James wrote that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).  God keeps giving and giving and giving.  People do not deserve these good gifts.  They deserve the opposite.  People getting good things that they don’t deserve is God’s grace.

For a professing believer, what causes a bad attitude?  I contend the biggest contributor is his thinking that he deserves what he doesn’t or that he doesn’t deserve what he really does.  This is an unmet expectation.  He expects what he doesn’t deserve and then he doesn’t get it.

It is difficult to expect what I really do deserve.  I want better treatment, better consequences, better circumstances, or even better reactions.  Yet, I don’t deserve them.

When I think I got better than I deserve, that affects my attitude.  If I change my thinking to this thinking, based on what I know scripture says, it also changes my attitude.

God’s grace can adjust an attitude.  The professing believer must think God’s grace.  The attitude is the resultant emotion, either a good feeling or a bad one.

A bad attitude is an emotion that can turn to something deeper, like a kind of depression or discouragement.  This can become deep settled and change the trajectory of a person’s life.  He digs himself or even buries himself into a rut or hole.  He doesn’t make his way out.

The grace of God must adjust the attitude.  This adjustment occurs through the mind.  The professing believer thinks he deserves worse.  He keeps thinking he gets better than he deserves.  God does give him more than he deserves.

Sometime in Christian history, someone defined grace as “undeserved favor.”  Christians overall have agreed with this definition for centuries.  God gives us better and more than what we deserve.  This is God’s grace.  If we allow that thinking to permeate our mind, it will adjust our attitude.

The world makes it difficult to keep a good attitude.  This is why right attitudes very often are commanded, like “rejoice evermore” (Philippians 4:4).  They are commanded, because we might not have them.  His commands also mean we can have them, that we are able to have them.  God won’t command what He won’t also enable.  He wouldn’t command you if He didn’t also provide the power to keep the command.

When I write that the world system and its father, Satan, make for a tougher environment to have a good attitude, I am saying that it will still be a struggle.  When you hit your thumb with a hammer, you say, “Ouch.”  This is a kind of point Job mentions when he’s criticized by his friends.  When I talk about God’s grace adjusting the attitude of a professing Christian, I speak of the struggle.  This will help the believer not to sink into long term or permanent bad attitudes and struggle against short term wrong ones.

God’s grace can and will keep attitude struggles short term or win those struggles.  This is God’s will, but it is also important for the thriving and well being of the professing believer.  Believers will do better in ministry to and with others with a good attitude.  Even if people have a bad attitude themselves, they want you to have a good one when you are with them.

If you say, “God is good,” and then your attitude says, “God hasn’t been good,” it hurts the efforts for God with others.  Maybe you don’t even believe God is good.  God knows whether you think He is, but your attitude might be saying that you think He is not.  All of us should consider this.

What in the world could spur a bad attitude?  You know.  You are mistreated by several others. The people around you are not grateful for what you do.  You work hard without notice or credit.  One thing after another breaks.  People gossip about you.  You don’t have many friends.  Friends betray you.  You can’t get ahead with your finances.  School is a struggle.  Others are promoted ahead of you unfairly.  People don’t laugh at your jokes, and you think you’re funny.

No one is a victim of a bad attitude.  Someone else doesn’t cause it.  Your parents didn’t cause it.  Neither did your husband or wife.  You choose what attitude you will have.  Victimization is just an excuse.  It’s lying to yourself.

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  His grace will fuel that joy.  Like Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, think on this thing.