I have been thinking recently about attitudes that should guide my life because of various issues I have been facing and struggles that I have had relationally. I am more and more persuaded that a pastor who is seeking to plant his life in a single place for a long period of time in order to do ministry should be continually concerned with the attitudes he is clothed with; because his attitude not only shapes his reputation, but also shapes how the people receive the Gospel.
Therefore, as a fleshing out of my understanding of my life verse (1 Corinthians 10:31), here are the attitudes our principles that I have come up with so far. This may seem overly simplistic, but simple is good sometimes, right?
- The first attitude or principle is: I will be a blessing to God.
- The second attitude or principle is: I will be a blessing to others.
Like I said, this may seem simplistic, but I honestly believe that the secret to life in Jesus is not complex. If I understand that my daily existence boils down to being a blessing to my Father, and I am seeking to be a blessing in everything that I do and say then my life will be wonderful and satisfying. And if, after that, I seek to be a blessing to every person that I meet in a day, whether in word or in deed, then not only will I be a blessing to them, but that will also be a blessing to my Father.
Consider, however, the strategies of our enemy. Our natural desire is to seek our own will, comfort, and interests above all others. This motivation may be explicit (in that it is blatant in all our actions) or it may be implicit (in that our actions have a mask of goodness over them, but are really selfishly motivated). I think Paul felt this in Romans 7:23-25 when he wrote, “I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Who will deliver us from our selfishness? Only Jesus. Who will deliver us from a ministry-ending outburst of anger? Only Jesus. Who will deliver us from our internal and external rebellion against God’s designs and purposes? Only Jesus.
My friends, let us dwell in Jesus today. He is our only hope.