2009 - Day 32 - Attitude Adjustment

February, 2009 Topic: Joseph: A Man of Integrity & Forgiveness - Continued

We move into February and continue for a couple of weeks with Chuck Swindoll’s devotional exposition of the life of Joseph. If you’re reading and studying along with me in these journal entries, I hope you’re getting as much from this study as I am. But, we move on in Swindoll’s coverage in his devotional book, Great Days with the Great Lives.

Administrative Reminder: Again all Scriptures quoted in my journal entries will be from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise referenced.

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February 1, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: Attitude Adjustment

Passage of the Day: Genesis 45: 8 – 9 … [Joseph speaking to his brothers] 8 “So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father [Hebrew “ab,” meaning a respected head of a people or family] to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.’ ”

My Journal for Today: Swindoll closes out his devotional today, entitled “Attitude Adjustment” with a one sentence sermon, inspired by the late preacher, John Henry Jowett. He writes: “Greatness is revealed mainly in our attitude.”

What a powerful statement of what Joseph represented for all believers in God’s word. Think about it! Here was a man who, based upon his life, could have displayed such attitudes as anger, bitterness, hatred, or vengeance. Yet, as Swindoll writes, he had chosen to become “… supportive, merciful, gracious, generous, and [totally] unselfish.” And about Whom does that remind you? Well, the capital “W” may give that riddle away.

Yes, Joseph, as I’ve said in past journal entries is a type of Christ in the Old Testament. And through the trials and testing of his life, Joseph was developed by God with attitudes very unlike most men; and, when you analyze his vertical outlook, he had become a man much like The Messiah for Whom looked toward, but Whom we can celebrate as our Risen Lord.

There is a New Testament scripture to which I’ve often referred in my discipleship and teaching in Phil. 2 (verse 5) which states clearly what the attitude of those claim Christ as Lord should be. It states, Let this mind [or attitude] be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ... I also think of Ephesians 4: 1-3, where Paul exhorts Christians, ... I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Can you see, as I do, that as Christians we are practically commanded to move toward worthiness as disciples of our Lord … to develop and maintain an attitude which is modeled by Christ. If we are Christians, that is, like Paul says, “prisoners of the Lord,” we are to be surrendered and have an attitude which honors our Lord and Savior, Jesus. But what are the attitude and value qualities to which we, like Joseph, should aspire and develop? In answer to that important discipleship question, I believe those are also found in the writings of Paul in Galatians 5: 22 – 23, i.e., the fruit of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (or meekness), AND self-control.

The wonderful thing about being a New Covenant believer is that we are given ALL of these qualities, the values of Christlikeness, when we are truly born-again as Christians. Joseph, I believe, also had the Holy Spirit guiding him in his life as a type of Christ whom we can read about in Scripture; but just like New Testament Christians, Joseph had to be in surrender to God’s Spirit to develop and exhibit the qualities we have read about in Genesis, where his life becomes a shining example of a Christ-like attitude.

I truly hope (and pray) that I can not only aspire to have an attitude like Christ, but to humbly walk in surrender to His Spirit, Who can/will allow the fruit of His very being to permeate my mind and heart and to help me develop an attitude which is like that of our Savior.

I pray that is the goal we all have in Christ.

My Prayer for Today: Help me, Lord, to have Your attitude as I make decisions and act in worthiness to Your Name. Amen