new church life: march/april 2015
prisoner-of-war camp, were you able to tell which of the prisoners were likely
to survive the ordeal, and which were not?” He said, “Yes, we started to see that
the people who had a good attitude – who were able to see the good in their
experience – were the ones who would make it, while those who didn’t weren’t
as likely to survive.”
Joseph in the land of Egypt had that same kind of attitude. No doubt it was
part of what made him a handsome man. (Genesis 39:6) Joseph was cast into
prison for a crime he didn’t commit, but he didn’t let it get him down. He went
to work in the prison house and became overseer of the prisoners.
Years later, after he had gotten out of prison and become the most
prominent man in Egypt – second only to Pharaoh – 10 of his brothers came
to buy grain in that land. At first they didn’t recognize him, but after he’d made
himself known, they feared he would seek revenge on them for the way they
had treated him two decades before. But he answered them: “You meant evil
against me, but God meant it for good – to save many people alive, as it is this
day.” So Joseph was a hard-working soul who was able to see the good in what
he had been through.
One way we can think of heaven and even define it is in terms of attitude. In
one sense, heaven is an attitude. It’s an attitude you carry, born of a reforming,
regenerating spirit. Heaven isn’t so much about our personal successes or
failures in this world – accomplishments or lack of them – as it is about the
way we look at things, and how we respond to whatever comes our way. In
fact, for all of the many things we leave behind in this world, our attitude is
something we take with us into the next life, and it contributes to the good of
everyone there.
So let’s take a look at some of the elements spoken of in the Word and in
the doctrines of our church that make up a strong, enduring, healthy, heavenly
attitude. It’s a kind of attitude we can experience while we are alive in this
world. It’s something we will carry with us into the next life. And it’s something
that angels wake up with every morning.
First, a heavenly attitude is a searching attitude. It’s not one that has all the
answers or engages in one-way, “I’ll tell you the way it is,” “I want to be heard
but I’m not interested in listening ,” communication. Instead, it’s an attitude that
seeks and gathers information en route to loving and wise decision-making.
Here’s something from the doctrine of our church that describes this part of an
angelic attitude, in terms of a “genuine affection for truth”:
A genuine affection for truth consists in willing and desiring to know the real truths
of faith, with a view to putting them to good use, and for the sake of the life one
should lead. Those with a genuine desire for truth examine the Scriptures and pray
to the Lord for enlightenment; and when they receive it, their hearts rejoice. (Secrets
of Heaven 8993.3-4)
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