Serving God Serving People

Colossians 3:1-3; Habakkuk 3:16-19

Understand that there are new and extraordinary things (better days) God wants to do in our lives now and in the days to come. Gaining and having God's perspective in any area of our lives is not only essential to having better days to come, but it will also change us. Without having a godly perspective on situations of life, we will surely struggle (have bad days) without a sense of victory. God's perspective is truth and light (Isaiah 55:8). It is not affected by darkness or clouded by the circumstances that surround us. That is why starting each day with God's perspective is very important. As human beings we have a tendency to see things from an earthly perspective, while God sees things from a heavenly perspective. We see the beginning, while He sees the beginning and the end. He sees the completed puzzle, while we see a stack of puzzle pieces lying all over the place. We need to see and view things from heaven's position, through God's perspective (Matthew 6:10).

Gaining God's Perspective:

1.  Gaining God's perspective begins with continually spending time in His presence. (Matthew 11:25-30)

• When you set aside a time and a place to be with Him and see from His perspective, then extraordinary things happen. 
  

2.  Gaining God's perspective also starts when you focus on giving to others instead of getting for yourself. (Matthew 5:38-48)

• Perhaps you have been focusing on yourself too much. Maybe you need to focus on the things God is showing you (your spouse, children, ministry, God). 
  

3.  Gaining God's perspective comes from understanding the purpose and goal God has for you.

• Stay focus on your goal. (Luke 9:62)
• Instead of focusing on the negatives (your bad days), refocus your attention on where you were originally going. (Mark 4:35-41)
• What did I miss or have forgotten what Jesus said to me before the challenges, before the stretch of bad days? What is Jesus saying to me today that will help me to have better days to come?
• When times are dark and difficult, it is important to keep looking at what God had revealed previously. 
  

4.  God's perspective acts as a filter on all the stuff that demands for our attention (people, possessions, performance). Therefore, be aware and prepared to say no to the things that will get you out of focus and from gaining Godly perspective.

• Say no to propositions that will distract you from God's goal.
  

Discussion Questions:

• What does this lesson reveal to me about God?
• What does this lesson reveal to me about myself?
• How will I be different today because of what I have learned? What changes do I need to make?
• What is my prayer for today?

Philippians 2:1-18

In all areas of our life, one of the keys to having better days is to develop the right attitude in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves in. It is your perspective (how you see things) and as we will learn today, your attitude (how you feel about things) that will determine whether you will live better days. Often there are circumstances that we have no control over. But one thing that we do have is the power to choose our own attitude. We have the choice to take responsibility for our own feelings. And when you and I find the right attitude in spite of difficult conditions then surely we can have better days instead of bad days. 

To have a Godly attitude:

1.  I need to be united with Christ.

• I need to be in fellowship with the Spirit of God.
• I need to understand that my attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ. 

2.  I need to be humble and unselfish.

• I need to consider others better than myself and to look not only to my own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

3.  I need to be obedient to the commands of Christ no matter what it will cost me.

4.  I need to do everything without complaining and arguing.

• With this attitude of heart, you become a powerful witness as a child of God to a dying world ( a crooked and depraved generation) that is badly in need of God.

5.  I need to have an attitude of gratitude that will bring joy to my life.

• If bad days (disappointments) cause me to fall into discouragement, then I need to lift my mood back up by giving thanks to God for all things.  
• Be thankful for answered prayers, either your prayers or from someone who prayed for you.
• Be thankful for sins forgiven.
• Be thankful for healings either seen or unseen.
• Be thankful for the storms of your life that have blown out, blown over, or passed you by and never touched you.
• Be thankful for families and friends, old friends and new friends.
• Be thankful for impossibilities that become possibilities.
• Be thankful for gifts, either given or received.
• Be thankful for possibilities that God puts within you.
• Be thankful for hope that springs eternal and never dies because of Christ.

Discussion Questions:

• What does this lesson reveal to me about God?
• What does this lesson reveal to me about myself?
• How will I be different today because of what I have learned? What changes do I need to make?
• What is my prayer for today?