Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Self-control”
Our Bible verse for today: “This is the territory that remains (to be conquered): all the regions of the Philistines … Joshua 13:2 (NLT)
Our thought for today: “The lack of self-control can have long-term consequences.”
In Joshua Chapter 13 we read about Joshua, as an old man and nearing the end of his life, being told by God about the parts of his assignment that had yet to be completed. Joshua’s task as a young man was to lead the nation of Israel in the conquest of the Promised Land. He did do that, but not completely. The nation did end-up taking possession of large portions of the land, but then they settled-down, settled-in, got comfortable, and stopped. They never conquered the rest of the land.
The failure to follow through on what God clearly told them to do resulted in some bad long-term consequences for them. For instance, the land of the Philistines was never conquered. Consequently the Philistines ended up being a major source of conflict and heartache for the Jews throughout their entire history, right up to present times. That portion of land is known today as the Gaza Strip and if you’re up-to-date on current events in the Middle East, then you know that more than 3000 years after the time of Joshua, Palestine is still a hotbed of conflict for the Jews.
Just like doing something we shouldn’t do represents a lack of self-control, not doing what we are supposed to do is also an example of a lack of self-control. And like the example of the long-term consequences suffered by the Jews for not fully conquering the Promised Land, the lack of self-control can produce long-term consequences we never anticipated either.
As we conclude this month of considering the spiritual discipline of self-control, let me take us back to where we started. Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s a character trait that the Spirit develops in our lives which results in us becoming more spiritually mature, and slowly becoming more and more like Jesus. Self-control is also something we can desire, seek, pray for, and work at developing. It’s something that God wants you to have and it’s therefore something the Spirit will develop in you if you will cooperate with Him and do your part.
I encourage you to spend extra time in prayer today. Ask God to help you identify one or two areas of your life in which you need more self-control. Then identify some practical steps you can take to do your part on becoming more self-controlled in that area. If you will do that, then in the days, weeks, and months to come, as you pray about it and as you do your part, the Holy Spirit will do His part in bringing about that transformation and you will become a more self-controlled person.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 