DR. JEKYLL AND MR. CHRISTIAN
By Doug Pierce
“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.” Psalm 40:16
Years ago I was the guest evangelist at a church in north Alabama. I met a gentleman after the service one night who really impressed me. His name was Mr. Moody. We had a great conversation about the Lord. After he shared his testimony with me, and how the Lord was blessing his life, I walked away thinking, “Wow, that guy really loves the Lord!” Later that night, in the pastor’s home, I mentioned that I had visited with him and he really seemed like a great Christian man.
His pastor responded, “Well, you talked to him on one of his good nights.” I asked, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, his name fits his personality. He’s a very “Moody” person. One day he can be all smiles, friendly and seemingly excited about the Lord. But the next day, he can be sully and sour, hating life and ready to bite your head off for the slightest of reasons. You can’t be quite sure who you might encounter from day to day.
”Moodiness is like that. It creates a guessing game. Do you know some moody people? Are you one yourself?
I believe one of the key qualities of a growing Christian is consistency. A growing Christian is not sweet and kind one day, and then rude, cold, and aloof the next. A person like that is not being controlled by the Spirit but controlled by the flesh. To be sure, it is hard to be a good witness and glorify Christ with such up and down behavior.
STEADY YOUR FOCUS AND STEADY YOUR MOOD
What do you do if you have a tendency to be moody? What do you do if you wake up on edge and frustrated with the world? You refuse to let your mood dictate your day. You take your sour mood by the nap of the neck and let it know how the day is going to happen. You do what the Psalmist did in Psalm 42:11 and have a heart to heart talk with yourself . . . your soul. Note what he said to himself. He asked himself an important question and then answered his own question? “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted (down and out…in a bad mood) within me?” Then note the answer he gave . . . ”hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the health of my countenance (facial expression), and my God.” In other words, the Psalmist was asking himself, “Why am I walking around acting so down and out today? Why am I so moody from one day to the next? Why is my attitude so up and down like a yo yo?”
Then he gives the answer. He solves his moodiness problem. He says, “My hope and faith is in the Lord? I’ve gotta do better than this! I’ve been too focused upon my circumstances. I’ve been trusting and hoping my problems and difficulties would change, but today, Lord, I’m going to look to You and trust You!”
SWINDOLL ON ATTITUDE
One of my all-time favorite quotes on attitude comes from Charles Swindoll. He said, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our attitudes.”
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Like the Psalmist, look in the mirror, take charge of your attitude and stand on the promise, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” today (Phil. 4:13)! Choose today to have a good attitude, regardless of the circumstances. Choose to seek the Lord and rejoice in Him.
Your life may be in total turmoil, but Jesus is the One who can bring peace to your troubled heart and raging storm. Don’t be a Mr. Moody believer! Refuse to be a Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde Christian.
Think it over . . .
Doug Pierce is a Church planter and a pastor. In 2003 he started, and continues to pastor First Independent Methodist Church in Madison, Mississippi. His #1 priority is to glorify God in all aspects of ministry. He does this through teaching his congregation to Love God, Love One Another, and Love Others to God. Prayer, outreach, and church growth through evangelism are vital parts of his ministry. He and his wife Suzanne live in Madison, Mississippi where they also enjoy their children and grandchildren.
Feature Photo by Max Rahubovskiy
It’s true and I believe it’s from the Lord. Life is to show that you are moving forward, there are good spiritual changes. You are making progress physically and spiritually. You have touched my heart with that Word and I miss it Let the church grow spiritually and physically in knowing God very well.