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The Same Attitude

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:5-7)

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, “He has a demon.”  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” (Luke 7:33-35)

          Time to cheer. You see? Paul agrees with me that praying for our attitudes is a good thing. Attitudes are a gift from God just like endurance and encouragement. What attitude should we have? We should have an attitude like Christ’s, one that glorifies God. Scripture makes clear repeatedly that the Israelites and the Church were not accepted because they were acceptable. They were accepted to bring praise to God for His magnanimity. This morning, I was listening to Ezekiel, and was surprised to hear what God told Ezekiel about Israel. I knew that He had accepted Israel for His name’s sake, not because Israel deserved it. It would be foolish to pretend that the Church is any different.
         If our goal is to have an attitude like His, we need to consider what His attitude was. Most people quote the “friend to sinners” as if that gives the whole story. They ignore the fact that Jesus cleared the temple twice, and pronounced “Woes” on cites in Israel. He didn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery, but He told her to “Go, and sin no more.”
          On my way to sit with Dad at the hospital this morning, I listed to part of Ezekiel. I’m used to hearing God tell Israel that He didn’t save Israel because Israel deserve it. He removed Israel from Egypt to take them into the wilderness and straighten them up. They were an embarrassment. The Church is, no doubt, the same. So what is Jesus’ attitude? He accepts us because of who He, but He doesn’t accept our sinful behavior as being anything other than the embarrassment it is.

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