Let’s start with a question: What is the most important attribute or characteristic in determining whether one’s life will be “successful” and “happy”?

Charles R. “Chuck” Swindoll suggests the following: “This may shock you, but I believe the single-most significant decision I can make on a day-to-to basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think, or my position. Attitude is that ‘single string’ that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.”

While you’re “chewing” on that, consider also this quote from Mr. Swindoll: “Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.” If we understand that Jas.1 uses “Tests” to refer to commands of God- either + or -; and “Trials” to refer to circumstances which make obedience to those commands more difficult; and “Temptations” as our reaction or overreaction to the trials rather than concentrating on the test, then Mr. Swindoll seems to be on the right track.

Great biblical men and women of faith were so in large measure because of their tremendous attitudes: For instance: o Joseph, Gen.39:7-9 o Rahab, Joshua 2:8-13 o Solomon, 1Kings 3:5-9 The New Testament also has much to say about the importance of “attitude”-  Luke 1:17, there is one of “the disobedient” and a different one of “the righteous”  Phil.3:13-15, it seems to be the key to ultimate perfection in heaven

Attitude is so very important to our overall view of life, that it influences virtually every facet of it. Consider: Famed French literary giant Victor Hugo was once called upon to comfort a friend who had arrived at his 50 th birthday, and was depressed at the notion of growing old. Hugo remarked, “You should rejoice, my friend that you have escaped your forties, which are the old age of youth, and have at last arrived at the age of fifty, which is the youth of old age.”

Attitude is so very important to our overall view of life, that it influences virtually every facet of it. Mark Twain also saw the importance of attitude: “Work is not a concrete thing; it is a mental attitude. Nothing is either work or play but thinking makes it so.” “Have you ever thought of the difference between work and play? You use the same muscles to play golf as you do to mow your lawn; you use the same brain power to play bridge as you do to conduct a business; the only difference is the mental attitude. Why is it that work tires you more than play? Again it is the mental attitude, so if you want to make your work easier, make play out of it. Too many men make work out of golf, and when you do that you have taken the pleasure out of it. It may not be easy, but if you can change the mental attitude toward the things you call work, you can get more out of life.” (selected)

The importance of “attitude” to our overall view of life, and our success and happiness in it cannot be ignored. But, is that all there is to it? Attitude is vital in determining how we respond to things which happen to us (passively), but is not the only factor in determining our motivation for accomplishment (activity- what we are driven to do)- one can have a great attitude and accomplish very little. So what is the other factor to success and happiness in life? You might get different answers from different people, but my answer is: Desire.

Take a look at some of what the N.T. has to say about desire (not lust, but ambition), and its impact on our lives here and hereafter. o Mark 4:19 What is the difference between them and those of v.20, if not the direction and depth of their desires? o 2Cor.8:10-11 Desire was the motivation for beginning and completing a good work for God and others. o Gal.5:16-17 Our desires can be focused either in the right or wrong directions, and thereby dictate the course of lives. see also v.24 o Thus our desires (ambitions) can be either selfish and fleshly, Eph.2:3; 1Tim.6:9; 2Tim.4:3; or selfless and spiritual, 2Thess.1:11; 2Tim.3:12; Heb.11:16; 13:18; 2Cor.5:9; 1Thess.4:11.

As vitally important as “attitude” is in determining the success and happiness of our lives, our “desires” are that which motivate and drive us either in right or wrong directions. You can, I suppose, have a pleasant attitude about wrong activities and directions in life. And conversely, you can have a bad attitude about right activities and directions in life. But if you are to be truly successful and happy in life by biblical standards, you must have the right desires and attitude about them! James 4:1-17