Attitude Determines Salvation

UV 793/10,000 Attitude Determines Salvation Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Romans 12 v 12 Attitude not only determines altitude: it determines our health, our relationships, our success, the whole course of our days, our life, our rewards and the salvation of our souls. Paul wrote to the early believers to rejoice in hope, to be patient and persevering in trials and troubles of this life and to pray without ceasing. He commended to them the attitude of joy and hope, patience and perseverance. That attitude led them to the action of praying without ceasing. We need to rejoice not in our current circumstances but rejoice in hope. When Joseph saw the dream as a youth, he rejoiced in hope, since he believed the Lord was communicating something precious to him through his dream. When his brothers conspired and cast him in a pit, though the opposite of what he had dreamed was the reality, he held on to the hope of the dream. Though he found the pit painful, he held onto his hope and rejoiced even in the pit. When he was taken out and sold as a slave to the Ishmaelites, he again rejoiced in his hope. When he served Potiphar as a slave, he rejoiced in the hope of his elevation. When he was unjustly condemned to prison on a blatantly false accusation, he was patient and endured that humiliation too. He rejoiced in the hope. When Pharaoh asked him to interpret the “fat cows followed and swallowed by thin cows dream”, he continued to rejoice in hope. It is through a series of tests of hope and patience that the Lord reached him to his divine destiny. The Chinese celebrate the years by giving them names like “ year of the pig” or “year of the dragon” or “year of the monkey”. Believers have only two kinds of years- the year of the fat cow or year of plenty of spiritual milk or year of the thin cow or year of scarcity. Whether it is a year of the fat cow or the year of the thin cow, we should hold on to the hope we have in Christ, a far greater hope than Joseph ever had. For Christ in us is the hope of glory, hope of a share in His inheritance, hope of the abundant life and the life forever or eternal life, hope of salvation, hope of rewards in heaven, hope of deliverance, hope of healing, hope of the promises He has spoken being fulfilled. Whenever we face a current difficult situation, we should not get depressed with the reality of the hardship we are facing but we should rejoice in the hope we have. We should be patient, that the Lord will deliver us from this too. Hope is the fuel of prayer and it is patience that gives it even more mileage. We should pray with faith and without ceasing whether we are in a time of the “ fat cow” or the “thin cow.” Every moment we should be in touch and communion with the Lord. Continuing prayer is the constant vapour of our souls. Prateep V Philip