Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.” Genesis 3:6 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Lack of self-control leads to sin.”

 

“It was the woman’s fault! It’s always the woman’s fault!” So men have said down through the ages. And, at first glance, it does appear that the debacle in the Garden of Eden was Eve’s fault. She was the one who got into a conversation with the serpent (the devil in disguise); she was the one who was deceived; she was the one who took the fruit and ate it; and she was the one who gave it to Adam and told him to eat some too.

 

But wait, in Genesis 2:15 we read that it was Adam who was told by God that he was forbidden from eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve hadn’t even been created at that time. And there’s no record that God ever repeated those words directly to Eve. It was Adam who had received the instructions from God; it was Adam who was responsible for telling it to Eve; and, as verse 3:6 tells us, as Eve was in the process of being tricked by the devil into eating the forbidden fruit, Adam was standing right there watching and listening and he did nothing to prevent it from happening. He even joined in and took a bite himself.

 

Why would Adam and Eve have done that? The Garden of Eden was filled to overflowing with all the food they could possibly want. They were free to eat it all, and as much as they wanted. All that is, except the fruit from this one tree.

 

And that’s where human nature entered the picture. We want the thing that we can’t have. It doesn’t matter what we do have, we want the thing we have been told we can’t have. Satan knows that and Satan works to exploit it.

 

That’s where the spiritual discipline of self-control comes in. God has given us free will that allows us to make choices. Therefore we can choose to obey Him or not. When we make the effort to resist temptation, restrain our impulses, and control ourselves to obey Him, we have honored Him with our choice. But it is a choice, and it does require effort, and it is a matter of self-control.

 

There’s no question that you can do it. The Apostle Paul assured us of that in 1 Corinthians 10:13 when he wrote, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure it.”

 

If you make-up your mind to exercise self-control so you can resist temptation, the Holy Spirit will help you to do it. If you don’t exercise self-control, and therefore give-in to temptation, there will be a price to pay. There always is. Read Adam and Eve’s story. We will talk much more about the consequences of a lack of self-control in the days to come.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good … So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.” Genesis 50:19; 21 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Exercise self-control in difficult relationship situations.”

 

Yesterday I wrote about Joseph’s excellent example of restraint and self-control, and I noted that it was a dominant part of his character. As long as we’re considering his good example, I want us to see how he applied self-control to difficult relationships.

 

If you’re familiar with his story then you know that as a child his eleven brothers hated him and treated him badly. So much so that one day they beat him up, held him captive, then sold him into slavery in Egypt. They then lied to their father about what happened to Joseph and told him that he must have been killed by wild animals.

 

Joseph then spent thirteen years as a slave, much of that in prison, before God intervened and Joseph ended up being elevated to the second highest position of leadership in the land, second only to the Pharaoh himself. That happened because of Joseph’s sterling character and the way in which he honored God in all that he said and did.

 

Nine years after that (twenty-two years total), Joseph’s brothers arrived in Egypt, desperate and in need of help. Joseph could have used his exalted position to seek revenge on his brothers. Instead, keeping with his character trait of self-control and restraint, Joseph dealt with them kindly and with mercy and compassion, even extending forgiveness to them. There was no revenge, just grace.

 

How was Joseph able to handle such a difficult situation so well? We get some insight into his thinking in Genesis 45:5-7 when he said to them, “It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.”

 

Joseph viewed all of life from the perspective of God’s Providence and Sovereignty. He knew that God was in control of people and events and that every experience in life has been allowed by God for a purpose. This point of view allowed Joseph to take a step back and see the bigger picture, rather than just the specific details of what his brothers had done to him.

 

But, it takes a big man to do that. A small-minded person gets stuck on the fact that they’ve been wronged by the other person, and they don’t have the strength of character to let it go and move beyond it. A strong person of character and integrity is able to exercise self-control in such things, putting aside petty feelings of resentment and revenge, and see the bigger picture of what God is up to in all of this.

 

If we exercise self-control in difficult relationship situations then ultimately it will be God’s will that prevails – and that will always result in the best outcome for everyone involved.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.” Genesis 39:10 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Self-control includes restraining ourselves from doing things we know we shouldn’t do.”

 

Joseph is a great Biblical example of a young man who knew how to control himself. He was sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers and eventually became a household servant in the home of Potiphar, who was a high government official. Joseph was so reliable and dependable, and he did such a good job, that Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household.

 

Joseph was also evidently handsome and well-built and unfortunately for him, Potiphar’s wife was a bit frisky and not at all honorable. She took an inappropriate liking to Joseph and decided to seduce the young man. But Joseph would have none of it and he refused her advances, at great personal risk to himself. Finally, in retaliation, she concocted false charges against Joseph and succeeded in having him thrown into prison.

 

There’s much more to the story but the primary point is that Joseph was a godly young man who was determined to honor the Lord with the choices he made and in the way he conducted himself.

