Return to Index.

Self-Control
July 27, 2013

Last week, I wrote about how knowledge plays a role in our life and is more valuable than precious treasure. Knowledge is an important component of spiritual development and is typically built after the establishment of faith and virtue. After we gain some knowledge, what are we to do with it? Peter gives us an idea of what comes next in our spiritual development.

2 Peter 1: 5-11
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I like to think of this verse as providing the taxonomy of spiritual development. Up next after knowledge, is temperance, or self-control. Self-control is the ability to lead oneself through life and is a skill we can all improve on. When we have self-control, we are disciplined. We purposely will not get angry when somebody is pushing all of our buttons. We will not drink to excess. We will not overindulge. What we do, we will do purposefully in clear thought when taking action or choosing to take no action at all. If the Holy Spirit, we should see the ability to self-control increase in our lives as Paul identifies it as a fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

The life we live may be physical and we live this life with a spiritual goal in mind of an incorruptible crown. To get to that point in the future, we must strive for that level of mastery by having self-control, and Paul write about this, also.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

As we position ourselves to do what is right towards God and in service to man through knowledge and as we add to that an ability to control ourselves, we increase our ability to celebrate what is good, embrace what is good, and do what is good.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
Copyright and Legal Information
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information