You have an attitude problem…I have an attitude problem…If I had a nickel for every time I heard a parent say “I don’t like your attitude”… I’d have a big pile of nickels… Attitude is a big deal. Your attitude is important. It makes a very big difference in life.

Paul told the Philippian church “Your attitude should be like that of Christ Jesus”. You should mimic Him and specifically His attitude. In other words, we need to change our perspective, viewpoint. Even if we are doing things well, there is room to be more like Christ. He is the benchmark we aim for. He is the goal and model which we should be seeking to emulate. And our attitude plays a big part of that.

So what is Jesus’ attitude? He starts out up high – being in very nature God. But He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. “Grasped” in this sense is more like “exploited, grabbed, taken for one’s own advantage”. The NIV editorial board updated the translation here to read “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” He was not willing to use His Divinity for His own benefit. He refused to exploit His authority.

He takes on the form of a servant. There are two words for servant- diakonos (where we get the word deacon) which is an administrator, server, waiter, attendant. But then there’s doulos – a bondservant, slave, one without any authority. Jesus becomes a doulos.

Being made in the image of mankind (quite the interesting flip- mankind was made in God’s image, now He is made in the image of mankind), he humbled Himself again, becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross. He obeys death. The cross is the ultimate in humility. He has gone from the highest heights to lowest low.

God is most fully glorified through the act of being a doulos. God is most fully glorified by serving us. You would think God would be most glorified by being up there, unapproachable, heavenly, holy, untainted by mingling with us. But God says to us: “No, the most glorious thing I can do is to be humble, be a servant of all. Because through this act, men and women will live forever with Me.” So God exalted Jesus because He obeyed,

Want God to show you favour? Want to experience what it means know the pleasure and joy of God? Humble yourself. Serve. Love. Pour yourself out. Make your attitude like that of Jesus Christ. Jesus said “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (diakonos) and whoever wants to be first must be your slave (doulos)”. Give of yourself. Lose yourself for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Become a doulos of Jesus Christ. Paul, Peter, Jude, James and John all use that title: doulos of Jesus Christ. Servant or slave is not exactly a title you’ll use if you are trying to flatter yourself. But that’s what we’re called to take on: doulos.

So, do you have an attitude problem? Do you need an attitude adjustment? Are you willing to be the servant of all to give your life over so that others might live?                                                                        (GRAHAM WARE)

There’s a Gospel according to Matthew; To Mark;
To Luke; and John too.
There’s another gospel that many are reading…
The Gospel according to You.

All teachings we find in the Bible
Are facts we know to be true;
You must live them to make them the Gospel…
The Gospel according to You

Many read not the words of the Bible;
I will tell you what some of them do…
They are reading the book you are writing…
The Gospel according to you.

There’s Great Power In Gospel Preaching
The Bible teaches that this is true.
But the sermon most likely to influence others
Is The Gospel according to You.

God help us to be faithful to Jesus…
To live all His teachings so true,
So that all may see His Spirit
In the Gospel according to You

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day;
By things that you do; By things you say.
Others read that gospel, whether faithless or true!
Say! What is the Gospel According To You?

(Leroy Brownlow)

During the Chinese New Year, many will be busy with all the visiting, feasting, chatting, etc. But in the midst of all this, remember the Lord Jesus Christ. And let the activities and items of cultural significance be catalysts for not only remembering what He has done for you but also let them be opportunities to witness for Him. During this time of the year, we can remember and share with others about our salvation, changed lives, and eternal hope.

The Significance of the Colour Red – Our Salvation
The colour red is significant to the Chinese: it¹s a colour of prosperity, happiness, and good luck themes celebrated during Chinese New Year.
As Christians, the colour red is also very significant to us. We as believers have the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, shed for us for the remission of sin. So during this Chinese New Year, as we don our red clothes and drape red banners over our doors, let us remember what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us and to be thankful for our salvation.

The Significance of Spring – Our Changed Lives
Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival because it occurs at the cusp of winter and spring. It celebrates the coming of new life after a long winter. Debts are paid off, and when friends and family members meet, greetings are exchanged and old grievances are forgotten.
We have been saved by the shed blood of Christ unto a new life. There should be a changed life – our appetites and our desires should be those of Christ. Our behaviour and our manners should be that of Christ. As we visit our friends and relatives, let us remember to show forth our changed lives. Let us show forth the fragrance of the fruit we bear in Christ.
Chinese New Year, although joyful, can be a painful time for some of us. There might be relatives and friends we loathe to meet. We might wish we could sever ties with them. What are the hurts that exist between you and them? Forgive as Christ has forgiven, and seek forgiveness, to pay the debt and to start off the year with a clean slate before God and man.

