Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 68). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Such a good thought.   It is an attitude that sets the altitude for living.   That is what I want.   I don’t want an attitude that always keeps me down. I want one that keeps me up. Don’t you? James deals with this.   He says, “Unfortunately, there is a kind of low-altitude life that too many people live. It’s a particular approach that grovels and slums and tries to get by under the radar of hope. It’s a down-and-dirty, cloudy, damp, depressing, ungrateful, unthankful, complaining, negative, ugh! sort of living. We’ve all spent some days there. It’s definitely a wilderness!” He then says, “But there is another kind of living. It’s a high-altitude attitude— up where the air is clean and the sun is shining and the future is as bright as the promises of

A though by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 63). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It really is, isn’t it?   And it can be a life changing decision for us today? James says, “The psalmist wrote, ‘Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord.’ By men, of course, he meant men and women— mankind.”   Now there is a very important word there in that verse.   James says, “Notice the verse says would because if it said could — ‘Oh, that men could give thanks to the Lord’— well, then the ball would be in God’s court, wouldn’t it? And we would be free to say things like, ‘It’s Your fault, God; if I could give thanks, then I would. If You hadn’t made me so negative; if You hadn’t made me so selfish; but I am, so I can’t, but I would if I could , but You didn’t, so I can’t, so … whatever.’ But it doesn’t say could , it says would , so the choi

A though by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 54). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ( Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) It is so important for us to see what being thankful does to our life's view.   James says, “Only when we recognize God as our gracious provider do we comprehend our need for God and begin to express faith in Him. That is a very significant point. Faith grows in the soil of thankfulness.” He goes on, “Only when a person outside of Christ is willing to acknowledge—‘Yes, there is a God. I have received much from His hand and probably owe Him something more than passive acknowledgment. Perhaps I should turn and consider whether I ought to be reconciled to this God who made me and gives me life and strength’— only then will he be ready for faith. Faith to believe in God as the One to whom we must all be reconciled sprouts in the soil of gratefulness.”