Fix Your Attitude

Life Hacks: Part 2

By Amitabh Singh

A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You can’t go anywhere until you fix it.

In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus uses the phrase, “You have heard that our ancestors were told… But I say…”

Jesus is referring to the sixth of the ten commandments found in Exodus 20:13 (NLT):
“You must not murder.”

The common misinterpretation by the Pharisees and scribes of the sixth commandment was that if one did not murder, he had obeyed the law. This made people feel holy and prideful about being right with God.

Jesus presents the idea that internal anger is just as dangerous as lashing out. All actions begin with a feeling and thoughts.

James 3:10-12 puts it this way:

“And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right. Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

Likewise, worship and disunity cannot co-exist. There is something wrong with having conflict between each other and trying to worship God. True worship requires personal sacrifice of feelings before we engage in corporate sacrifice of worship.

I would suggest that we all take the time to self-reflect on our feelings, anger, and disagreements and confessing or resolving those first. Part of worship is confession and recognizing God’s grace that has been showered on us.