CHRISTIAN POSITIVE THINKING
DR. JIM DIXON
1 PETER 2:18-25
JUNE 20, 1980
I would like to share with you this morning about the power of positive thinking. Of course, much is being said about positive thinking. Thousands of people all across this country have joined optimist clubs. Thousands more have taken Dale Carnegie courses. In Christian circles, preachers such as Norman Vincent Peele and Robert Schuler of Garden Grove Community Church have built their ministry and reputation largely around a message of positive thinking. Certainly as Christians, we are to think positively. God commands us to think positively in His word as the Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Positive thinking. But there is a difference between Christian positive thinking and secular positive thinking. Christian positive thinking is based solely on Jesus Christ.
It is based on hope in Christ. It is based on faith in Christ. It is based on trust in Him. It is based on the power of Christ and the life of the believer. It is based on the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ, on the promise that has been given in Christ that all things work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Secular positive thinking is merely humanism. It is based on human efforts. It contains some truth, but it is dangerously deceptive. Dale Carnegie tells us that through positive thinking, people can change lemons into lemonade. There is some truth to that, but there is more truth in Christ, more power in Christ who quite literally changes water to wine, darkness to light, death to life. He is the very source of the Christian’s optimism, and He has all power in the heavens and on earth. Therefore, as Christians, more than any other people, we should be optimistic. We should be positive thinkers.
There are four areas that I would like to share with you this morning concerning which the Lord would have us to exercise this positive thinking, this Christian positive thinking.
First is in our perspective of the world. The Lord wants us as Christians to be optimistic about this world. Some people have accused Christians of being negative and pessimistic about the world. They have accused us of being doomsday in our mentality. They have accused us of prophesying the end of the world and the annihilation of humankind. But the Bible never prophesied the annihilation of humankind. The Bible is a message of hope given to the world. It includes a promise that this world will one day be restored through the power of Jesus Christ. It is the good news of Christ given to the world. There is no place in the whole of the Bible in all the prophetic passages of the Bible where it ever says that humankind will annihilate itself.
In the secular scientific community, certain people have said or suggested that this might happen, that humankind would annihilate itself. In 1967, a group of scientists from all over the world met in Rome, Italy. They called themselves the Club of Rome. They met again in the 1970s. They fed vast amount of data into computer systems: data on overpopulation and worldwide famine, data on the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the inhumanity of man command data on the ecology, data on the pollution of our environment, data on the depletion of this planet’s natural resources, and data on the condition of world economic system. Having fed all this data into the computers, they concluded that sometime early in the 21st century, this world as we know it will cease to exist unless drastic changes take place. Not a very optimistic appraisal of this planet’s future.
But it did not come from the Bible. It did not come from the word of God. It came from the secular scientific community. The only reliable source of information regarding this planet’s future is the word of God. It is the Bible, and the Bible tells us that this planet will indeed undergo tribulation such as the world has never known. But it will not culminate in the annihilation of humankind. It will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ to save humankind. He will come in power, in great glory. He “will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Some believe that He will descend on the Mount of Olives, that He will walk through the golden gate into the holy city. It says in Matthew 25 that He will sit on His glorious throne and will judge the nations. It says in the book of Revelation that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. That is good news because He will restore this world. He will reign over this world in love, in truth, and in peace; and through his people, He will reign over the universe. In the Bible, the minor and major prophets all agree. The spirit is revealed that in that day the desert lands of this world will bring forth bloom (Isaiah 35:1).
Even the wolf and the lamb will dwell together. Nature itself will be restored. The lion will eat straw like the ox. A little child shall be able to lead wild animals, what once were wild animals. In Isaiah 65, it says that in that day, we will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. We will build houses and inhabit them. There shall no longer be infants that live but a few days. All things will be made new. It says in Isaiah chapter 11 that in that day, “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” There is a new day coming, a glorious day, a beautiful future for this planet. As Christians, more than all people, we should be optimistic about this planet’s future. Some Christians, it seems, are over preoccupied with the growth of evil in this world. That is easy for us to do because there is a growth of evil in this world. That was prophesied, but it has also been prophesied in the scriptures that there would be a growth of the kingdom of Christ in this world—that the kingdom of Christ would be planted in this world as a seed, that it would grow, and it has grown.
