3 Godly Attitudes Every Christian Needs

Self help books, videos and even bumper sticks tell us that we need to have a good
attitude, that we need to face the day with a smile and start the day with positivity,
but a biblical attitude is more than that.

A Godly attitude tells the world how we respond to what life gives us, and as we
all know, life isn’t always easy. In Ecclesiastes, we hear the preacher tell us that
we can be “too righteous” and “too wise.” A Christian life is about more than
being a good person and more than being rewarded for good deeds and attitude.
It’s easy to be frustrated when we’re seemingly boasting a smiling face and God
isn’t delivering good things in return, but that’s not how biblical attitude works.
Here are three kinds of Godly attitudes and how we can work to have them in our
daily lives. These aren’t the only biblical attitudes, but a few that we can pray for
in our lives.
Faithful Attitude - Many of us want to be bold for Christ. We want to tell of his
joys and his power, but we find it harder to be bold when we’re faced with a tough
situation. However, a tough situation is a call for boldness. We are called to be
bold in the face of uncertainty and trials, so that others will see our boldness and
wonder where that comes from, and we can tell them: God.
It’s so easy to give up in a hard stage of life and to think that God has forgotten
you. Instead, let us be faithful through the hard stages and faithful for others who
are facing tough circumstances.
Supportive Attitude - As a community of believers, our job is to lift up our
brothers and sisters. Practically, this means comforting our friends and family
when they need it and serving them when they need it. Let us have servant hearts
that help others, rather than sitting back and deciding to let “someone else” help.
Biblically encouraging others means much more than a positive wish for them. It
means you are investing in their lives.
We have a choice to support our friends and family with a biblical attitude or
forget their needs. It could be as easy as checking in with a quick phone call or text
just to let them know that you are supporting them.
Patient Attitude - In times of trial, it’s hard to be patient and wait for an answer
from God. We want him to sweep in and give us a miracle or a better outlook on
life. We want a reward for the good things we’ve done in the past. We want a
change immediately.
 But God has perfect timing, and we need to trust in his plan. Let us pray for a
patient attitude when we feel we’ve been waiting on God a long time. We must
remember that God has not stopped loving us or forgotten us. God doesn’t need us
to be patient so we can learn to be “better people;” He wants us to have an attitude
of patience because it reflects a dependence on him.
The Wrong Attitude - The Bible tells us there is a wide range of attitudes that are
sinful: jealousy, lust, anger, to name a few, but the point is not trying to avoid
those attitudes. Christianity is not about “do not’s” on a list. The point is that we
prayerfully respond to situations in life and ask our community to pray for us as
well.
A Godly attitude doesn’t come because you decide to smile harder. A Godly
attitude comes because you decide to follow God. You get to have bad days, but,
as Christians, we get to have the hope of a better one.
Final Thoughts - As Christians, we’re called to view our lives through a lens of
faith, and in return, we are meant to show the world an attitude that boasts of Jesus.
We’re not called to be perfect beams of sunshine all the time. Life is tough, and
our response to that is what draws us closer to Christ. Through prayer and spending
time with him, we can change our attitudes.
Some Good Attitudes

 Attitude is simply defined as, "Manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., toward a person or
thing" (Random House College Dictionary). Our attitudes or how we view or think about a
matter largely determine how we respond and what we are as individuals. A person with great
ability can still be a failure if they lack a good attitude. The Wise Man discussed attitude when
he wrote, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4: 23).
Again, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…" (Prov. 23: 7). A good attitude, then, is a
prerequisite to any successful pursuit, including our service to God. In view of the importance
of a good attitude, let us now consider some Bible examples of exemplary attitudes.

     Abraham's attitude toward the commandments of God. We can view Abraham's

attitude by the way he responded to God's directives. For instance, "Now the Lord had said
unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,
unto a land that I will shew thee" (Gen. 12: 1). God making Abram a "great nation" was
contingent on Abram obeying God (vs. 2, 3). After God issued the commandment, we read
thus of Abram, "So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him…" (vs. 4). Abram did
not argue or seek to bargain with the Lord, he simply did what God told him to do. This good
attitude that resulted in doing God's will is what the Bible calls saving faith. Over two
thousand years later we read the following of Abraham:

     "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after
receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went"
(Heb. 11: 8).

     We might not always have total understanding of why a particular command is issued, but,
like Abraham, we accept and obey what God tells us in his word.

