First Baptist Church Ingleside

Christian Attitude

There are at least three attitudes which a Christian would do well to possess concerning God.  The first is to realize that everything one has is a gift from God.  We know we must work in order to have, but it is not our work which supplies our needs.  The very food on our table, our "daily bread", comes to us by the grace of God.  We depend upon God for the basic necessities of life:  food, water, air, and sunshine.  All comes by way of God's grace and not as the result of our labor.  Just let a small drought or perceived accident occur and we can see just how utterly dependent for everything we are from God.

The second attitude should be to know it is God's business and not our own to care for what we have.  We can trust God to protect what we possess.  This attitude is not limited to our possessions, but should include even our reputations, our jobs, and our relationships, giving us the freedom to trust God for all things.

The third attitude is one which allows us to make available what we have to others.  It is to realize and understand that keeping our possessions to ourselves is stolen goods from God.  When we hold on to our possessions and not share them, we are being anxious about tomorrow.  But why be afraid if we trust that God is who Jesus says He is?  Our attitude should be that God is our Almighty Creator and loving Father which allows us to share knowing He will care for us.

Our lives can certainly be characterized by these attitudes when we first seek the Kingdom of God.  Practiced together, they are the true epitome of what Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:33-34 when He says, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."