What Is Our “Altitude” Today?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesAmerican author and motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar once remarked, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” How true that maxim is. We cannot arise higher than our thoughts. The position we occupy tomorrow will greatly be affected by the disposition of mind we possess today.
Man’s happiness is not determined by his circumstances (Philippians 4:11-13; cf. Acts 16:19-25). Much of our life is “what we make it” — the rest, is in “how we take it.”
The story is told of a lady who once gossiped about the dirty wash her next door neighbor would put out on the clothes line each week. However, when another neighbor down the street pointed out to her that she needed to wash her dirty windows, her next door neighbor’s washing suddenly cleared up!
Folks, it’s all a matter of how one sees things, because a man “sees” what he carries in his heart (Titus 1:15).
Man has not only been given the power of thought, he has also been charged with the responsibility of controlling his thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:1-5).
A simple remedy that will help our attitude, increasing the height of our “altitude,” is the following inspired teaching by the Holy Spirit through Paul:
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).
Brethren and friends, we need to read the above text over and over again until it is indelibly written on our hearts. Then, with a renewed attitude, we can soar like the eagle to a greater “altitude” than we ever thought possible for God’s kingdom and His glory (Isaiah 40:31; Matthew 6:33; Isaiah 43:7).