 

As his story unfolds on the pages of Genesis, over the course of many years, we discover that self-control and God-honoring conduct was a dominate part of his personality. And, in the long run, that became obvious to everyone around him. This was proven true years after the incident with Potiphar’s wife when in Genesis 41:38 we read of Pharaoh, the ruler of all Egypt, declaring to the entire court, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”

 

Don’t you want people to see that in you and to say that about you, that you are obviously, observably, filled with the spirit of God? That is what happened in Joseph’s life and it was because of his practice of self-control in all areas of his life.

 

There are so many lessons for us to learn from Joseph’s example! For one thing, we can choose to restrain ourselves even in the face of the strongest temptations. Second, godliness, maintained over an extended period of time, shape’s a person’s character. And third, even during the most difficult of trials, even trials that last for years (13 years in Joseph’s case), God is with us, God is at work behind the scenes on our behalf, and God will honor and reward our faithfulness.

 

Those thirteen years of trials in Joseph’s life were not wasted years. In fact those were the years during which God was shaping and preparing Joseph for true greatness. He never would have been prepared for the years that were to come, and the tasks God had waiting for him, if he had not first gone through, and been faithful in, the long years of trial and temptation.

 

Like Joseph each of us can exercise our self-control and be faithful to God regardless of the situations we find ourselves in. It’s a choice and it’s one each of us has to make, many times every day, but you can do it! Control yourself!

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Self-control requires restraint.”

 

So far in our study of self-control we’ve been thinking primarily about the action side of the issue – making ourselves do the things we know we’re supposed to do. But more often when we think of self-control, we’re thinking about restraining ourselves from doing the things we know we shouldn’t do.

 

We have already learned that self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit which the Spirit develops in us as we mature in our faith (Galatians 5:22-23). Whether we’re talking about self-control as action or restraint, the more spiritually mature we are the better we will be at controlling actions in ways that are appropriate to the situation. This is the sense in which Peter addresses self-control in 2 Peter 1:3-8, as a spiritual discipline and as an important part of the practice of our faith.

 

To fully appreciate Peter’s point we need to look at the entire passage verse-by-verse:

 

Verse 3: “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” So, what Peter is about to describe is given to us for the purpose of empowering us to live life well and in a godly manner.

 

Verse 4: “By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.” What you’re about to learn will enable you to escape the corruption of the world, resist evil desires, and be more like Christ.

 

Verses 5-7: For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

 

This list is sometimes called “the ladder of faith”. It’s as if one virtue is founded on and springs from the previous one. It begins with simple faith in Christ but then as a result of desire and effort on your part, you grow spiritually and your character changes to become more and more like Christ.

 

Verse 8: “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Yes, please, don’t be useless or unfruitful. If you profess to follow Jesus, then you must strive to be like Him.

 

Peter’s point in all of this is that you have to want to be self-controlled; you have to want to be more like Jesus; and you have to make the effort in order to help bring that about. This is an important part of living the Christian life well, and the amount of self-control we have has a direct impact on the quality of our lives.

 

Tomorrow and the next day we’re going to go back to the book of Genesis to consider one example of great restraint, and then another example of the complete lack of it. We will also consider the consequences of each choice. As we will see, exercising proper self-control brings forth good consequences, and the lack of self-control is always bad.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Genesis 6:22 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Self-control can result it determination and perseverance.”

 

As has already been stated, self-control is a two-sided coin. On the one side is restraint and on the other side is action. Sometimes self-control means restraining ourselves from doing things we’re not supposed to do. But other times it means forcing ourselves to do things we should be doing.

 

So far we’ve been considering only the action side of self-control. Tomorrow we will move-on to restraint but before we do, I want to offer you a very impressive Biblical example of self-control in action. We read about it in Genesis Chapter six. It’s the story of Noah.

 

Noah was told by God that there was a great flood coming that was going to destroy all the people and animals, as well as the land. Because of their faithfulness in the midst of an exceedingly sinful culture, Noah and his family had been selected by God to survive the flood and to preserve the human race, as well as the animal kingdom. He was to build a huge ark and fill it with his family members, and then two of every kind of animal.

 

The biggest problem Noah faced was that up to this point in human history there had never been a flood, or even any rain. The Bible tells us that at that time the earth was watered by underground springs that bubbled up to the surface. So the entire concept of the skies opening up and pouring down so much water that it would result in a great flood, was beyond the experience of anyone who had ever lived, including Noah. And, there had never been an “ark”. Noah really had no idea what an “ark” was.

 

But, God said it and so Noah did it. Not just for a day, or a week, or a month, or a year, or a decade, but for 100 years! That’s how long it took him to build that thing. And don’t forget that there had never been anything like it because there had never been a need for anything like it. Therefore the people around Noah must have been amused, and then eventually mocking, as this went on and on and on for 100 years.

