As we finish up our study of the Fruit of the Spirit, we are going to look at self-control. I really feel like this is an attribute that is lacking in our culture today. We are taught to do what makes us happy no matter what the consequences. I believe that this is a lie from the devil. Let's look one last time at our passage in Galatians and at a few more passages where the Bible talks about self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."(NKJV, parenthesis and emphasis mine)
At the end of 1 Corinthians 9, Paul is comparing the Christian life to a footrace and he points out that an athlete has self-control in all things, which is very important for their training. Then he goes on to say that we should exhibit self-control all the more because we are racing for an imperishable reward.
Proverbs 25:28 says, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." (ESV) If we do not have self-control, our defenses are down and we have no protection.
In Titus 2:11-12, Paul says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age." As those who have received salvation we are to "renounce ungodliness and worldly passions," to turn our backs on them, and to live godly lives in an upright manner with self-control. Paul gives a command for self-control again in 2 Peter 1.
When something is mentioned over and over again, that usually means it is important. Self-control is vital to our testimony as a Christian. If we did not reign in our fleshly desires, we would look just like the world and we would be disobeying God. I'm not just talking about the big things such as adultery, fornication, murder, etc., but what about being self-controlled enough to get out of bed in time for church on Sunday or being self-disciplined enough to spend time with God each day.
In day to day life we make many choices that show self-control. We go to work because we want the paycheck or to keep our jobs. We choose to make healthier eating choices, so that we don't have to go to the doctor as often. We choose to pay our bills rather than do the fun things so that we can have electricity, water, heat, and air conditioning. None of these things do we naturally desire to do, but we do them because we know that we don't want to have to face the consequences of not doing them.
In our spiritual lives, being self-controlled when it comes to sin will keep us from facing the consequences of regret, complications, and separation from God. If we are not cultivating our relationship with God, it will feel like there is a giant chasm that is keeping us apart from Him. Will you seek to avoid a rift between you and God by choosing to live a self-controlled life with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Fruit of the Spirit--Gentleness
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV, parenthesis and emphasis mine)
The next to the last Fruit of the Spirit is gentleness or meekness. Meekness means being lowly or humble. As we are thinking about Christmas, I am reminded of the meek and humble being that our Savior had. He was born in a place that housed animals and the first people to hear of His birth were shepherds. Shepherds were social and religious outcasts who were looked down on by the rest of society, yet God chose them to be the ones to spread the Good News of Jesus' birth.
Since Jesus is our example, let's look at a few examples of how He was meek while he was on earth. He was submissive to His earthly parents while He was under their care and He submitted to the will of God when He went to the cross. He was considerate of those whom He ministered to by healing them and by taking time to teach them. He did not ignore their needs, He met them. He was also teachable. When Jesus was twelve, He went to Jerusalem with His parents for the Passover. When they returned after leaving Him there, they found Jesus "sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions." (Luke 2:46) I'm not saying that Jesus did not already know all that these men were talking about, in fact, the next verse says, "And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." I do think that this passage sets an example for us to have a teachable heart as a part of our meek spirit.
So what about you? Are you submissive to God and to those He has put in authority over you? Are you considerate of others in all of your interactions with them? Do you have a heart that is teachable, that is just waiting for God to show you something that He wants you to learn? Remember, meekness is not something we can master on our own. We must have the help of the Holy Spirit working in our lives to accomplish this task. Why not pray today and ask for the Holy Spirit to help you be a person of meekness?
The next to the last Fruit of the Spirit is gentleness or meekness. Meekness means being lowly or humble. As we are thinking about Christmas, I am reminded of the meek and humble being that our Savior had. He was born in a place that housed animals and the first people to hear of His birth were shepherds. Shepherds were social and religious outcasts who were looked down on by the rest of society, yet God chose them to be the ones to spread the Good News of Jesus' birth.
Since Jesus is our example, let's look at a few examples of how He was meek while he was on earth. He was submissive to His earthly parents while He was under their care and He submitted to the will of God when He went to the cross. He was considerate of those whom He ministered to by healing them and by taking time to teach them. He did not ignore their needs, He met them. He was also teachable. When Jesus was twelve, He went to Jerusalem with His parents for the Passover. When they returned after leaving Him there, they found Jesus "sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions." (Luke 2:46) I'm not saying that Jesus did not already know all that these men were talking about, in fact, the next verse says, "And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." I do think that this passage sets an example for us to have a teachable heart as a part of our meek spirit.
So what about you? Are you submissive to God and to those He has put in authority over you? Are you considerate of others in all of your interactions with them? Do you have a heart that is teachable, that is just waiting for God to show you something that He wants you to learn? Remember, meekness is not something we can master on our own. We must have the help of the Holy Spirit working in our lives to accomplish this task. Why not pray today and ask for the Holy Spirit to help you be a person of meekness?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Fruit of the Spirit--Faithfulness
Do you remember the story of Job? He lost everything--his wealth, his health, and even his children, but "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:22 ESV) Even though everything was taken away from him, he was still faithful to God.