     Joseph's attitude toward forgiving brethren. Forgiving others when they sin against us
is required if we expect to enjoy God's forgiveness of our sins against him (Matt. 6: 14, 15).
Joseph was terribly sinned against by his brothers (Gen. 37ff.). At first, Joseph's brothers
anticipated that "Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil
which we did unto him" (Gen. 50: 15). When they sought his forgiveness, Joseph eagerly
forgave them (Gen. 50: 17-21). Joseph's forgiveness is seen in his statement, "Now therefore
fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly
unto them" (Gen. 50: 21, cp. 45: 1ff.).

     We see in Joseph a man who had been unbelievably mistreated, and, yet, he freely forgave
those who had so sinned against him. Joseph's good attitude, I submit, is the reason Joseph
forgave. Joseph could have done as so many and died a bitter old man, engulfed in his
resentment, but he elected to manifest the attitude of forgiveness (cp. Gen. 50: 22-26).

     Moses' attitude toward suffering. While Moses is not without flaw, he is presented in
scripture as a type of Jesus (Deut. 18: 18, 19 cp. Acts 3: 22, 23). Moses is found in the faith
chapter of the New Testament and regarding him it is said:

     "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season" (Heb. 11: 24, 25).

     God tells us that all shall suffer persecution. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution," wrote Paul (2 Tim. 3: 15). Service to God is so substantive,
however, that the one suffering for the sake of righteousness can actually be "happy" (I Pet. 4:
14).

     The attitude of the Psalmist relative to false ways. Real conviction is always seen in the
Bible as loving the truth and hating false ways. Hear the Psalmist and also notice the source of
the truth:
     "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path….Therefore I esteem all thy precepts
concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way" (Ps. 119: 103-105, 128).

     It is difficult for Americans to appreciate the words of the Psalmist. "There is no right and
wrong, only shades of gray," many believe. However, the scriptures irrefutably teach the
converse (Rom. 12: 9).

     Jeremiah's attitude toward the word of God. His own people had shamefully mistreated
Jeremiah because he had faithfully taught them the word of God. He became so tired of the
abuse that he decided, "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his
name…" (Jere 20: 9). However, Jeremiah had real conviction. "But his word was in mine
heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones," we read, "and I was weary with forbearing, and I
could not stay" (Jere. 20: 9).

     Jeremiah is an example for preachers today who are also to, "Preach the word; be instant in
season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:
2). The faithful preacher will determinedly preach the word, live the word, and apply the word
(Ezra 7: 10).

     The position of Daniel concerning prayer. Because of the excellent traits that Daniel
possessed, he excelled even in a pagan country and was promoted (Dan. 1ff.). As expected,
there were those who resented the superior abilities of Daniel. They tried their best to find
fault with Daniel and when not a scintilla of flaw could be found, they devised a plan. Their
plan involved taking advantage of Daniel's qualities. They were able to manipulate the King
into legislating against prayer to any object or being other than himself, knowing that Daniel
would be faithful to his God (Dan. 6: 7). Daniel was indeed true to the God of heaven and
refused to cease prayer to God or to worship idols. We read of Daniel:

     "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his
windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three
times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime" (Dan. 6:
10).

     Daniel was punished, but through faith in God, he overcame (Dan. 6-12). The scriptures
teach, "Pray without ceasing" and "men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Lk. 18: 1).
Prayer is too often a neglected privilege belonging to God's people.

    The attitude of the Berean's regarding the word of God. The word of God does not
contain lavish instances of commendation. Therefore, when there are those commended, it is
worthy of note. We read thus regarding the Bereans:

     "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were
so" (Acts 17: 11).

     These people did not simply accept what Paul and Silas taught, but they demanded proof.
They also realized that the scriptures were the source of authority and means of establishing
truth. John later wrote, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (I Jn. 4: 1).

     Beloved, in the case of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the Psalmist, Jeremiah, Daniel, and the
Bereans, they were what they were and accomplished what they did primarily because of their
attitude. Attitude is causative, either for good or evil. As we saw, "As he thinketh in his heart,
so is he…" (Prov. 23: 7). Therefore, it should be our goal to form basic attitudes that will be
conducive to good and making us the kind of people whom God desires to serve him.
Attitudes that involve a good posture toward God's commandments, forgiving, false ways and
the truth, toward the word, prayer, and authority in religion should be our goal.

Check Your Attitude

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word "attitude" means "an internal position
or feeling with regard to something else." Other words often used as synonyms are:
"disposition, feeling, mood, opinion, sentiment, temper, tone, perspective, frame of mind,
outlook, view, or morale."

Airplane pilots often use "attitude" to describe their horizontal relationship with the runway
then they land. If their attitude isn’t aligned properly, the plane will make contact with the
ground at the wrong angle and it will cause them to crash.