 

But Noah persisted in his obedience. And the end result? All the other people died but Noah survived. Their names are lost to history but everybody knows Noah’s story. While all the other people were clinging to driftwood and trying to stay afloat in the rising flood, Noah and his family were riding high in God’s loving protection and playing fetch with the Zebra’s and Giraffes.

 

Taking the action necessary to be obedient to God is sometimes not easy and often doesn’t make sense by human standards – especially if it requires persistence over an extended period of time. But that action is always the right thing to do, regardless of how it appears and regardless of what others might think or say.

 

I don’t know about you but I’d rather find myself riding high in God’s loving protection than clinging to driftwood in a rising flood. I encourage you to resolve to be obedient to God, even when doing so isn’t easy, and even when the results are a long time in coming.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he answered. ‘Take your son,’ He said, ‘your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’ So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for the burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.” Genesis 22:1-3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Self-control is demonstrated in obedience.”

 

Obeying God when it’s easy is nice but not overly impressive. Obeying God when it’s hard is meaningful and this is where self-control comes in. You have to make yourself do it.

 

Abraham had waited more than half a lifetime to be blessed with a son. Now he had one. Isaac was clearly a miraculous gift from God, born in a season of life when it was physically impossible for Sarah to bear children. Abraham loved the boy, cherished him. But in Genesis Chapter 22 we read of how God instructed Abraham to take his cherished son to Mount Moriah, place him on the stone altar, and kill him as a living sacrifice.

 

From a human perspective that was insane. What father would do such a thing? What kind of a God would require it? And yet, the command from God was clear. So without hesitation Abraham prepared to do what God was requiring of him, but it must have been with a deep sense of dread and with a grieving heart, not to mention confusion. But Abraham trusted God and therefore proceeded to do the thing he knew God was requiring of him.

 

We have to wonder why God would require Abraham to do this, but we already know the answer, it’s stated for us in verse one – God was testing him. This was a test of Abraham’s faith. Remember, Abraham loved Isaac. He cherished that boy. Was it possible that his son had become more important to him than his God? Probably not, but let’s see. Let’s see how he handles the test.

 

As the story unfolds we find Abraham proceeding to follow through with his act of obedience, but we also read that he fully trusted God for the outcome. In verse 5 he told the servants that were with them, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we will come back to you.” He said, “We” will come back to you.” And in verse 8 he told Isaac, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”

 

And that is what happened. Read the story for yourself. God tested Abraham’s faith, and stretched it – a lot! But then God intervened and preserved that which was so special and cherished by Abraham.

 

On the action side of the self-control coin we find obedience to God. Often obedience isn’t easy and it isn’t the thing that you want to do. But God will often require of us things we would not choose for ourselves. During those times we have to do what Abraham did in this scene. We have to stay focused on what we know to be true about God. We remember that He is good, and He is merciful, and He loves us deeply, and that He has our best interest in mind. Then we trust Him and we obey Him.

 

Self-control must be demonstrated in obedience. You can trust God for the outcome.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Make a decision and move forward.”

 

As was noted yesterday, the spiritual discipline of self-control is a two-sided coin. On the one side is restraint, but on the other side is action. We have to control ourselves from doing things we shouldn’t, but we must also move ourselves to do the things we should. We are currently spending a few days considering the action side of the coin.

 

Have you heard of the common malady known as “paralysis of analysis”? This is the syndrome where a person spends so much time analyzing a situation that they never actually do anything about it. They become so consumed with looking at it from every angle, and considering every possible outcome, and they are so afraid of making a mistake, that they become paralyzed in a state of indecision and inaction. It is the “paralysis of analysis”.

 

But worse still is when such a person finally does come to a decision, and does actually begin to do something, but then they second guess themselves endlessly and keep changing their mind and their actions, before their original decision had time to bear fruit. The Apostle James labels such a person as being “indecisive” and “unstable”. Clearly this is not what God wants for us.

 

I encourage you to open your Bible and read the entire passage in James 1:1-8. There you will find that James tells us if we are unsure of what to do, if we lack wisdom with respect to a particular situation, we should pray about it and ask God to help us make the decision. Then trust that God will in fact provide the insight and guidance we need in order to conform to His will. Don’t keep doubting and second guessing. Pray about it, make a decision, and move on.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 assures us that this is what God wants us to do. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” (NIV)

 

In the book “The Traveler’s Gift” David Ponder’s fourth encounter with a historical figure is with the great explorer and adventurer Christopher Columbus. Columbus was a man of vision and courage. He had a vision, he set his heart on achieving it, and then he pursued it with dogged determination. The lesson he had to share with David, which became the fourth of the seven decisions which can change the course of a person’s life, is “Have a determined heart”. Ask God for a vision, set it in your heart, and then go after it.

