Get an Attitude of Gratitude
September 13, 2010Do all things without grumbling or disputing. Philippians 2:14
Stop finding fault. We live in a culture that has exalted fault finding to virtue status. It’s easy to grumble – “to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly”* – but grumbling or complaining doesn’t improve anything.
Paul talks about how the Old Testament Israelites were destroyed by their bad attitude, and he exhorts the Corinthian church to avoid the same pitfall and not “grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:10). The ones who grumbled got in a place of destruction and saw no breakthrough.
Adjust your attitude. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll once said, “The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day . . . I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it.” Paul was in the middle of a terrible situation in prison when he wrote his letter to the Philippians – yet, he told them eight times to rejoice! “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
And there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:4
Develop a habit of giving thanks. In everything give thanks. If we’re going to have habits, we might as well have good ones. The flesh is inclined to look at whatever is negative. Discipline yourself to look at what is praiseworthy and what is right in a situation. Murmuring is contagious, but so is a thankful and grateful heart.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Pastor Jeff Perry
Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. *”grumbling.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 07 Sep. 2010.