How did you wake up today? Did you wake with a smile or did you roll over and say, "Ugh.."? Each and every day we make tons of choices. Some are tough and some are pretty easy for us to contemplate, but for most of us the hardest decision of all to face daily is our attitude. You might ask, "Well, how is an attitude a decision?" Our attitude can warm people. It can encourage friends. The very attitude we possess has the ability to bring people to know Christ or to move them away from Him.
Think about it. We call ourselves Christians, but how much more important are the very actions we possess each day more so than our words of, "Yes, I'm a Christian"? It's our actions that people remember. We can say one thing, but do a turn and do something totally different.
We make snap judgements about others. Most of all in how they look. We listen to gossip and say, "I knew there was something I didn't like about Julie", when in fact, the words that just entered our ears were way off base. We speak before we think. We act before we pray. We spend our days looking at others and seeing what is wrong in this world, in our city, in our town and in our very church. But how often do we think of our attitude?
We can wake up and spend hours thinking of what if's and just maybe's. We can ponder our regrets and get caught up in what could have been if we only made a different decision. We cannot change yesterday. There is nothing at all that we can do to bring it back or change the way it was. Why is that so hard for us to comprehend?
So, today I came across scripture that made me sit straight up and set my coffee cup down.
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as, in fact, you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
We cannot change others. What we can do is pray. We can cover every person we meet in prayer. We can saturate the floors of heaven with prayer. That girl you don't like, well, instead of saying something bad about her, saturate her in prayer. Think of something you do like about her and concentrate on the love of Christ toward her. We are a work in progress. You may not like her, but her life is just as valuable as your life.
We simply just have to make the choice of doing what is right. When we have our eyes totally focused on Christ nothing can move us away from Him. We must make the choice to encourage others. In doing so we are encouraged.
Each movement creates a movement. In moving in a Christ-like way we can begin to change our heart. It must be a conscious effort on our part. I find that when I am alone I am on fire for Christ. Really, I can dig into God's Word, I can encourage and I can move about my day just thinking about Him, but put me in a room with others and if I am not careful my whole attitude can change.
All it takes is one text, one phone call, one disappointing moment in time and everything can change for us in our walk. We can either fall into that gossip, grab hold of that anger, and twist ourselves so tightly and righteously that we begin to walk away from Christ in the blink of an eye.
Everything is a choice. A decision to be made. Just how we base those decisions will not only effect us, but those around us. No choice just effects one person. Our actions can either bring others closer to Christ or move them away inch by inch.
We can wake up sad or angry or we can wake up inspired and motivated to move on Christ's behalf. We may not have tomorrow. We may not have the next hour, but we have right now. This very moment we can make a valid choice to do what is right. It doesn't matter what others think. It doesn't matter if that choice is accepted by those around you. What matters is how Christ sees your action. Our choices need to line up with His Word, not the crowd. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference. One person can change the world. Look what Christ did for us. Look what He did with just twelve disciples. Heaven and earth were moved by their actions in following God and His Word.
Stop looking to see what your neighbor is doing. Don't look at yesterday as the means of what today will bring. Today is a whole new day with new possibilities. Every decision is an opportunity to shine for Christ. It's all up to you. So, what will you choose for today? Our very first decision should be to look to Christ. With our eyes on Him, each decision for today will be based on His will and after all, isn't that what we are searching for?
The very seeds of your decisions today can take root and blossom and spread to others. In just what grows all depends on your decision of what to plant.
