By Jon Beaty
Life can feel like a roller coaster. One day you're praising God that you can pay this month's bills. The next, a busted water heater or an argument with your spouse drags you down. Along with life's unpredictable ups and downs, our spiritual temperature sometimes swings from hot to cold—if it's not stuck at lukewarm.
Perhaps you've seen a friendly conversation at the family dinner table suddenly turn tense when the topic touches someone's sore spot. Maybe you avoid Sabbath School or church committee meetings because you've been around when someone's harsh remarks caused angels to blush.
A negative mood changes the atmosphere and can quickly dim a room—like turning out a light.
A Tool for Self-Awareness
Several years ago, my employer introduced a simple tool to help employees track how their mood influenced their interactions with each other and the company's customers. It occurred to me that this tool also could have a spiritual application.
Check out the Mood Elevator pictured in this article. It's a tool that enables you to gauge where your feelings sit at a given moment, from the basement of depression to the top floor of gratitude. Many of these attitudes correlate with traits we read about in the Bible. This tool was developed by business consultant Larry Senn, who is also a Christian.
Which floor of the Mood Elevator are you on at this moment? This may be an indicator of whether you're abiding with Jesus. If your mood is in the basement, Jesus isn’t there. Jesus reaches down to lift us up to where He is. Jesus is inviting you to join Him in the lobby and ride with Him all the way to the top.
The Biblical Standard
A biblical touchpoint I often reach to in my own journey is Philippians 2:5. The New Living Translation nicely captures the intensity that Paul conveys in its original Greek: "You must have the same attitude that Christ had."
The way Paul says it, having a Christlike attitude is not a suggestion—it's a requirement.
Since the doctrine of Righteousness by Faith is at the core of the Gospel message, how do we reconcile an imperative like "You must have the same attitude that Christ had" with the understanding that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works, that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:9)?
Grace and Growth Together
The Bible reconciles them for us. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul adds, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them,” (NKJV).
Our Seventh-day Adventist church pioneers used "Righteousness by Faith" and "Justification by Faith" interchangeably. However, there is a mistaken belief that Righteousness by Faith only means justification—being declared "not guilty." The true gospel unites justification with sanctification. When we accept Christ, we receive both forgiveness and the transformative "new birth."
Adventist pioneer Ellen White put it this way: "What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which is not in his power to do for himself. When men see their own nothingness, they are prepared to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. When they begin to praise and exalt God all day long, then by beholding they are changed into the same image" (The Three Angels' Messages, p. 55).
Where Are You Today?
Many people in God's end-time church are living in the basement of the Mood Elevator. They are displaying forms of true religion but not accessing its power. Jesus is standing outside, knocking at the door, asking to come in.
Does this mean a faithful Christian will always be living on the top floors of the Mood Elevator? We may not be there in every moment, but in Christ it's what we must strive for.
When we discover ourselves in the Mood Elevator basement, it's a reminder of our need to reconnect with Jesus. We can start by stepping out of the basement into the lobby by being curious about what the Holy Spirit is trying to reveal to us about ourselves in this moment.
An Invitation to Rise
The next time you find yourself in the Mood Elevator basement—dealing with depression, anger, or stress—humble yourself and ask Jesus to lift you up. Remember that Christ's attitude isn't something we manufacture through willpower or positive thinking. It's the natural fruit of abiding in Him and connecting to the Holy Vine.
Take a moment to check your current floor on the Mood Elevator. If you're not where you want to be, don’t stay there. Choose curiosity and get interested in what fruit the Holy Spirit wants to grow in you in this moment. As Ellen White reminds us, transformation comes "by beholding"—by keeping our eyes fixed on Christ rather than our circumstances.
The beauty of the gospel is that we can’t climb to the top floor on our own strength. Jesus reaches out to us where we are, takes our hand, and lifts us all the way up to where we can express gratitude. Our part is simply to remain in Him, to let Him do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
So where are you today? Whatever floor you're on, Jesus is near, ready to transform your attitude from the inside out. That's the power of Righteousness by Faith—not just being declared "not guilty," but being made new. And that's worth praising God for, whether you're paying this month's bills or facing a busted water heater.
The elevator is waiting. Going up?