YOUR ATTITUDE DECIDES YOUR ALTITUDE!

Yesterday, Brian, Adrian and I went to pray over 'Christian Patients' in Rashid Hospital. Christian patients only, because it is forbidden to go around praying for patients of other faiths unless they have specifically asked you to. For the sake of this article, I will only concentrate on three out of the 20 patients we must have prayed over.

One was a Hyderabadi man who had a broken leg and rib due to a bad car accident. Even before we reached his bedside, we could feel the love radiating out of him. The secret of his attitude was that he was totally in love with Jesus and kept on praising Him for this 'new life' which was given him. As soon as he would get discharged from hospital, he was going to testify to everyone what the Lord had done in his life.

Another was a young boy (under 30), who had shattered both his legs and lay in excruciating pain. He had steel poking out from his bandages everywhere. Yet, he was joyful. He had a well worn Bible on his side. All he was doing was praising God for giving him another chance at life.

There was yet another who had broken both his ankles after miraculously surviving a fall from 4m. He had landed on both his feet when he had fallen off a building scaffold! There was no doubt in his mind that the Lord had saved him for a purpose and kept praising Him.

What could be the source of their joy in their intensely painful situations?

Writing from a prison cell in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote about the attitude a Christian should have:

 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). He’s telling us that no matter what unexpected disruptions, frustrations, or difficulties come our way, we are to respond with a Christ-like attitude.

Paul also writes, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:5).

He also encourages us in Ephesians 5:1 to be “imitators of Christ as dearly beloved children.” As children love to imitate what they see and repeat what they hear; we also are charged to imitate and model Christ’s behaviour and to be clear reflections of the Lord (Matthew 5:16).

Each time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and the people around us, we’re only demonstrating that we want to be a god. But we must understand that, as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want us to try to become gods. Instead, He wants us to become like Him, taking on His values, His attitudes, and His character.

We are meant to “be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24).