They say attitude is everything. “That your attitude determines your altitude”–Zig Ziglar. How high you can go in life. How do you see God in your life? Do you think He has an attitude? When we say that a person has an attitude we generally think a bad one. We seem to go to the negative in our minds. Depending on how we were raised, and our Church experience, we can see God distantly and negatively. We can see Him as harsh, judgmental, accusing, demanding, and controlling. We have an unhealthy fear of God. That He is out to get us when we mess up, that He is overbearing, and demands perfection.
Religion that is full of do’s and don’ts, rules, and regulations can paint the wrong picture of God. Formalism, religious observance, and rituals are devoid of life and it is joyless. I think the next best thing about knowing God is His love but also knowing the goodness of God. Do you see God as a good God?
In these verses, we see an encounter that Moses had with God. Would it be one of fear, apprehension, reservation, or skepticism? Would it be welcoming, filled with great expectation and joy? Let’s see: Exodus 33:17-19 (NKJV)-17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” 18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” 19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Moses found grace with God because of his faith. He walked with God. God spoke to him as one face-to-face as He would a friend- ( Exodus 33:11 ). God said He would make His goodness pass before him. Not His wrath, anger, or displeasure. God reveals His grace and compassion to him.
Again in Exodus 34:5-6 (NKJV) –5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Notice is says “abounding in goodness and truth.” What a beautiful picture of God. God is a good God. Psalm 21:3 (NKJV) -3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. God’s goodness is always a blessing. I think our Father likes to hear us say, God, you are good.” One of our favorite Psalms, Psalm 23:6 (NKJV) -6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
In our humanness at times, we are foreboding. We look for the bad, the worst. Our attitude is that nothing ever works out. If something good happens, something bad is around the corner. We are like gloomy Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh. It is always cloudy and it’s going to rain on my parade. Yet David said, “Goodness and mercy would follow us all the days of our life.” (Psalm 23:6). Look what he said in Psalm 27:13 (NKJV) -13 I would have lost heart unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. David would have fainted, and given up unless he believed he would see the goodness of God. Having the right attitude, and perspective is crucial. Believing in the goodness of God is vital to our walk with our Father in heaven. We have to do this by faith. Faith in the goodness of God.
Are you enjoying God? Is your walk with God more about performance, pleasing Him, and doing more for Him? Trying to accomplish much for the Kingdom of God. Going from one task to another. Is doing more important than being? My wife the other day was just sitting with our four-year-old grandson at his home. They were quietly talking, enjoying each other’s company. She was rubbing the back of his neck gently. With great joy, he said,” That feels good grammy.” He almost fell asleep. That is what God wants with us. Jesus came to show us the Father. What He is really like-( John 14:8-9 ). The people of Jesus Day were oppressed and bogged down with religion. The heavy yoke of legalism, Roman oppression, demands, and observances was a heavyweight. Here is what Jesus offered them: Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) -28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This is God’s attitude towards you today! He just wants to sit with us and enjoy our company. He is the glory and lifter of our heads.
The devil always wants to paint a bad picture of God. The world and religion are the same as well. That is why we need to renew our thinking. To have a biblical mindset. We need to learn the true nature of God. You can’t get around it. Look here in Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV) -17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Here is a promise to Israel that God is making. This is His attitude towards them. Even in their times of doubt, unbelief, and disobedience God still loves them. Can this be God’s promise to us as well? Absolutely! Why would God see believers in Christ any differently? He is not only in our midst, His Spirit dwells in us. He is mighty in us. He will save. The Hebrew word for save means: to be safe, deliver, help, preserve, rescue, and to get victory. Hallelujah-amen. God will rest in His love. This speaks of God’s approval and satisfaction. Because of Jesus God is satisfied with us. He approves of us. In Ephesians 1:6 it tells us we are accepted in Christ, the Beloved. It means we are highly favored. 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. This is God’s attitude towards you. Receive it by faith! Say it right now:” God accepts me, God is satisfied with me.”This is true freedom, true liberty in our walk with God. Look at Psalm 16:11 (NKJV) -11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Enjoying God, enjoying His presence brings God’s joy into your life. You have it! You just want to be with Him, to be in His presence. To fellowship with God every day. God’s attitude is to give you the kingdom and all that it offers in Christ. Luke 12:32 (NKJV) -32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Again in Romans 14:17 (NKJV)-17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That is God’s heart for you today. The Lord, He rejoices over you. He is glad for you and He even rejoices over you with singing. They are shouts of joy. Let that sink in more and more. Why don’t you pray today and ask God for more revelation of the true nature of Himself.
In closing. What kind of year does God want for us? Psalm 65:11 (NKJV) -11 You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance. That is God’s attitude towards you. Yes, we will have stuff we go through. Times of frustration and trials. Our mindset must be on the goodness of God. We must stay on God’s side. God is good, the devil is bad. We must enjoy and be fulfilled in our walk with God. Just like He did with Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:8 (NKJV) -8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. This is what God wanted for mankind. To walk and talk with them. Here we see that Adam and Eve hid themselves because of sin. God didn’t stop loving or caring for them. He went looking for them. He is looking for us. He is looking for you. Sin changed their whole view of God. That is what sin does. The wages of sin is death and this means separation. Separation from all that God is and has for us. God from the foundation of the world came up with a plan that through Christ we could walk in the garden again of sweet fellowship. That we could experience God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and fellowship. That we would see God’s true attitude towards us. It’s time to enjoy God again!
1 John 1:3 (NKJV)3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
He will save…
He will rejoice…
He will rest…
He will sing over you! That’s good news!
John 3:16 (NKJV) -16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 8:32 (NKJV) -32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
In Christ’s love
Brent and Linda Bushen
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