By: Dr. Steven K. Parker
· What do you think of when you think of the spiritual fruit of self-control?
· Why do you think this fruit is in such short supply in our world?
Hear:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:16-26)
Pause:
· If the fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists are a normal part of life when we live in God’s kingdom, what does that say about self-control?
· If we grow in the Spirit, we will grow in self-control, but how do we grow in God’s Spirit in a way that produces self-control?
Reflection:
I saw a meme the other day that said that you don’t have any idea how little self-control you have until the chips and salsa are set down in front of you at the table. Truer words might never have been spoken! I envy people who display more self-control when it comes to diet and exercise. Our diet is not the only area where self-control is required in order to live a God-honoring life. What are some other areas of life you can think of that require self-control? What would a quick glance at our Internet browsing history reveal about our self-control? What would a quick review of our Amazon.com purchases reveal about our ability to manage our family’s finances and our own impulses? What does the way we react when someone treats us unkindly say about the status of our faith in the One who prayed for those crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing”? How do we respond when things don’t work out the way we want them to or when we have to modify our plans unexpectedly? Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.” We might make light of our shortcomings and struggles in these and other areas, but a lack of impulse control reveals a deeper spiritual struggle, because self-control is the norm of life in the kingdom of God.
By including self-control as part of this list of the spiritual fruit, Paul is saying that this quality is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. We can cultivate the spiritual condition of our hearts to make room for the Spirit’s work, but ultimately it is the Spirit of God who produces the ability to control our selves. Self-control, when talked about in the context of spiritual fruit, really means Spirit-control. As we give the Spirit more control of our lives, control of our thoughts, control of our words, control of our deeds, we find the ability to control ourselves more and more. Self-control grows as we surrender control of our lives to God. The presence of self-control is a sign of spiritual maturity. The absence of self-control is a wake-up-call, reminding us of the need to live under the controlling influence of the Spirit of God. If we are not in control of our passions, desires, and appetites, we haven’t given God’s Spirit enough influence over our story. Rather than beating ourselves up over our failures to control our passions, maybe now is a good time to surrender more of our lives to the One who can bring every part of our story under His transforming grace!
I love Charles Stanley’s prayer for self-control; let’s lift our hearts up together as we reflect on these prayerful words:
Heavenly Father, we live in a world which encourages us to indulge in every whim, but you are calling us to rise above us. Please, teach us the virtue of self-control…help us to know ourselves. Teach us to recognize our weaknesses and work to walk in holiness. Let us repent, and follow you in all things. Thank you for your unending grace and mercy toward us when we need it most. Help us to trust you with our lives. In Jesus' Name, Amen. (https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-daily-prayer/a-prayer-for-self-control-your-daily-prayer-february-16-2017.html)
If you’d like to hear more about self-control, you can access a recent sermon in our Living Into A Kingdom Normal series by clicking here.
Wonder:
· How might this weird season of life be a good time to give the Spirit more control of our story?
· How might that decision result in a fuller expression of our faith in Christ?
Bless:
· Affirm what everyone has shared.
· Pray that God might help us to grow in His Spirit that our lives might more and more be characterized by self-control
We hope that you will join us online Sunday at 9:30 AM in Spanish and at 11:00 AM in English. We also have various Zoom Bible Studies and Sunday School classes that you can plug into; call the church office at 956-968-9585 or message us on Facebook for more information about those. May God produce His self-control in us!