Articles
Attitude Adjustment Needed?
Let’s consider a couple of attitudes that may hinder some from obeying God.
The first is “I can’t!” Too often, people see the high demands of Jesus as too costly and then turn sadly away, thinking there is no way they could live up to His standards.
But did God ever give a command without providing the power to do it? When God called Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah to great tasks, each one balked. But God’s answer to each was, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3-12; Judges 6:16; Jeremiah 1:4-8).
The second attitude is: “Look what I can do!” King Nebuchadnezzar boasted, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
After God took Nebuchadnezzar down a few notches, he then admitted, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:30, 37).
God warned Israel against boasting, “My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.” No matter how much they prospered, they could never afford to forget the Source of all their blessings (Deuteronomy 8:10-18).
These two attitudes—“I can’t!” and “Look what I can do!”—may seem like opposites, but they have this in common: too much I and not enough God. The correct perspective is to recognize our limitations while acknowledging God’s unlimited power.
Jesus’ words in John 15:5 are a corrective for both wrong attitudes. To the one who says, “Look what I can do!” Jesus says, “. . . apart from me you can do nothing.” To the one who thinks, “I can’t!” Jesus says, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.”
Faith takes care of “I can’t!” Humility takes care of “Look what I can do!” As Paul wrote, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
