Attitude vs. Altitude

“But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.” – I Samuel 13:14

Attitude is the way you carry yourself or behave. It is based on the information you receive, which passes through your value system. Our attitude must be based on our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Christ-like attitude will determine our altitude. Attitude is displayed by the way you treat others, while altitude is your ability to be raised into a certain position. Altitude in business can be viewed as having the money needed to start you own business, having a great or unique idea, or having all of the necessary relationships and resources.

A good example of how altitude and attitude work is found in the book of 1 Samuel in the battle between King Saul and David. King Saul had everything: the kingdom of Israel, the army, the weapons, and all of the resources of the kingdom. However, David, a shepherd and a servant of the king, only had his relationship with God, his friendship with the king’s son, Jonathan, and a few friends. King Saul received information that David’s popularity could cause him and his children to lose the kingdom. Since he was no longer in fellowship with God, what was most important to him was keeping the kingdom for himself and his family. He began to rely upon himself rather than on God and made a decision to kill David in order to protect his kingdom. Saul planned this, knowing that God had a mighty purpose for David’s life and that David had not wronged him. David, knowing that King Saul was planning to kill him, did not seek revenge, but sought the Lord for safety and protection. Even when he had opportunities to kill Saul, he chose not to because his values told him it was more important to please God than to protect himself. King Saul had the altitude, but David had the attitude. In the end, King Saul killed himself and David became king of Israel.

My prayer for you is that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you will accept him into your life. If you already have a personal relationship with Jesus, you will reflect on your present attitude. If so, seek the Lord that he may give you the mind of Christ concerning your current position so you may have the same heart that David had.