Attitude, more than aptitude, will determine your altitude.
Attitude has to do with character.
Aptitude has to do with competence.
Altitude has to do with fruitfulness.
Aptitude has to do with competence.
Altitude has to do with fruitfulness.
MIND YOURSELF
Before you dismiss this as cute cliché, let me say that after 73 years of life and 44 years of ministry, I am more convinced than ever that this is true: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).
Due to the grace of the Lord Jesus through the cross, the empty tomb and the indwelling Holy Spirit we have the very mind, attitude, perspective that Jesus has. We can be continually transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:2)
NASTY NANCIES
There are countless intelligent and capable leaders who never reach their full God-given potential due to a poor (or downright nasty) attitude toward life and people. They are too brilliant for their own good and the good of the team. In fact, it is often not about the team at all, but about them individually. This is where their attitude begins to go south.
Select one bad attitude of yours and focus on that in prayer and Scripture.
When my son Dan was on the high school tennis team, I tried to attend all of his home matches. Somewhere during the season he asked me to observe one of the more talented players on the team, which I did. I was not impressed. No, I take that back. I wasimpressed. He left me with the impression that he was an angry, insolent, arrogant young man who was full of himself. He looked like he was emulating the antics of John McEnroe by throwing his racquet, losing his temper and reaming out everybody within hearing distance. He was long on aptitude (ability) but short on attitude, which in turn negatively affected his game and his teammates. Zig Ziglar used to refer to this kind of attitude as “stinking thinking.”
ATTITUDES THAT HONOR JESUS
I would rather work with a person who has a great attitude and an OK aptitude than a person with a poor attitude and a great aptitude. As I move into the twilight years of my life and ministry, I am praying more than ever that the Lord Jesus will deliver me from harmful attitudes such as anger, bitterness, whining, fault-finding, and blame-shifting.
One of my early mentors asked me to pray that he wouldn’t become a bitter old man. I didn’t understand it then but I do now after meeting many bitter/angry leaders.
Now, let me be quick to say that it is one thing to realize that you have “attitude problems” and quite another thing to see them change into a set of attitudes that honor Jesus.
Sow a thought (attitude) and reap an action. Sow an action and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a lifestyle. Sow a lifestyle and reap a destiny.
PRACTICAL IDEAS
Here are a few practical ideas on how to experience attitudinal transformation and move toward a different destiny:
Be quick to confess and repent when your attitude is not honoring to the Lord (Psalm 32; 51)
Select one bad attitude you know you have and focus on that both in prayer and in Scripture
Ask good questions and listen well. For example, I am a poor listener and am currently focusing on that with James 1:19 in mind, “Know this, my beloved brothers; let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” My bad attitude is one of thinking that my ideas are more valuable and better than those of others, so I tend to dominate the conversation rather than asking good questions and listening well as I affirm the ideas of others.
Pray regularly for God’s grace through the power of the Holy Spirit to give you a new heart in some specific attitude area of your life.
Online at:
No comments:
Post a Comment