In essence, your attitude is your inward disposition toward other things, such as people or
circumstances. As in with an airplane, attitude is applied whenever you must deal with
something other than yourself. According to God’s word, when you become a Christian, a part
of your new creation is the development of new attitudes — your attitude should become like
that of Jesus. The Bible says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:"
(Philippians 2:5). "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off the old
self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your
minds." (Ephesians 4:22 NIV)

Bad Attitudes

Most of us can easily identify bad attitudes when they are displayed outwardly in our words or
actions, such a negativeness, criticalness, rebellion, defiance, impatience, uncooperative,
apathy, discouragement, independence, presumption, arrogance, self-centeredness, rudeness
and such like. These are examples of bad attitudes which Christians should reject. However,
keep in mind, attitudes are inner dispositions of the heart and thoughts — they are the hidden
intentions which will eventually serve as the basis for our actions. "For as he thinks in his
heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7). In reality, no one else really knows the thoughts of your heart,
except you and God. Consequently, attitude is something that only you and God can work out
— a change which must take place inwardly.

An example of a bad attitude is seen in George Brown. He went to church cheerfully as long
as his business continued to prosper — as long as everything went well for him. He sang
joyfully in the choir, he rarely missed a service. But when hard times set in George began to
drop away. He became resentful toward God, even critical of other Christians.

The right attitude to have when difficulty comes is to persevere in faith and draw nearer to
God — to fall at the feet of Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that God works all things together
for our good when we love Him, and the testing of our faith is for our benefit. Trouble will
never defeat the person with a right attitude.

Another bad attitude can be seen in Sally Smith. She had been a Christian for nearly two
years. She loved the lord and was growing as a Christian, but was still battling sins of the
flesh — and occasionally fell back into the temptation of drunkenness. One evening the pastor
and his family were entering a restaurant, when he noticed Sally slouching at the distant bar,
obviously intoxicated. The next Sunday after service, the pastor and his wife took Sally aside
privately, and warned her gently about the sins of drunkenness.

The pastor read scripture from Galations chapter 5. "Now the works of the flesh are evident,
which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy,
murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also
told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God"
(Galatians 5:19-21).

The pastor encouraged Sally to repent of this activity and prayed with her, but she was deeply
offended by the pastor’s forthrightness. She immediately changed churches and afterward
would often be heard "bad-mouthing" that church and pastor.

The better attitude would have been for this woman to be humble and submissive toward the
pastor’s loving correction of sin, which was based upon God’s Word (2 Tim. 4:2, 1 Cor. 5:11-
13, Gal. 5:19-21, Gal. 6:1). As a general rule, persons who have a bad attitude toward
authority figures, always have a problem with God.

Good Attitudes

According to scripture, your attitude toward life, your circumstances, or toward other people
should always be like the Lord’s — as is defined by scripture. Good attitudes are generally
demonstrated in being positive, encouraging, loving, humble, teachable, cooperative,
considerate, selfless, loyal, persevering and so forth (Gal. 5:22-23).

To God — Our attitude should be reverence, submission, love, trust, humbleness, obedience,
worshipful, and prayerful. (Psa. 111:10, Mark 12:30, John 14:15, Jas. 4:7, 1 Sam. 15:23)

To God’s Children — Our attitude should be love, forgiveness, consideration, caring,

encouragement, kindness, humility, unselfishness, respectful, and impartial. (John 13:34-35,
15:12, Rom. 12:10, 13:10, 15:7, Jas. 2:9, Eph. 4:2, 4:32, Col. 3:16, 1 Thes. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 1
Cor. 13:4-8).

To Authority — Our attitude should be respectful, cooperative, accountable, humble, helpful,

encouraging, loyal. Not resentful, defiant or disrespectful. (Heb. 13:17, 1 Pet. 2:13-15)

To Hard Circumstances — Our attitude should be patience, thankfulness, persevering,

believing. (Rom. 8:28, Gal. 1:9)

To Our Church — Our attitude should be respectful, faithful, cooperative, helpful,

willingness, dependable, participating, encouraging. (1 Cor. 10:32, 1 Cor. 14:12, Heb. 2:12)
To Duty — Our attitude should be faithfulness, responsibleness, obedience, cooperation,
endurance. (Luke 16:10, 1 Cor. 4:2)

To Unfairness — Our attitude should be patience, humility, confident in God’s justice. (Rom.
12:19, Luke 18:7)

To Disappointment or Tragedy — Our attitude should be humility, submission to God,

prayerful, confidence in God’s fairness. (Psa. 62:5, Jer. 17:5, Deut. 32:4, Job 13:15, Rom.
8:28)

