Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late

by James MacDonald

  When they saw they had been healed, nine kept going. Verse 15 begins: “Now one of them” (italics added). Only one turned and walked back to Jesus in order to express his thankfulness. “When he saw that he had been healed, [he] turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice” (verse 15). He was fired up with gratitude!

  Notice the humility. “He fell on his face at [Jesus’] feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan” (verse 16). He not only fell down, but he did so as a Samaritan. That is very significant. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews as part of a complex and ancient racial prejudice. Though he was really outside the household of faith and had, on a human level, the fewest reasons to thank a Jewish man, this Samaritan returned gratefully. The point is, no one has an acceptable excuse for ungratefulness. Everyone can make the choice to give thanks and acknowledge the goodness and the grace of God.

  Sadly, however, only a small fraction of the human population ever personally thanks God for His grace. Again, notice the contrast: a thankless nine and a thankful one. Ten actions received; ten attitudes chosen, but only one person thankful. Attitude is everything!nd Christ notices too. Indeed,

  Christ notices those who are ungrateful.

  There is no doubt but that Christ Himself was aware and disturbed by such a flagrant instance of ungratefulness. “‘Were there not ten cleansed?’” Jesus asked (verse 17). It was a rhetorical question. He wasn’t trying to figure it out; He was simply pointing out their outrageous, thankless attitude. “‘Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?’” (verses 17–18). Just this one, who, based on the social injustices he had received, had many excuses for not coming and saying, “Thanks.” If he could overcome all of that to express sincere gratitude, how could the others walk away?

  Then Jesus turned to the thankful man, saying, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well” (verse 19). Circle the word well. Jesus was not talking about being physically well. All ten of the lepers were made well. To say that his “faith had made him well” would be incredibly redundant, because the ones who didn’t have any faith, those ones who didn’t show any thankfulness, were also made well physically. Christ was saying in effect: “Because of your gratefulness—because of your thankfulness—you have been made well in a much deeper way than those who refused to be thankful.”

  GOD, OUR GRACIOUS PROVIDER

  Only when we acknowledge God as the gracious provider of general blessings, like life and breath, food and shelter, do we begin to comprehend our need for God in a personal way and begin to express faith in Him.

  Let me say it again: Only when we recognize God as our gracious provider do we comprehend our need for God and begin to express faith in Him. That is a very significant point. Faith grows in the soil of thankfulness. Only when a person outside of Christ is willing to acknowledge—“Yes, there is a God. I have received much from His hand and probably owe Him something more than passive acknowledgment. Perhaps I should turn and consider whether I ought to be reconciled to this God who made me and gives me life and strength”— only then will he be ready for faith. Faith to believe in God as the One to whom we must all be reconciled sprouts in the soil of gratefulness.

  Paul made this same point on a cosmic scale in Romans 1, when he wrote that:

  -- God created the universe.

  -- Within the heart of every human being is an awareness of the reality of God.

  -- Apart from thankfulness, our awareness of God will always be suppressed.

  As Romans 1:19–20 declares, “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen.” Only the most resolutely unbelieving person would ever stand and look at the universe and say, “There is no God.” “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). Any person with basic objectivity knows that all of this didn’t come from a mindless and purposeless explosion. Random creativity doesn’t make any more sense than taking a stick of dynamite, throwing it into a printing factory, and expecting the explosion to produce the Declaration of Independence. You don’t get order from chaos, and there is no way that all we see around us could possibly exist without a God of some sort who brought it into existence.

  OBJECTION! OBJECTION!

  You may object: “But I don’t understand God.” Yet still you must make a choice about His existence—the alternative being that our entire universe evolved from nothing. I f Independ#x2019;t think so! Design shouts Designer.

  Now amazingly your capacity to make the right choice about the existence of God hinges on the level of thankfulness in your heart. As Paul argued, “For even though they knew God” —even though there was something deep within them that said, “There is a God; there is a God”— “they did not honor Him as God or give thanks” (Romans 1:21). At the root of mankind’s rejection of God is a resolute unwillingness to be thankful. “But they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened.” After that, things got really ugly.

  My point to you is that all of the good things that God wants to bring into your life sprout in the soil of thankfulness, and I don’t mean mere words.

  Thankfulness is far more than saying the right words.

  Genuine gratitude must be distinguished from the kind of thanks we are programmed to spout as children. Maybe your mom was the same as mine. No sooner had someone given me half a cookie, than I felt her elbow and heard the whisper, “Say thanks. Say thanks!” By the time we were three years old, the MacDonald children had said “thanks” about a million times. Then, before we knew it, we were poking our own kids: “Say thanks. Say thanks.”

  But does it really mean anything? I’m sure you find yourself in public situations where politeness requires a steady stream of duty thanks, “Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.”

  “Here’s your table, sir.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Here’s your menu, sir.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Here’s your coffee, sir.”

  “Thanks.”