The Significance of the Feast Our Eternal Hope
Chinese New Year is a time of feasting and there is great significance in the food consumed. Pineapple tarts are eaten to signify the coming of wealth. Raw fish is tossed high with crunchy vegetables and candied spices to symbolize the hope of abundant life and success in business.
But for those who are believers, we know that the Lord is in charge of all things and circumstances. As we enjoy the reunion dinner with our families on Chinese New Year’s Eve, let us look forward to our eternal hope, not in the material gains of this life, but in our future rewards.

As we eat the reunion dinner and as we visit our relatives and friends, let us consider them and ask if they shall partake together with us, that great Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Let us share with them the greater significance of the colour red, of a permanent spring, and an eternal feast.    (MARK CHEN)

Christians casually, sometimes even flippantly, refer to Jesus as Lord. But what does it really mean to call Him “Lord”? It means Jesus is our ruler, sovereign, owner, master, and sole authority. He is Lord.

Without Jesus as your Lord, you have no good thing. As David expressed in Psalm 16, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Don’t be deceived by what you think you have—youth is fleeting, wealth is empty, gifts and abilities are ultimately worthless. Without Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, you have no good thing. Surrendering to His lordship is the starting point and purpose for true life.

A popular but terribly misguided notion is that Jesus can be your Savior without being Lord. Perhaps you’ve even thought this way: I’m trusting in Jesus to forgive my sins; later in life I’ll make Him Lord. That thinking is false—nobody makes Jesus Lord. He is Lord. He doesn’t just want to forgive you and escort you to heaven. He wants to live through you and change you on the way.

So what does it mean to experience Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? It means you are yielding to His rule over every area of your life. He is . . .

Lord of your conduct. Jesus wants His desires and His will to rule over your actions, your words and feelings—your very character.

Lord of your relationships. Jesus wants to preside over your dating relationship or how you treat your spouse. He wants to rule over the way you parent. Jesus wants to be Lord over every interaction with business associates. All your relationships should yield to His rule.

Lord of your time. What should you do with your available time? How should you invest your life? If you want to live a life of purpose, you need to be about more than just flipping pages on the calendar. Jesus wants His priorities to be yours.

Lord of your talents. When you become a Christian, you are given some unique gifts; they are supernatural abilities intended to build God’s kingdom. Jesus wants to be Lord of the talents He gave you—whether those are gifts of music, teaching, mercy, helping, etc. Jesus wants to rule over how you invest those gifts in His kingdom.

Lord of your treasure. According to Christ, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Jesus cares about your money because He knows that until He has what you have, He doesn’t have you. When you surrender all you have to the lordship of Jesus, He gives it back so you can use it for Him. And He wants you to experience the joy in that.

Have you embraced Jesus as Lord? Nothing in your life will ever make sense until this does. If you ever wonder, What is life really about? How shall I invest my life?—here is your answer. Everything flows from this: Jesus Christ as Lord.

He wants to be Lord of every area of your life. What areas do you still need to surrender to His control?                                               (JAMES MACDONALD)

It’s comforting to really believe things will work out okay…even on a day like Good Friday, with so much suffering and pain. When nothing made sense and everything was hard, God worked it out for good—bringing the greatest blessing mankind will ever receive! We can believe Friday was good because of the result it brought, not because of what happened at the time.

There are usually two sides to everything. The cross has two: a crucifixion side and a resurrection side. And Jesus had to endure one side to get to the other. But if He hadn’t endured, then we’d all still be left without a Savior and no forgiveness of our sins.

Now, we don’t just go from Friday to Sunday. We have to learn to endure Saturday, which I think is sometimes the hardest to do. We’ll call it the middle. In everything, there’s a beginning, an end, and a middle. The beginning is sometimes a little bit exciting because it’s a new thing. And the end is certainly exciting because it’s where we experience the victory. But, oh…that middle! The Saturdays may be even harder than the Fridays because on Saturday, we’re in the grave and we’re not sure what’s going to happen next.

Most of the time, we don’t know how long the middle’s going to last, and although God knows…He’s not telling. (Isn’t He great at keeping secrets?) So we need to remember that when we’re going through the middle of something, we can be assured Sunday always comes after Friday. But we have to endure Saturday—we have to outlast the devil, remain steadfast and not give up or quit. When we do, we will enjoy the resurrection benefits and blessings that come on Sunday.

So, I want to remember that Jesus endured the cross because He knew what was waiting on the other side of it. In our daily lives, we are going to have to endure some things, and we’re going to face some hard times. But the only way to do it is to go through it.

Whether we’re hit by an unexpected circumstance, suffering for doing something wrong or for resisting temptation and sin by doing what’s right, we have to go through things. But waiting for you on the other side of the hard times is the joy of obtaining the prize—the good result.          (JOYCE MEYER)