“Got attitude?” my friend asked as I walked into our Saturday Men’s Group several years ago. “Always,” I replied, laughing. I was wearing a Marine Corps T-shirt that said, “Attitude Is Everything!” Anyplace else, I’d probably have gotten some “attitude” from the guys. If you work with other guys, you know what I mean. There’s no lack of testosterone in the workplace.

That started me thinking about that word “attitude.” Sadly, my King James Bible doesn’t have the word “attitude” in the concordance, nor could I find it in my large concordance (keyed to the King James Version). Webster defines the word as “posture” and as a “mental position.” As I read that the first Scripture that came to my mind was Philippians 2:5, but when I looked it up in the ESV, I came up short. The ESV puts it this way:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

The King James Version says it this way:

 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

Up to this point, I wasn’t feeling it, so I reached for the next Bible in the stack on my desk, which was the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). This is what I read:

“Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

There’s my word! We’re supposed to have the same “attitude” as did our Lord Jesus Christ, the same “mind” or “mental position,” if you will. The Apostle Paul then elaborates on that mindset.

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8, NABRE)

Let’s break this down. It means that we should think like Jesus, which results in our acting like Jesus. Sounds like a high bar, doesn’t it? Well, I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news. The bad news is it’s not hard; it’s impossible! The good news is,

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27, ESV)

God always provides a way.

As is often the case, we have a part to play, and God has a part to play. Paul, again, sets the stage for us.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2, ESV)

A. W. Tozer offers a prayer for us to offer. There is no limit to what God could do in our world if we would dare surrender before Him with a commitment like this:

“Oh God, I give myself to You. I give my family. I give my business. I give all I possess. Take all of it, Lord. And take me! I give myself in such measure that if it is necessary that I lose everything for Your sake, let me lose it. I will not ask what the price is. I will ask only that I may be all that I ought to be as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.”

Jesus is Victor, 1989

Holding nothing back, we need to say to God, “I’m yours.” He then, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit, does a transforming work in our lives, a process that will continue throughout our earthly journey. Will we ever be perfect? Not likely (just ask your wife or significant other)! But are we growing and maturing in Christ? Absolutely! In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he wrote:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

As we begin to think and act like Jesus, we can say without hesitation, “Attitude is everything”!

What say you, Man of Valor?

Adapted from Men of Valor Devotional by Ron Helle, 29 November 2024