  “More coffee, sir?”

  “Thanks.”

  But as any waitress will tell you, the number of thanks and the amount of the tip do not necessarily go together. The kind of life-changing heart attitude that God desires is much deeper than surface verbal gratitude.

  THE POWER OF THANKFULNESS

  Even in the often-godless corporate world, people are waking up to the power of gratitude and discovering that it takes a lot more than free trips and Christmas bonuses for employees to feel appreciated. Recent studies have shown repeatedly that if employees don’t feel genuine gratitude from the people that they work for, bonuses are useless. Insincere gratitude doesn’t upgrade employee loyalty or productivity. If we are unmoved by perfunctory expressions of gratitude, just imagine how unmoved God is.

  One magazine, Mind and Body, recently published an article entitled, “Twenty Ways to Feel Calmer, Happier, and Healthier” and the number one answer given was “to be thankful for all the good in your life.” Researchers are recognizing that an attitude of gratitude directed toward God is a powerful source of health and personal well-being. 1 Check out these studies that show the benefits of being thankful to God and acknowledging Him:

  -- Regarding stress. In a northern California study on stress, nearly seven thousand Californians showed that “West-Coast worshipers who participate in church-sponsored activities are markedly less stressed over finances, health, and other daily concerns than non-spiritual types.” 2

  -- Regarding blood pressure. Elderly folks in a Duke University study on those who attend church, pray, and read the Bible regularly had lower blood pressure than their nonpracticing peers.

  -- Regarding recovery from surgery. A second Duke University study looked at patients of faith recovering from surgery. People who have faith and
trust and thankfulness toward God spend an average of eleven days in the hospital after magaanwhile, patients who have no faith-based life at all spend an average of twenty-five days in the hospital recovering from surgery. 3

  -- Regarding personal lifestyle. A recent review of several studies suggests that spirituality is linked with low suicide rates, less alcohol and drug abuse, less criminal behavior, fewer divorces, and higher marital satisfaction when life is filled with regular thankfulness to God.

  -- Regarding depression. I find this very interesting. Women with believing mothers are 60 percent less likely to be depressed ten years after they leave the home, according to a Columbia University study. Daughters belonging to the same religious faith as their mothers are 71 percent less likely to suffer the blues. Sons are 84 percent less likely to have life crises if they belong to the same faith group as their mothers.

  -- Regarding mortality. Research on more than 1,900 older adults indicated that those who attend religious services regularly have a lower mortality rate than who do not. 4

  Aren’t those studies incredible? Even people who don’t believe in God are recognizing that a God-centered, faith-oriented, thankful life is a healthier, happier life. Further proof of our overall thesis: Those who choose complaining as their lifestyle will spend their lifetimes in the wilderness. By far, the better attitude is gratitude.

  Test yourself. I dare you!

  The word gratitude is defined in the Oxford Dictionary this way: “to show that a kindness received is valued.” Genuine gratitude requires that we get past obligation and somehow show that we deeply appreciate what we’ve received. Here’s a test that will help you analyze whether your thankfulness is genuine or obligatory. Think back to the last time you were in church. What was going through your mind as you parked your car, got out, strolled into the building, passed through the lobby, picked up a bulletin, and sat down? Truthfully, what was at the center of your heart? Did any of these thoughts enter your mind?

  -- What am I going to get today?

  -- Am I going to be encouraged?

  -- Will I like the pastor’s message?

  -- Will he keep my attention and make me smile?

  -- I wonder who’s singing today. Oh, I hope it’s not _____ again; she is just awful!

  -- Will I be glad I came?

  If that kind of thinking was present as you “prepared” for worship, it reveals a self-centered, thankless theology that promotes complaining and stifles gratitude. The truth is, if we never received another thing from God for the rest of our lives, we could still fill each day with genuine gratitude:

  -- “Thank You, God, for this new day.”

  -- “Thank You for life that I can use to serve You.”

  -- “Thank You for breath that I can use to praise You.”

  -- “Thank You for health.”

  -- “Thank You, Lord, for strength.”

  But somehow we make the choice to turn from all that we’ve received and focus on what we still want to have. That’s where complaining comes in. We minimize the blessings of life and magnify every negative circumstance we encounter.

  “I can’t believe the nursery workers are late again today,” says an upset parent. “I am sick and tired of this lousy weather,” a college student grouses. The litany of complaints continues: “Why can’t the kids remember to pick up after themselves?” “Nobody appreciates me.” We focus on the negative around us, and life becomes a wilderness.

  LEVELS OF GRATITUDE

  Instead, we need to develop our level of gratitude. There are three levels of thankfulness: elementary school gratitude, high school gratitude, and gradue school gratitude. Let’s visit these schools of gratitude.