To the Lost — Our attitude should be compassionate, forgiving, encouraging, helpful,

reconciling them to God. (2 Cor. 5:18, 2 Pet. 3:9, Matt. 18:11-14)

To Sin — Our attitude should be uncompromising, unaccepting, intolerant, unsympathetic,

yet compassionate and reconciliatory for the repentant. (Matt. 18:8-9, Gal. 6:1)

To Success — Our attitude should be humble, grateful, God-glorifying, not self-exalting or

forgetful to God. (Jas. 4:6, 10, Prov. 16:18)

To Misunderstanding — Our attitude should be peacemaking, reconciliatory, patient,

forgiving. (Col. 3:13, Matt. 5:9, Phil. 2:14)

How To Develop GoodAttitudes

1. Identify and Repent of Bad Attitudes

Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of
your heart may be forgiven you."

2. Submit Your Attitudes to God

Bring your attitudes into obedience to God’s Word. Apply discipline to your thought life —
submit your thoughts to those of Christ’s. A good attitude is a matter of faith, disregarding
your feelings, with a determination to embrace God’s outlook and disposition.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."
3. Equip And Feed Your Attitudes

Dwell on the things that God’s word tells us to — those good and virtuous things. If you dwell
on the negative, your attitude will reflect the same.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things
are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on
these things."

3 People in the Bible Who Are Great Examples of Keeping an Attitude of

Keeping an attitude of gratitude might be a challenge with all the possible
unfavourable and out-of-control circumstances that we might face, but it's not
entirely impossible. Several people in the Bible are proof that we can be grateful
even when we're challenged to.

Here are some people in the Bible who are great examples of keeping an attitude of
gratitude.

1. Paul

One of the Bible's greatest encouragers and instructors, Paul was a man who faced
various trials and tests even to the point of death.

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul said, "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but
we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted
down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not
destroyed."

This is the same Paul who said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Always be joyful.
Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you
who belong to Christ Jesus."

How about that?

2. James

James, a half-brother of the Lord Jesus and a leader in the early church, was also a
man who kept an attitude of gratitude. He saw troubles and tests as a way to grow
in the Lord, and thus a great opportunity. Here's what he said about that:

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it
an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your
endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully
developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:2-4)

This man possessed a remarkable joy which he attempted to pass on to other

believers. Here are some more of his encouragements:

"Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honoured
them." (James 1:9)

"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation." (James 1:12)

"Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father,
who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting
shadow." (James 1:17)

Pretty joyful man, don't you think?

3. Jesus

Oh yes, the Son of God who had to endure the greatest suffering of all time. Jesus
experienced far greater pain than any man has had and will have. In fact, we will
never be able to fully comprehend the depths of His pain for our sakes.

He left His throne in heaven and came to filthy earth to rescue us.

He was God, yet did not consider equality with God as something to grasp; Rather
He chose to serve us.

He had no sin, yet He took all the punishment that was for our sins.
He died on the cross a man who was ridiculed, shamed, betrayed, mocked, hated,
despised, and maligned – yet without fault.

Yet, "Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith ... for the joy that was set before
Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God" (see Hebrews 12:2)

He had the greatest joy ever: fulfilling the Father's will to rescue all men. He's the
greatest example of a man who had a grateful attitude – one that honoured what
God had sent Him to do without complaining.

them down. Even though Paul was passing judgment on the Corinthians in the
letter by pointing out their wrong attitudes, he was

warning 

them and not

condemning 

them. Heused his authority to pass judgment on them (judge), with the hope they
would decide his judgment true and repent (jury), and he would not have to
exercise his authority todiscipline (execute). If Paul, an apostle who wrote 13
books of the Bible and pioneeredChristianity throughout the Roman empire, was
so careful to use his criticism to build people up, how much more careful should
we be!

A critical attitude steals our joy and poisons our relationships

A critical attitude is like a disease. Some people know they have a critical
attitude, but can’t change. We may find some small satisfaction in passing
judgment on this or that, but that satisfaction is short-lived. A more lasting
satisfaction comes fromrecognizing improvement and celebrating success. People
want to be around positive people, not critical people.

A critical attitude makes us resemble Satan

Satan is famously critical. He has the worst attitude in the universe and wants usto
share in his misery. He always is able to see the downside of every situation,
plan, or action. Satan used to be a powerful angel in heaven, and many Christians
believe he wasthrown down out of heaven because he found fault with God and
rebelled. If we have acritical attitude, we resemble Satan more than we resemble
God.

What causes a critical attitude?

