beloved lab caught fire. As he stood outside and watched it burn, he is reported to have said, “Kids, go get your mother. She’ll never see another fire like this one.”
Most people would have been crushed. Not Edison. “I am sixty-seven,” he stated after the tragedy, “but not too old to make a fresh start. I’ve been through a lot of things like this.” He rebuilt the lab, and he kept working for another seventeen years. “I am long on ideas, but short on time.” He commented. “I expect to live to be only about a hundred.” (John Maxwell. The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader Thomas Nelson.
1999. p. 89-90)
Ladies and gentleman I may not be a Thomas Edison but I can honor God with my attitude.
There are many things that will affect your attitude.
1. Your emotional and mental condition will affect your attitude.
2. Your physical condition will affect your attitude.
3. Your childhood will affect your attitude.
4. Your work life will affect your attitude.
5. Your family life will affect your attitude.
6. More importantly than any of these, your faith should affect your attitude.
When I refer to attitude I am not talking about positive thinking. I am not talking about some self help course whereby you change your demeanor. I am talking about an attitude that is based on faith.
To begin this series of messages I want to turn to I Samuel 17. This is a familiar story. It is the story of David and Goliath. It has been referenced by preachers. It has been referenced by politicians. It has been taught to children’s Sunday school classes. David has been exalted as a man of great faith. David has been exalted as a man who trusted God. Today I want to use David as a man with a great attitude. Look at David’s attitude. David had been at home watching his father’s sheep. His older brothers had gone off to war. David was asked to make a delivery to his brothers, in behalf of their father. When he arrived on the scene he gets his first glimpse of Goliath, almost ten feet tall. All of the soldiers trembled in fear because of Goliath, but not David. He said “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (vs. 26) David had a positive, trusting, and Godly attitude. What can we learn about David’s attitude? Notice three lessons we should learn from David.
1. We need a right attitude about challenges.
You and I should seek to avoid negative/defeated attitudes. They will destroy us.
A farmer had a neighbor that was always negative, no matter what. If it was raining, the farmer would say to his neighbor, "Boy, look at it rain, God’s washing everything clean." The neighbor would say, "Yeah, but if it keeps up it’s gonna flood." Then the sun would come out and he’d say, "If it keeps that up, it’s gonna just scorch the crops." The farmer got a new tractor and showed it to this guy. “I’ll bet it breaks down before you get your first job done.” The farmer thought, "What am I going do to help change this guy’s negative attitude?" So he searched high and low for something that would be hard to find that was negative. Finally, he found it – a duck hunting dog that had been trained to walk on water. He bought it, and sure enough, this dog could walk on water. He didn’t tell his neighbor, he just took him duck hunting. Boom! Boom! They shot several ducks, and the farmer commanded the dog to fetch the ducks. The dog walked across the water, picked them up, and hopped back in the boat, nothing wet just his paws. The farmer said, "What do you think of that?" The neighbor said, "He can’t swim, can he?"
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Sherm Nichols)
When challenges come into your life they will either defeat you or make you strong.
* Your challenges can make you negative.
* Your challenges can make you bitter.
* Your challenges can make you depressed.
* Your challenges can make you act rashly.
Someone has said “Life is like a tube of toothpaste. You never know what’s inside until squeezed.” Notice how the people in our text acted under pressure. “When they saw the man, (they) fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.” (vs. 24) Remember what Franklin D. Roosevelt said to the American people during World War II. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” F.D.R. Challenges will defeat you or make you strong.
Our faith should help us avoid the intimidation factor in challenges.
The story is told of a wonderful, elderly, Christian lady. She had very little money and lived in a rundown house, but she was always praising the Lord. Her only problem was with the old man who lived next door. He was always trying to prove to her that there was no God. One day, as the old man was walking by her house, he noticed the woman through an open window. She was kneeling down in prayer, so he crept over to the window to see if he could hear. She was praying, " Lord, you’ve always given me what I’ve needed." She prayed. "And now you know that I don’t have any money, and I’m completely out of groceries, and I won’t get another check for a week." She continued, "somehow, Lord, can you get me some groceries." The man had heard all he needed. He crept away from the window and ran down to the grocery store. He bought milk, bread, and lunchmeat. He ran back to the woman’s house carrying the groceries. He set the bag down on by her door, rang the doorbell, and hid beside of the house. You can imagine how the woman reacted to seeing the bag of groceries. She threw her hands over head and began praising the Lord. "Thank you Jesus," she shouted. "I was without food and you provided the groceries." About that time the old man jumped out and said, "I’ve got you now." She was too busy shouting thank you to Jesus to pay any attention. "I told you there was no God," the old man said, " it wasn’t Jesus who gave you those groceries it was me." "Oh no," the woman said. "Jesus got me these groceries and made the devil pay for them." She had the right attitude. She was not intimidated by her challenge.
2. We need a healthy attitude about ourselves.
David’s greatest weapon was not his sling but his attitude. (vs. 26) He had confidence in God and he had confidence that God could use him. Where did he get such a healthy concept of himself?
Sometimes we doubt ourselves when we are in the midst of the battle. We need to be reminded that God equips us for the battles we face. Notice verse 37. David said “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” King Saul tried to equip David with military armor. David felt uncomfortable trying to use these weapons with which he was not familiar. David chose rather to use a sling and some small stones. There is a beautiful truth in this passage. God has equipped his children for the special place in which he places them. You might be down on yourself. You might feel inadequate. Remember, God has equipped you for the battle.
There is a wonderful verse of scripture in I Cor. 10 that speaks to this issue. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (vs. 13)
David had confidence because God had equipped him but also because God had a plan for him. God had a special plan for David in the midst of this battle. It is exciting to think that God has plans for you for such a time as this.
3. We need a right attitude about God.
David had confidence in God. Notice verse 45 “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” What confidence! Throughout the Bible we find people who displayed quiet confidence that God would come through.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had issued a degree that all people were to bow down and worship his golden image. Three Hebrew believers, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego would not worship the kings false image. They had quiet confidence in God. Listen to what they said in response to the king’s threats. "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’’ (Daniel 3:17-18 NKJV)
My brother and sister-in-law (before he died) attended a Baptist church in Pineville, La. Several years ago their pastor was found to be sick with cancer. When they found this cancer it was very bad. Someone asked him about his feelings. He said “I have preached that Jesus is sufficient for all my years of ministry. Now I must live and/or die as if he is sufficient.” He displayed a quiet confidence.
This discussion about confidence in God raises an important question. How do you develop confidence in God? In David’s case, the answer is found in verse 37. “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me.” God had proven himself to David. The story of the Bible is of a God who comes through and proves his faithfulness to his people. God does not guarantee a life that is free of trials. He does promise that he will come through. He has proven that He is faithful.
In Decision, Joni Eareckson Tada writes: Honesty is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, "Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!" Several women who stood around listening to the conversation nodded. "How do you do it?" she asked as she capped her lipstick. "I don’t do it," I said. "In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?" "This is an average day," I breathed deeply. "After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 A.M., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00 A.M. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up. "While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ’Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately.’" "So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?" one of them asked. "I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so," I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, "whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning." I have learned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be. [Joy Hard Won, Citation: Joni Eareckson Tada, "Joy Hard Won," Decision (March 2000), p.12, used by permission]
(Contributed to Sermon Central by A. Todd Coget)
David had a positive attitude about the challenge he faced. David had a positive attitude about himself, as a servant of God. David had a positive attitude about God. He knew God would come through.
