What kind of day do you want to have tomorrow?  I know that we do not have 100% control over this.  Things happen in life that take us by surprise all the time.  Not everything goes as planned.  However, oftentimes, the kind of day we have is determined by our own attitudes.  If we go into a day with a miserable mindset, we will usually have a bad day.  On the other hand, if our attitudes are good, we generally have good days, even when the unexpected happens.  Problems that arise are handled much better when we possess a positive outlook.

The best mindset to have is the mind of Christ.  Paul said, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).   What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?  It means to have an unselfish mindset that truly understands the value of others.

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)
³  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This is what Paul wrote just before encouraging us to have the mind of Christ.  Throughout His time here on earth, Jesus consistently thought of the needs of others.  He spent His days teaching, healing, and even feeding those around Him.  Why did He heal so many during His ministry here on earth?  The Bible tells us.

Matthew 9:35-36 (ESV)
³⁵  And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. ³⁶  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Approach tomorrow with the attitude that those you come into contact with are just as important as you are and look for opportunities to help someone who needs it.  Days spent considering the interests of others are usually good days.

Jesus also had a heart of joy (John 15:11;  John 17:13).  Joy is an attitude that we can choose to have.  I know this because it is one of the fruits of the Spirit that we are commanded to have (Galatians 5:22).  Since God does not give us commands that we cannot keep, we know we can live with joy every day if that is what we choose to do.

Tell yourself right now that tomorrow you are going to live with the spirit of joy.  Everything we do is a little easier when we do it with joy in our hearts.  It helps us to treat others better, to have more patience, and to be less irritable.  Generally speaking, days filled with joy are good days.  Don’t wait for something great to happen to be in a good mood tomorrow.  Make up your mind right now that, absent some unforeseen tragedy, tomorrow is going to be a joyful day.

Jesus had a mind to work as well (John 9:4).  Whether you are going to school, to work, or whatever your day will consist of tomorrow, if you give maximum effort to whatever you do, you will have a satisfying day.  We all look back on days wherein we worked hard and accomplished what we set out to do, as satisfying days.  If someone asks us after a day like that, “how was your day?”  Our response is almost always, “I had a good day.”  Why not determine to have that kind of day right now?

Sleep well tonight and resolve to have a great day tomorrow.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.