Did you know that today there are more Christians living in this world than have lived in all the other generations? More Christians living right now on this planet? There has been a growth of evil in this world, but there has also been a growth of righteousness. There is a polarization taking place in this world, and it is going to come to an impasse. It is going to culminate in the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Until that day comes, the Lord would have us believe in Him to make this world a better place in which to live. He would have us serve the kingdom of Christ in our neighborhoods, in our communities, to go forth with the good news of Jesus Christ and a positive message of new life in Him. As Christians, we are to be positive in our perspective towards this world.
Secondly, the Lord would have us exercise positive thinking in our daily attitudes, in our attitudes towards the activities that we share in each day. We have all met people who are negative, who are kind of critical, who seem to always complain and grumble. People that perhaps you are even afraid to ask how they are because you know what you are going to get.
In 1972, Barbara and I took a trip to Europe. We drove from London down to the white cliffs of Dover. From Dover we got on a hovercraft, and we went across the English channel to Belo in France. In France we got on a tour bus with 40 other people. Our tour guides stood in the front of the bus and told us that in the next 11 days we were going to visit 10 countries. They told us that we were going be spending a lot of time together and that we better learn to get along. They told us that the seats we were sitting in right then on the bus were not going to be the seats we were going to stay in. Each morning when we came out to the bus, they wanted those of us who sat on the right side of the aisle to move back two seats. Those who sat on the left side of the aisle to move forward two seats so that we could kind of revolve in a circle. That way everyone would get a chance to sit in the front of the bus. Everyone would get a chance to sit in the back of the bus. A couple that was sitting in the front seat began to complain, and the rest of us knew we were in trouble. They said, “We spent good money on this tour. We paid good money. We’re in this front seat. We’re going to stay in this front seat.” And they did the whole rest of the tour, the next 11 days. We had to jump over them and skip around the bus. They stayed in the front seat. Every hotel we came to, they complained that the food was bad. They complained that every tour we took had something wrong with it. You begin to wonder why in the world they spent all that money to take a trip to Europe just to complain. They could have complained at home.
We have all met people like that. But God does not want us to be grumblers or complainers. We have all had times in our life where we had that kind of an attitude, where we grumbled and complained. God does not want that for us.
The Bible tells us that God was displeased with the children of Israel because they bickered and complained in the wilderness. God wanted them to have faith because faith is positive. God wanted them to trust in Him, but they would not. Therefore, the Bible tells us God withheld His blessing from their lives, and they bickered and complained in the wilderness for 40 years. Jude, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, told the people of Christ that they were not to be grumblers, complainers, or malcontents. Paul the apostle, wrote to the Christians at Philippi and Thessalonica. He told them the attitude that we are to have in Christ. He said, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:8). He said, “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19). Again, in our passage that we read today in Philippians, Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice” That is the attitude that God wants us to have as Christians. In the midst of every circumstance, a positive attitude. One of rejoicing
This last week, I took two days of vacation. Barbara and I took two days off, Thursday and Friday. I was looking forward to doing nothing. I was planning on vegetating. Barbara had other plans . She was talking to her sister on the phone. Her sister lives in Gypsum, Colorado. I do not know how many of you have ever been to Gypsum, Colorado. It is about 150 miles west, just off of I-70. There is not a whole lot going on in Gypsum; but Barb talked to her sister, and they decided that these two days would be a good time for us to go and visit her in Gypsum. Barb called me on Tuesday and said, “Hey, I got a neat idea for your two days of vacation.” I could tell she really wanted to go. I could have taken two attitudes towards it. I could have decided to go in a bad mood, or I could have decided to go in a good mood. I decided to go in a bad mood. No, I actually, believe it or not, I decided to go in a good mood. I thought it through, and I decided I might as well go in a good mood. Gypsum is such a hole in the wall. You do not know whether you are in the mountains or whether you are in the desert. It is just kind of there. But we drove there, and I thought I am going to have a good time. I knew we were going to be there with Barb and her sister and six children. Still I was going to have a good time. And we did. We really had a good time.