The next Fruit of the Spirit that we are going to look at is faithfulness. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV, parenthesis and emphasis mine)
1 Corinthians 4:2 says, "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful." A steward is a representative of a ruling monarch. In the case of Paul's writing in this verse, a steward is a representative of God, which means Christians. It is required that Christians be faithful in all that they do.
So what is faithfulness? Faithfulness is being trustworthy, loyal, or steadfast. No matter what happens, a faithful person is still loyal. Many times we get angry at God or feel hurt by Him when bad things happen. God does not want us to do this, he wants us to respond by faithfully trusting that He knows what is best for us. He wants us to remain loyal to Him in the bad times and allow Him to do something good in our lives through the sorrow. Check out these verses that talk about faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Psalm 36:5
"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds."
Revelation 19:11
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war."
These verses tell us that God is faithful and His faithfulness is great. We are reminded in Hebrews 13 that God has promised to "never leave you nor forsake you." In a day and time when it is difficult to find anyone that you can trust, isn't it comforting to know that God is ever-faithful? I believe we have mentioned it before, but Christians are supposed to be reflecting the image and character of God, so that means that we are to be faithful--loyal, steadfast, trustworthy--in all that we do, not just in our relationship with Christ, but also as we relate to one another.
The next Fruit of the Spirit that we are going to look at is faithfulness. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV, parenthesis and emphasis mine)
1 Corinthians 4:2 says, "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful." A steward is a representative of a ruling monarch. In the case of Paul's writing in this verse, a steward is a representative of God, which means Christians. It is required that Christians be faithful in all that they do.
So what is faithfulness? Faithfulness is being trustworthy, loyal, or steadfast. No matter what happens, a faithful person is still loyal. Many times we get angry at God or feel hurt by Him when bad things happen. God does not want us to do this, he wants us to respond by faithfully trusting that He knows what is best for us. He wants us to remain loyal to Him in the bad times and allow Him to do something good in our lives through the sorrow. Check out these verses that talk about faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Psalm 36:5
"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds."
Revelation 19:11
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war."
These verses tell us that God is faithful and His faithfulness is great. We are reminded in Hebrews 13 that God has promised to "never leave you nor forsake you." In a day and time when it is difficult to find anyone that you can trust, isn't it comforting to know that God is ever-faithful? I believe we have mentioned it before, but Christians are supposed to be reflecting the image and character of God, so that means that we are to be faithful--loyal, steadfast, trustworthy--in all that we do, not just in our relationship with Christ, but also as we relate to one another.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Fruit of the Spirit--Goodness
As we continue to dig into the Fruit of the Spirit, I will be mainly recapping what Pastor Howard has presented in his sermon series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Let's look at the passage in Galatians again.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV, parenthesis and emphasis mine)
The word goodness in this verse means moral excellence or being filled with integrity. Someone who follows God's laws and always does the right thing even when it is difficult is a good person. It is not telling "little white lies" or bending the rules to fit to our own desires, but doing what God tells us in His Word and reflecting the goodness of God in our lives.
Now here is the problem. Goodness means always doing good. I don't know about you, but I'm not perfect. Not by a long shot. In fact, Romans 7:18 says " For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." Paul says that there is no good in the flesh. Well, how in the world are we supposed produce the fruit of goodness?
The Bible talks a lot about the goodness of God, but I'm just going to mention one verse.
Psalm 31:19
"Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!" (ESV)
If you read the context of this verse you find that the psalmist is talking about God. God has goodness in abundance. If we as Christians are supposed to be reflecting the glory of God, then I think that means we are supposed to reflect His character. One of which is goodness. But since there is no good in the flesh, we must depend upon the work of the Holy Spirit in us to produce goodness. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 says "Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would...fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and...that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you..." God is the only one who can produce the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives and we must constantly seek His help to be fruitful Christians.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (or patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV, parenthesis and emphasis mine)
The word goodness in this verse means moral excellence or being filled with integrity. Someone who follows God's laws and always does the right thing even when it is difficult is a good person. It is not telling "little white lies" or bending the rules to fit to our own desires, but doing what God tells us in His Word and reflecting the goodness of God in our lives.
Now here is the problem. Goodness means always doing good. I don't know about you, but I'm not perfect. Not by a long shot. In fact, Romans 7:18 says " For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." Paul says that there is no good in the flesh. Well, how in the world are we supposed produce the fruit of goodness?
The Bible talks a lot about the goodness of God, but I'm just going to mention one verse.
Psalm 31:19
"Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!" (ESV)
If you read the context of this verse you find that the psalmist is talking about God. God has goodness in abundance. If we as Christians are supposed to be reflecting the glory of God, then I think that means we are supposed to reflect His character. One of which is goodness. But since there is no good in the flesh, we must depend upon the work of the Holy Spirit in us to produce goodness. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 says "Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would...fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and...that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you..." God is the only one who can produce the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives and we must constantly seek His help to be fruitful Christians.
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