OPTIMISM VERSUS PESSIMISM - HALF FULL?

*The following is a devotion from my pastor friend Julio Romano. What a challenge. Lord help us to say the glass is half full...and drink of Your pleasure!!

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OPTIMISM VERSUS PESSIMISM
(Pastor Julio Romano - Christian Family Center – Corona, CA)

• Optimism Defined

- Everyone has a perspective or an attitude in how they see the world and everything in it.

- The optimist always looks on the bright side. He believes all will work out for the good.

- The optimist has a favorable view of circumstances and situations.

• Pessimism Defined

- This person has a negative perspective (doom and gloom).

- The pessimist takes the worst view regarding current affairs.

- This person tends toward worry and fear and generally believes things will get worse.

• God is an optimist

- God was an optimist prior to creation when only good existed.

- God created in wisdom yet permitted evil to exist. - Proverbs 8:14,22, 27 "Counsel is mine and sound wisdom ... The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old ... When He prepared the heavens, I was there ... "

- After sin came into existence, God was optimistic. He had a plan of salvation.

- In the end God's Kingdom has predominance over evil, All evil will be destroyed.

- God said all creation was good including man, who God knew would fall into sin, The creation of man was good because God had purpose to save him from sin. Genesis 1:31 "And God saw everything that was made, and, behold it was very good."

• The Christian must be an optimist

- God is an optimist. He is our example.

- We are to live by faith. Pessimism is the opposite of faith.

- God promises all will turn out for good. The optimist believes that in the end all will turn out well. - Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

• The optimist must be consistent

- The Israelites were optimistic after the exodus from Egypt. After three days without water they became pessimistic.

- Christians can be optimistic when all is well but if trails or suffering come they can become pessimistic.

• The Essence of optimism

- God can turn an evil into something good that will further His purpose. God will never allow a negative to exist unless He is going to turn it into a positive.

- God's word commands us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). This is only possible for the optimist.

• The Essence of pessimism

- It leads to worry, fear and complaining which is sin before God - Robs a person of joy and peace.

- The pessimist will be more passive and lack motivation.

- The ten spies that went to view the promise land were pessimistic. They had unbelief and lacked faith (Numbers 13:26-33).

• Creation and the optimistic perspective

- The universe was the best possible one God could create. God is all knowing, all powerful, providential, and all wise.

- The rebellion of man and angelic beings cannot hinder God's eternal purpose.

- God's eternal purpose: the ultimate predominance of good over evil in the universe.

• An optimistic perspective toward evil

- All evil has been conquered at the cross of Christ. In the end of time all evil will be done away with.

- An evil is temporal.

- Scripture teaches that in the end God and His people win over evil in all forms. In the process leading to the end Christians often get upset in regard to the spread and influence of evil. Since all evil is destroyed in the end we can be optimistic now regarding evil.

• The danger of pessimism

- Can lead to depression, self-pity, worry, and fear.

- One person with a pessimistic attitude can have a negative effect on others. The ten spies that were pessimistic about entering the promise land created fear in the entire nation of Israel.

- Some believe we must be well informed and realistic and that being pessimistic is not harmful Yet these individuals can he tormented with worry and fear.

- The pessimist can tend toward being inactive and defeatist.

- Pessimism can affect relationships, health, finances, etc.

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