Attitude Makes The Difference
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Of All the Things You Wear, Your Expression is the Most Important
Attitude - An outward expression of an inward feeling.
The good news is that we can choose our attitude.
Illustration: Two construction workers were taking their lunch break. One of them opened his lunch box and said, “ Boloney sandwich again? This is the fourth time this week I have had a boloney sandwich.” His buddy said, “Just ask your wife to fix you something different.” “Wife?”, I fixe my own lunch.” replied his friend.
POINT: The fact is , most of the boloney in our lives, we have put there ourselves.
Story of the Prodigal Son & the Attitude of the Brother.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”
Is it possible for us, as Christians, to have the “elder brother” attitude concerning others?
Three Possibilities:
1. It is Possible For Us To Assume the Place and Privilege of a Son While Refusing the Obligations of a Brother.
The older son had outwardly done the right things. He had worked hard, served his father, never gave the family any problems. He didn’t run away from his responsibilities, etc.
BUT…His attitude was wrong. Everything was okay on the outside but the inward wrong attitude toward his brother eventually portrayed itself.
NOTE: His wrong attitude led to a wrong relationship with his brother and his wrong relationship with his brother brought a strained relationship with the father.
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,
2. It Is Possible to Serve the Father Faithfully yet Not be in Fellowship with Him.
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
A right relationship will usually cultivate similar interests and priorities. The older brother had no idea why the father would rejoice over his son’s return.
How many people serve God but don’t have the same priorities or interests as God.
Many people serve Jesus but don’t have a relationship with Him. Their interests and priorities are different.
Even as a young child Jesus said to his parents...
“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
If we are going to have the same priorities and interests as Jesus, we must be in a right relationship with Him and not just serve Him.
3. It Is Possible To Be An Heir of All Our Father Possesses Yet Have Less Joy and Liberty Than the One Who Possesses Nothing.
Luke 15:26-27
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
and he asked one of the servants what was going on.
and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
The servants, who own nothing, were happier and rejoicing more than the older brother, who had everything.
The servants, who own nothing, were happier and rejoicing more than the older brother, who had everything.
They ate, laughed, and danced while the older brother stood on the outside demanding his rights.
APPLICATION:
When our attitude begins to erode like the older brother’s, we should remember two things:
1. Our Privilege:
31) “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me,
2. Our Possessions:
31) and everything I have is yours
Conclusion
A wrong attitude kept the elder brother away from the heart’s desire of the father, which was the love for the brother and also the joy of the servants. Wrong attitudes in our lives will block the blessings of God and cause us to love below God’s potential for our lives.
Illustration:
Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation's deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.