Grace & Truth Chapel
131 Fardale Avenue ~ Mahwah, New Jersey
Phone 201-327-6226 ~ E-mail gtchapel@juno.com

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"The Christian Attitude" (posted September 1, 2003)

Thus says the Lord: "...this thing is from Me."
   - 1 Kings 12:24

It is not circumstances that make one happy or unhappy, but our attitude towards them--the way we look at them or feel about them.

The tendency is to become discontented, fretful, irritated, or even bitter when our circumstances and environment are not to our liking. Many adults act in this like a child that cries and sulks or goes into a tantrum when he can't have things his own way. Such an attitude is a continual source of unhappiness both to oneself and those around.

Some are able, however, to keep a more realistic attitude of making the best of what can't be changed, and so, adjusting themselves to it, have more calm and less chafing under their circumstances. There is, however, no real comfort in it, though there may be a certain amount of pride and satisfaction in being a man about it instead of acting like a child. But this is still not the Christian attitude.

Paul could say of himself, "I have learned in whatever state (or circumstances) I am, to be content" (Philippians 4:11). The Christian attitude is one that yields real contentment and satisfaction even in the most trying circumstance. A Christian knows that he is a well-beloved child of God, and that his Father has all his circumstances under His control and only allows those things that are for his greatest good. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28).

There are no ifs nor ands about it. It is positively so. And so he is enabled to face whatever circumstance comes up, however trying it would seem to be naturally, with a positive assurance: "This is for my good. My Father has a lesson for me to learn in it--He has a blessing for me to get out of it. It is a golden opportunity He is giving me to exercise patience and submission, faith and confidence in Him, and so exercise dependence upon Him and manifest that divine nature He has given me, as His child." This has great recompense of reward.

The soul is thus enlarged and enriched while in distress or in trying circumstances (Psalm 4:1). The Christian should always look at his circumstances and environment as it were the setting of the stage by the hands of his loving Father for him to play his role as a son of God, showing by his actions and reactions in reference to every circumstance that divine life which he has from God.

Read the life of Christ in the gospels. What were the circumstances he passed through? Surely not such as the natural man would like: fleeing for His life to Egypt as a baby (Matthew 2:13-14); working as a carpenter in the despised town of Nazareth in young manhood (Mark 6:3; John 1:46); not having where to lay His head in manhood (Matthew 8:20); thought to be crazy by His friends and called a demoniac by the crowd (Mark 3:21; John 8:48); and what contradictions, mocking, and scoffing He endured. But He received them all from His Father's hand without being ruffled by them, and found in them His opportunity to manifest what He was in His divine nature.

Now each child of God has been made a partaker of the same divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). He has Christ as his life. So all the circumstances he is passing through are God-given opportunities to live out that divine life in his actions and reactions--to live Christ, or rather let Christ, who is his life, take over his whole being and live out His life through him. This is exactly what Paul meant when he said, "For to me, to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).

E. C. Hadley



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