In Galatians 5:22-23 it says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
I’ve read that verse multiple times but it wasn’t until recently that I realized self-control was mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit. When I look back now, I can’t really understand why I didn’t notice it before, but I’m thankful that God’s brought it to attention when He did.
How much do we practice self-control? I certainly have my strong suits, but I’m weak in other areas. For example, I’m fine when it comes to drugs or alcohol and abstaining for them, but it’s hard for me to say no to another piece of chocolate or another episode of Game of Thrones.
I don’t know what you think of when you hear the words “self-control”, but when I first saw them mentioned I wrinkled my nose and tried to ignore the discovery. Self-control requires being selfless and dying to ourselves. I personally don’t find that easy.
Matthew 16:24-26 says, “ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let himdeny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
Self-control is one of the biggest fruits of being a Christian, for those who truly love Jesus, but how often do we ignore this commandment in our own pursuit of selfish pleasures? While that extra piece of chocolate tastes good now, we know what’s going to happen when we step onto the scales. While another tv episode sounds good right now, we won’t be thinking about that when we’re trying to hurry through University assignments that should have been done ages ago.
I have come to learn that a lot of God’s commandments aren’t made just for His sake. When we follow God’s true plan as outlined in the Bible, we get to live and experience the full life God has for us. Things of beauty don’t just happen by accident. No one looks at a beautiful garden and ask how it got there. Obviously someone was there labouring each day to weed, water and sow. In the same way, we need to do this in our own lives if we want the fruit that God promises.
2 Peter 1:5-7 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”
Self-control is a fruit of faith, virtue and knowledge and then self-control gives fruit to being steadfast, godly, etc. Without self-control, one of the most ignored fruits by Christians, we can’t experience the life God wants us to have.
Let’s choose today to take up our cross as Jesus’ instructed and have the self-control God desires for us that we may live the life He desires for us.
Amen?
GOD BLESS XX
~ C
Pursuing God's Best 