  The elementary level teaches us to be thankful in the most basic sense. It instructs us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). Elementary school is the sacrifice of thankfulness. “Thanks, God. There, I’ve said it, God, so You should be happy.” In effect, we say to God, “Fine! You helped me, and now I said thanks. My obligation has been met; I recognize Your involvement.” Now that’s something, but it’s not much. As long as thankfulness is just a sacrifice, like, “Well, I’ll do it if I have to, I guess,” you might get to the edge of the Promised Land, but you won’t find much joy, and you’ll still feel the heat of the wilderness at your back.

  Level two is a better place. I call it high school thankfulness. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV). In every situation, you and I can always find something to be thankful for—always. We can make that decision. We can look away from what’s wrong and focus on what’s right and give thanks. “In every thing give thanks.” That’s kind of a high school version of thankfulness, and it does produce joy as long as you’re not going through anything too difficult.

  But if you want the real joy—if you want to be done with the poverty, cheerless, joyless wilderness thing forever, then go on to level three—graduate school thankfulness. Be thankful for all things. This is beyond the high school thankfulness that searches to find a good aspect in a challenging circumstance. This is the thankfulness that trusts God and thus is grateful for the bad things, even the things you wouldn’t choose. “Be filled with the Spirit,...giving thanks always for all things to God” (Ephesians 5:18, 20 NKJV).

  This is the Mt. Everest of thankfulness, and it promises victory over every circumstance. Maybe you’re reading this with a health crisis or a great sorrow that won’t go away. Maybe you’ve got a financial need. You (and I) need to get to the place by faith where we can say, “Thank You, God. This is the thing that You’re using in my life. You’ve allowed it because You love me, and I trust You. Thank You, God, even for this!” When we allow the Lord to bring us into that kind of thankfulness, we will experience a depth of joy we never thought possible.

  POINTS OF VICTORY

  One afternoon, I was running late to pick up my three kids from the Christian school they attend. A lot of things had been going wrong, and I was shuffling down the hallway mumbling under my breath about my top five complaints at that moment. I knew my attitude was wrong, but the negative emotion was very powerful, and I felt a complete inability to shut it off. Of course, I knew that victory was far more than putting a piece of duct tape over my mouth; I knew that something powerful had to replace my stinking thinking.

  Just then I looked up and spotted on the wall in front of me a beautifully framed calligraphy of Psalm 107:8. The verse actually is repeated five times in that psalm as God pleads with us to put off complaining and put on genuine thankfulness. The New King James Version says it really well: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord . . . for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31).

  The verse was like a knife in my heart. And my subsequent reflection on its truth yielded three specific points of victory.

  POINT ONE: THANKFULNESS IS A DECISION

  Thankfulness is a choice that we make. It’s just as real as any other decision. The psalmist wrote, “Oh, that menuld give thanks to the Lord.” By men, of course, he meant men and women—mankind. Notice the verse says would because if it said could —“Oh, that men could give thanks to the Lord”—well, then the ball would be in God’s court, wouldn’t it? And we would be free to say things like, “It’s Your fault, God; if I could give thanks, then I would. If You hadn’t made me so negative; if You hadn’t made me so selfish; but I am, so I can’t, but I would if I could, but You didn’t, so I can’t, so . . . whatever.” But it doesn’t say could, it says would, so the choice is ours.

  “Oh, that men would . . .” This means “we have the technology”— God has made us with the capacity to express gratitude. It’s a choice that we make. What a critical, happiness-inducing choice it really is! You can choose your attitude of gratitude as much as you can choose your diet or your underwear.

  Recently, I spok
e to the students, faculty, and staff at Cedarville College (Ohio). In the evenings, I spoke about Jonah. The call to Jonah—and the students—was to stop running from God and submit to His relentless pursuit. 5

  It turned out to be an amazing week. God was working as powerfully as I have ever seen. By Wednesday night, I could hardly wait to get into the worship center. The place was packed with almost 3,000 eager students, their Bibles open. We sang some songs, and began moving into an attitude of worship and attentiveness to God’s Spirit.

  All of a sudden, the doors flew open, and police officers came running down the aisle. They were dripping wet and in a hurry. Up on the platform they came, with their blaring walkie-talkies and all-business demeanor. They approached the school president who was sitting beside me, so I heard the urgent news. The officer in charge said, “A tornado is coming this way. You must get the students out of this room as quickly as possible.”

  It is heartwarming to watch a great leader in action. The college president walked to the center of the stage and in a calm and clear voice said, “Students, listen carefully to these instructions. We just received a report that we may be in the path of a tornado. We need to exit the worship center as quietly and as quickly as possible and take shelter.”

  Some kids were screaming and yelling a bit, but a general sense of order prevailed as we were directed into rooms with no exterior walls or windows and told to get down low. We couldn’t see what was going on outside, and so we didn’t have a sense of how immediate the danger really was. Word eventually came that we could go back upstairs. At that point, I didn’t know if they were going to go forward with the service and my message from Jonah 3 on how to experience personal revival.