Attitudes

1 Kings 1:1–53, Mark 1:1–34, Proverbs 1:1–7

When Israel’s King David became advanced in years, no amount of blankets could keep him warm. They had no electric blankets, hot water bottles, or thermostats in those days so David’s servants found a young woman to lie in his arms. Imagine being willing to cuddle up to a very old man, not as a sexual object but to serve the king in a most unusual way. (1 Kings 1:1–2)  I can hardly imagine her attitude!

It is easier to grasp the attitude of Adonijah, one of David’s sons. He knew that his father was unable to rule, so he exalted himself saying, “I will be king” and made preparations to take that position. (1 Kings 1:5–6)

Bathsheba was dismayed. With great respect, she went to David and said, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.” (1 Kings 1:17–18) She knew that if Adonijah took the throne, he would kill her and Solomon.

David remembered. He said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.” (1 Kings 1:29–30) Even though David was not a perfect or sinless person, he was a man of his word, a very commendable attitude for anyone to have.

His men were loyal to him also. One of them said, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so. As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” (1 Kings 1:36–37)

This attitude of allegiance was repeated by David’s servants. They came to congratulate him saying, “May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.”

David also bowed himself on the bed and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.” (1 Kings 1:46–48) He was totally willing to yield his throne to the son of his choice.

As for Adonijah, he feared for his life, but the new king Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” He had Adonijah brought before him and the usurper wisely paid homage to King Solomon. The new king could have slain him, but Solomon said, “Go to your house.” (1 Kings 1:52–53) His merciful attitude was far different from that of his half brother.

Solomon has been considered a very wise man. He wrote many proverbs, particularly about wisdom. His attitude was to “know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth.” He urged that “the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles” and declared, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:1–7) The grace of God gave Solomon an attitude that few had in those days. No wonder he had an incredibly good reputation.

Hundreds of years later, another man appeared who also had an unusual attitude. He had a powerful message about the coming Messiah, but gave it in great humility . . .

“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‘after me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” (Mark 1:4–8)

Soon after, Jesus came and John stepped out of the limelight. Jesus invited humble fishermen to follow Him, healed the sick, cast out demons, and changed the world. While the godly men who went before Him displayed remarkable attitudes, His thoughts and manner were always exactly as they should be for He was God in human flesh, sinless, and determined to not do His own will but the will of His Father in heaven.

I can look to David, Solomon, John the Baptist and others as good examples, but only Jesus lives in my heart to enable me to not only have the attitude of my God, but live it out in faith and obedience.

Saved to serve

What would it be like to have everything including the power to rule over all things? If it were me, how would I deal with that much privilege?

Since this will never happen, I cannot know for certain, but if that saying about the corruption that goes with power is true, then I would likely abuse it, using my privileges for selfish gain instead of helping others.

Jesus has that kind of power…

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)

(God) worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church… (Ephesians 1:20–22)

So what did Jesus do with it? Did He lord it over us, abusing this great power and using it for His own gain? Did He determine His own rules, live by His own desires? Of course not. He said, “Not My will but thine be done” and went to Calvary to die that we might live.

Before that happened, we are told in one situation that “He had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4). His purpose was to grant grace to a sinful woman at a well. He even skipped eating to do it. His life is filled with example after example of selfless love, using His power to bless and heal others.

The demonstration of His loving power that touches my heart today is this description of His meal with the disciples...

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:3–5)

Christ is exalted to the honor and majesty of having everything placed in his hands. I would be proud of that position, even look down on others, but Jesus humbled Himself. He knew He had everything placed in His hands, yet instead of pride, it humbled Him, even to do the task done by the lowest slaves —washing dirty feet.

This is His character. He humbled himself to put on human nature and shed His blood for our sin. He humbles himself to come and live in our hearts. He washed feet, but also washes hearts that are full of pride, sin, and selfishness.

This is the purpose for His high position of power and privilege — that He can pardon and purge guilty, polluted sinners. He knew that bestowing grace was His honor. The lower He stoops the higher He is honored in the hearts of His people, in my heart.

I must remember two things. One is that Christ is high and lifted up yet still stoops to help me, a lowly and sinful creature. He has pity on me and helps me with all my struggles. He will never leave me or forsake me.

The second is that any power, ability or privilege that I have is not that I can boast or use it for any other kind of self-advancement, but that I respond in humility and serve others because of what He has done for me. 

Do not despise small things

When starting out on my journey with Jesus Christ, the ambitions of my old life came with me. I wanted to do great things for God, but God has a different plan. He starts small and if a person is faithful in those little things, maybe then the responsibilities will increase, but only then. As Jesus said,

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Luke 16:10–13)

This is about money, but money is not the only master that a person can serve. What about pride, achievement, popularity, personal passions and ambitions? Before I became a Christian, I had all sorts of grand ideas. After my conversion, I tried to sanctify them. “Doing this for God” seemed super-spiritual and I wanted to reach great heights in whatever I attempted.

A fragment of a verse comes to mind. It is about the attitude of God’s people as they work to rebuild the temple. The prophet reproves them for thinking it wasn’t a big deal compared to the first one.

For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice… (Zechariah 4:10)

The people scorned this humble replacement, but Zechariah knows they have begun a great thing. He affirms that their progress in the work, though not as grand, would result in success because God’s hand was upon this work. Their problem was not the job they were doing but their attitude toward it.

Today’s devotional writer talks about the common activities of life. We can consider them insignificant. However, it isn’t the actions that God wants to be above all else, but the motivations. When a Christian has Christlike motives, then even ordinary tasks are elevated to godly service.

(Jesus) rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4–5)

Jesus was demonstrating God’s love to His disciples by doing a task ordinarily done by a slave. It was a ritual of hospitality, like hanging up a visitor’s coat or offering them a cup of tea, but in those days, slaves did the service. Peter was so horrified with Jesus offering this that he refused, but Jesus told him that even the act of receiving loving service was an important part of being a child of God. 

When I apply this to my ambitions as a beginner Christian, I can see where I started out with foolish ideas. Jesus wants His people to do ordinary things in a sanctified and extraordinary way. Washing feet is only one example of how I can minister to others. The idea is that I humble myself and do what blesses other people in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the grace of God. It might not be a great thing. In fact, it usually isn’t. Yet in the doing, I’m not thinking about myself, but how I can serve them and please God.

Furthermore, Jesus wants me to start small. I think I’ve figured out why. Small, common acts of service are never going to put my ego on a pedestal. I may not be thanked either. Besides that, He wants me to learn that the details of life are never insignificant. Instead, the issue is my inability to make these details an interpretation of the love of Christ. I’m to stop despising small things and focus on doing whatever tasks God asks of me with gratitude aiming for His glory, no matter their size.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)