We develop a critical attitude; it doesn’t all come at once. Several factorscontribute

to our forming a critical attitude:

Past experiences.

If our parents emphasized guilt and punishment, we mayuse harsh standards to

judge ourselves and others. This type of past experiencemakes it hard for us to
compliment others.

Physical tiredness.

If we are too tired or are sick, we may become easilyannoyed and judgmental.

Negative company.

Who we hang around with often shapes our outlook andthe way we talk. If we are
always around negative people who enjoycriticizing others, we are likely to pick
up on that.

Desire for justice.

Some people may criticize and judge because they have astrong sense of right and
wrong. Even if they do not say things out loud, theymay pass judgment in their
mind.
•

Pride.

At the root of our critical attitude is pride. We put others down becauseit feeds our
pride. Sometimes, our pride is without shame. It will cause us tocriticize those
who in nearly all respects are better people than ourselves. Weenjoy pointing out
their weaknesses and failures.

How to overcome our sinful habits

1. See people as God does

Our perspective on ourselves, other people, and situations in life should

changeonce we become Christian. When we recognize that God is sovereign and
loves peopleunconditionally, it will have a dramatic effect on how we look at
the world. For everydifficult person or situation, we will be able to see how God
can work a miracle to changethat person.Take a moment to consider some difficult
person that you have criticized in the past. Can you see the possibility of God
changing that person? If you can, then why not pray that way?!Our God changed
Saul, the persecutor of the church, into Paul, the apostle whoseheart was wholly for
Jesus. Nothing is impossible for Him.

 Luke 18:27 

 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

2. See situations as God does

If God is sovereign, omniscient, and loving, then logically we should also

expectthat God will work out everything for the good of His people. We have no
reason to benegative because God is in control. Even if we suffer some difficult
situation or learnsome painful lesson, God must have a good purpose in it.

 James 1:2-4 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because youknow that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish itswork so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything.”

We are in a spiritual war, where we are battling to save souls from a

ruthlessenemy. In this war against sin and Satan, we will face opposition and
trouble. We shouldremember that even Jesus paid a high price in this war—and we
are not exempt from thefight. However, we have hope because we know God will
win. In the end, no sacrifice or suffering we face for the sake of Jesus and
the gospel will be in vain.

 Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of
evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward
in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

3. Humble ourselves before God

A powerful antidote to a critical attitude is humility before God. When

werecognize our own sin and humble ourselves before God, it is very difficult to
have acritical attitude toward others.In Galatians 6, Paul is telling the very
fractious Galatian church how to liveaccording to the Holy Spirit. The Galatians
were caught up in proving their holiness byoutward actions, and as a result,
became prideful and judgmental of one another. InGalatians 6:3-5, Paul says that
everyone should examine themselves as to whether theylive up to God’s standards,
not how they compare to someone else.

Galatians 6:3-5 

 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each

one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without
comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

We need to realize that we entirely dependent on the grace of God in our lives.

If anyone else fails at any point, we should realize that we are no better than they
are. JohnBradford, a 16
th

century reformer that was imprisoned and eventually martyred byEnglish church
authorities, saw a group of prisoners being led to their execution for their crimes.
Realizing that he was no better than those criminals in terms of sin, he said,“There,
but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.” We need to have the samehumility
before God when considering the sins of others.

4. Let God judge

Throughout the New Testament, there are warnings not to judge others. We needto
let God judge. People are born with a sense of right and wrong, but our justice
isimperfect. Moreover, we are sinners in need of forgiveness ourselves—we have
no rightto receive God’s grace in our own lives when we do not extend that
grace to others.

 Matthew 7:1-3

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others,
you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why
do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to
the plank in your owneye?”

James 4 says that when we judge our brother or sister, we put ourselves above
thelaw of God. In effect, we are saying that God is not doing His job and that we
need tostep in and deliver our own judgment. Our job is to obey God—we should
leave the judging to Him.

 James 4:11-12

 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or

judgeshim speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are
not keeping it,but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,
the one who is ableto save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your
neighbor?

Conclusion
 When we become a Christian, our outlook on life should change. We should trust
God to take care of injustice, consider ourselves with humility, and anticipate
God will cause good things to come from difficult situations. Moreover, we
understand that a critical attitude is dangerous spiritually because it harms others,
poisons our relationships, and prevents us from receiving God’s forgiveness for
our own sin.

2.After reading this lesson, how will you change in terms of judging
yourself or others?3.Describe how God has been merciful and gracious
in your life?4.Talk about one person that is merciful, kind, and gracious.
How do you respond to them?