Actions vs. Attitude

All too often when thinking about obedience to God, I make the mistake of focusing on actions rather than attitude. Both are important, but it is attitude that bring the right actions, not the other way around. If we get the attitude or motivation correct, the right actions will automatically follow. And in fact, this is what Scripture teaches. Scripture talks more about attitude than actions. Take for example Psalm 146. There is a nugget of gold hidden within that verse that speaks volumes about attitude. It is found is verse 5 which in the English Standard Version states, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God". The Contemporary English version states, "The LORD God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts Him and depends on Him". There is no reference to actions in that verse because there is no need to reference actions. If we have the right attitude, i.e. hope and dependence on God, then the right actions will follow. But what does it look like to place our hope and dependence on God? The world offers many different things on which to place our hope. It can be in our job, in our marriage, in our children, in our health, our wealth, our appearance, and the list goes on and on. These things become idols, and our actions reflect this. We will put all our energy, time and effort into what we hope for. We will be drawn to what we hope for, think constantly about what we hope for, and most importantly, place our passion around what we hope for. What we set our hope on determines much of what our life looks like. When we set our hope on the God of Jacob, we care less about money, possessions, what others think of us, and all the other idols of this world. Instead, we seek to focus on what is yet to come while at the same time, doing a better job of living the life we have here on this earth. It is not that we become too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good, but rather it is only by becoming heavenly minded that we are of any earthly good. That's why our focus should be to maintain an attitude of hope in the Lord, rather than actions that seem to meet His demands.