The first thing we did when we got to Gypsum was we left Gypsum. We drove to Glenwood Springs, which was just a little further on. We went to the hot springs there. They have a 240-foot slide that they built that comes down into a pool and is really neat. We walked around and soaked up some sun. We went back to Gypsum and drove up some of the valleys and looked at some of the beautiful ranches. We played with the kids. I read a book. I really had a good time. I am sure you would agree that if I had gone into those two days with a negative attitude, I would not have had as much fun.
The Lord wants us to know that the choice is ours. We can go into every circumstance with a negative attitude or a positive one. But He has told us in His word what he wants us to do. I read recently in Science News what scientists call a Cretaceous–Tertiary mass extinction. Most of you have probably never heard of that; but it appears that in Earth’s history between the Cretaceous period and the Tertiary period, there occurred a mass extinction of life on this planet. Seventy-five percent of life on this planet was suddenly annihilated. Scientists have never understood why the aquatic reptiles, the flying reptiles, and the dinosaurs were all annihilated. Geologists have discovered in the layers of the Earth’s crust between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods the fossil remains of those reptiles and dinosaurs that died. They have also discovered in that same layer unusual amounts of an element called iridium.
Scientists have begun to speculate that perhaps what happened on the Earth was a great asteroid, perhaps 15 miles across, impacting with the Earth, an asteroid that was rich in this element iridium. When it impacted with the Earth, the dust from that asteroid and much of the earth rose into the atmosphere and formed a belt, a belt of dust all around this world that lasted for years, cutting off the sun’s light, cutting off the solar rays, stopping photosynthesis, stopping food production, and ultimately killing 75% of the life on this planet. Now, I believe that many Christians are undergoing a cretaceous- tertiary mass extinction.
Many Christians have accepted Jesus Christ. They have yielded their life to Him. They said, “Lord Jesus, come into my life. I relinquish everything to you. Every concern in my life. My whole future I give to you, I trust to you.” They had joy. They let the sunlight of Christ shine into their lives, and they were happy. As they went along, they impacted with a trial or a tribulation or a failure or a tragedy. Suddenly, a big belt of despair began to encircle their life, cutting off the light of Christ, cutting off the joy of Christ. They begin to carry that belt of despair with them, affecting their attitudes each day.
The Lord Jesus wants us to know that He is capable of getting rid of that belt of despair. Sometimes as Christians, we do not understand that when we first came to Christ the decision we made to give all things into His hands, to trust Him totally, needs to be renewed. It needs to be renewed each day as we say, “Lord Jesus, here’s another day. I trust you, and I’m going to enjoy this day because of you and through you.”
The Lord wants us to give our anxieties to Him. Peter said, ” Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you ” (1 Peter 5:7). The Apostle Paul said, “Have no anxiety in anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
Thirdly, and very shortly, the Lord wants us to be positive in our attitudes towards our jobs. Every one of you in this place has a job. You have some calling, some occupation, some work the Lord has called you to. Maybe you are a homemaker. Maybe you sell real estate. But you have a job. And I am sure as the days go by, you have some days you approach positively and some days you approach negatively. But the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to rejoice in your work in the midst of your every circumstance. Every job has hard parts to it. I have never met anybody who had a job that did not have something in it that they did not like That is even true of being a minister. But the Lord wants us to rejoice in the midst of every one of those circumstances.
One of my favorite stories is a story of Lillian Dixon. I think maybe the reason I remember the story is because she has my name or I have her name, but we are not related. Fifty-five years ago, Lillian Dixon and her husband went to Formosa. They went to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, to tell the good news of Jesus Christ. That was her calling in life. But it was not easy. There were many obstacles, many trials and tribulations.
When she and her husband got to Formosa, they went to the social services department, and the government official there told Lillian Dixon that she was wasting her time. He told her that to try to share the Christian gospel would just be an exercise in futility. He said the people there had other religions, and they were not open to Christianity. He walked over to the window, and he pointed out to the ocean and said, “You might as well try to empty the ocean one bucket at a time. That’s how ridiculous it is.” She started to leave the room, and the government official said, “Where are you going? She said, “I’m going to get my bucket.”
