“Are you a positive person?”

Sunday, April 09, 2017

We all know people who are always negative. They never have anything good to say. They complain all the time. They rarely smile, and life is generally a downer for them.  Is such behavior approved of by our God? No! I am not implying that it is wrong to express disappointments. Jesus did, and He lived a sinless life (Matt. 26:38-39). What we are talking about is a constant, negative disposition.

Consider Christ’s admonition in Matthew 5:13-16. He speaks about letting our light shine. The goal is to get people to glorify our Father in heaven. Why would anyone see a constantly-negative Christian and conclude, “Wow, I want to be like them, they have such a peace that passes all understanding.” Rather, this attitude will turn people away.

Bad attitudes discourages brethren. It divides husbands and wives and their children. It builds walls and prevents friendships from being created. Consider this wisdom from Proverbs: “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” (18:24). If we think that no one notices our grumpy disposition covered up by a small grin, we are sadly mistaken.

A proper attitude is essential for Christian living because we need to speak to others. Words that edify cannot come from one who is always negative (Eph. 4:25-32). This means that what we say matters to the Lord, but the way we say it also matters. The Proverb writer mentioned that a soft answer turns away wrath (Prov. 15:1). It is hard to imagine a negative person being an effective, influential speaker. This is true in both earthly and spiritual matters.

Picture two negative people being around each other. Each person could easily blame the other for making their life seem worse. Now imagine a whole church of negative people – who would want to be in the middle of that group? It is hard to imagine a congregation like that lasting, much less being successful working for the Lord’s work.

Brethren, we need to be mindful of our example and do the best we can to demonstrate the joy we have in being a Christian.

                                                                                             Chuck 

Share