That was 55 years ago. Her husband has gone to be with the Lord, but she continues to minister in Formosa. Today, 1000 churches, hospitals, and schools are flourishing in Formosa. They were all started by Lillian Dixon and the power of Christ in her life. It has been said of Lillian Dixon that she has approached every day of her life in the positive power of Jesus Christ. That is how God wants us to spend every day of our life in whatever work He has called us to do. Do not look at the circumstances. Look at Jesus. It does not matter if it is tough. Get your bucket, trust Him, and rejoice in Him.
Finally, the Lord wants us to have positive influences on other people. He has called us to be light in the midst of darkness. Not darkness in the midst of light. Some people light up a room when they go into it. Other people light up a room when they leave. The Lord wants us to know that the choice is ours. He has told us His will, but the choice is ours. He has called us to be lights in the midst of darkness. I honestly believe that people loved to be around Him. They loved to walk with Him. They drew strength from Him. They drew encouragement from Him. They drew hope from Him. He gave hope to the woman at the well. He gave hope to the woman caught in the very act of adultery. He gave hope to the little man called Zacchaeus when no one else liked him. He gave him hope. Christ gave hope to the beggar by the roadside. The Lord Jesus saw in every person He met a potential child of God if that person would just believe. He saw in every person he met a potential eternal king and queen in the kingdom of Christ. He is the light of God come into the world. He has left this world and gone into the presence of his Father. He has come into our lives by His Holy Spirit, and He has now called us to go into the world as lights to spread the light of Christ, the good news of Christ.
One of my favorite stories is the story of a Chinese farmer. We will close with this. The Chinese farmer was a man who was a Christian, but he did not have much. He had one son and one horse. One day his horse ran away. His neighbors came by and said, “What bad luck.” The Chinese farmer said, “How do you know that’s bad luck.” The next day the horse came back with twelve wild stallions. He put them all in the corral, and now he had thirteen horses. The neighbors came by and said, “Wow! What good luck.” The Chinese farmer said, “How do you know that’s good luck?” The next day his son went out and was trying to tame one of the wild stallions, and the son broke his leg. The neighbors came by and said, “Wow! What bad luck.” The Chinese farmer said, “How do you know that’s bad luck?” The next day, a Chinese warlord came through recruiting all able-bodied men to go off to war. The Chinese farmer’s son, because he had broken his leg, did not have to go. Those men who went off to war never came back, but that Chinese farmer’s son grew to live a long and rich and full life.
The moral of the story is that in the life of the Christian, there is no good luck or bad luck. Luck does not play a significant role in the life of the Christian. Everything is Jesus Christ, and He has all power in heaven and on earth. He says to you, “All things will work together for good if you love me.” He wants you to believe that He wants us to be positive thinkers in our attitude toward this world—in our daily attitude towards every activity, in our attitudes towards our jobs, in our attitudes towards other people. He wants us to go forth as children of faith, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy.
In the Bible it says, “This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). This can be a new beginning for you. You may have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. You may have never put your trust in Him and walked positively in His power. That could begin today. You could say, “Lord Jesus, come into my life. I want to live for you.” Or you may have given your life to Christ many years ago, but you might not be walking in His positive strength and power. You might not be trusting your life to Him. You might be dwelling on negative things rather than whatsoever things are good and lovely. This can be the day of a new start for you from this day forth and forevermore. You can wake up every morning and say, “Lord Jesus, here’s another day I’m going to live for you. Here’s another day I’m going to trust in you. Here’s another day I’m going to enjoy through you.” He wants that for us. In this world we do have trials and tribulation, but our great Lord and Savior says to us, “Be of good cheer, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Shall we pray? Father, we come into Your presence with thanksgiving. We thank You for Your many blessings on our lives. Lord Jesus, we thank You that You are not only our Lord and Savior; we thank You that You are our provider. We pray, Lord, that we might learn to trust our lives more and more to You. That we might begin to walk in the joy and the happiness that You would have us to walk in, that we would trust all things to You and begin to look on whatsoever things are excellent and worthy of praise. Lord, if there be anything in our lives that needs correction, help us to focus on the solution, not the problem. Lord, we give You the praise and the glory for all things. We want to be Your children. We want to be light in the midst of darkness. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the ministry You have given us. We pray these things in your precious name. Amen.