 

On the action side of self-control we must learn to make decisions and then act on them without doubting and second guessing. Don’t be the double-minded, doubting, indecisive, unstable person James described. Make a decision and move forward.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Be a person of action.”

 

There are two sides to self-control – doing what you’re supposed to do, and then not doing what you shouldn’t do. That means that you take action when action is needed, and you restrain yourself when it is restraint that’s called for. Yesterday we began exploring the action side of self-control and I want to continue doing so today and again tomorrow.

 

In his wonderful little book, “The Traveler’s Gift” author Andy Andrews offers us seven decisions which, if you accept and act upon them, can change the course of your life and lead you to success you would not have experienced otherwise. I love this book for multiple reasons. First, it is Biblically based. All seven of the principles are solidly Biblical. Second, it’s a fun book. It’s a quick and easy read that’s interesting and entertaining. And the third reason I like it so much is that it’s an inspiring story.

 

In the book David Ponder is a middle-aged man whose life is a train wreck and he needs help badly. So God takes him on a little journey through time which involves David making seven stops in history. At each stop he has a one-on-one encounter with a historical figure who offers him a piece of advice which has the potential to be life-changing. Each of these pieces of advice is one of the “seven decisions” that can change your life.

 

At stop number three David encounters the real Civil War hero Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. Colonel Chamberlain is remembered for being a courageous man of action throughout his entire life. Consistently he evaluated the situation before him, made the best decision he could, and then took bold and decisive action. He was a man of action, and that was his advice to David – “Be a person of action”.

 

Here are two affirmations David ended up making for himself as a result of the advice and inspiration he received from Colonel Chamberlain:

 

“Beginning today, I will create a new future by creating a new me. No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair, moaning over squandered time and lost opportunity. I can do nothing about the past. My future is immediate. I will grasp it with both hands and carry it with running feet. When I am faced with a choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act! I seize the moment. I choose now.”

 

“When faced with a decision, many people say they are waiting for God. But I understand, in most cases, God is waiting for me! He has given me a healthy mind to gather and sort information and the courage to come to a conclusion … Successful people make their decisions quickly and change their minds slowly.”

 

In 1 Peter 1:13 the Apostle Peter urged us to do this same thing. He instructed us to use our minds to think things through and then to take action.

 

I encourage you to be a person of action. On this side of the self-control issue, we have to actually do something. More on this tomorrow.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her: ‘Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!” Proverbs 31:28-29 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Self-control leads to a successful life.”

 

As I write this Mother’s Day has just passed. Proverbs 31:10-31 is probably one of the most oft quoted Mother’s Day passages because “the Proverbs 31 woman”, as she is known, is commonly held up as the Biblical gold standard of how a successful and godly woman conducts herself. It also shows us what the end result of such conduct is.

 

As we read through the passage we discover that she is a woman of sterling character. Her husband trusts and praises her. Her sons respect and honor her. She is industrious, frugal, organized, smart, wise, and successful. This is a picture of a woman who is committed to living well. She has a clear vision of the kind of life she wants for herself and for her family, and she has the discipline (self-control) to do the things necessary, on a day-by-day and moment-by-moment basis, to achieve that life.

 

One definition of self-control is: “That quality that enables a person to do what needs to be done even when (especially when), he or she doesn’t feel like doing it.”

 

Much of success in life is simply a matter of having a goal and then walking it out. The primary difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people know what needs to be done and they actually do it – even if they don’t feel like doing it. Unsuccessful people usually also know what needs to be done, but then they don’t do it. They make excuses instead.

 

Yes, much of success in life comes from simply doing the things other people aren’t willing to do. Successful people make a decision and then tough it out, they walk it out, and they refuse to quit. And that makes them different from the average person. In life most people know what to do, but many are just too lazy or afraid or apathetic to actually do it.

 

This is where self-control comes in. And remember, self-control is a spiritual discipline – it’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Self-control is an attribute God wants to develop in us. That’s why the Bible is filled with exhortations for us to exercise self-control in all areas of life. Also remember that God does not command us to do anything which He doesn’t also enable us to do.

 

So yes, you can control yourself. You can capture a vision, set goals, make plans, and then stick to it as you walk it out moment-by-moment and day-by-day. We will talk more about this tomorrow.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “You can control yourself.”

 

Today is June 1^st and summer is upon us. So how’s your beach body coming along? Have you lost the weight you promised yourself you were going to lose? Have you toned-up those abs? Are your biceps bulging?

 

I hope you realize I’m writing this with tongue firmly placed in cheek. I’m sixty-two this year and despite my best efforts at diet and exercise, everything seems to be expanding, sagging, wrinkling, and becoming increasingly unsightly. Therefore I tend to stay fairly covered-up these days – including at the beach.  At this age a “beach body” is no longer in the cards for me and therefore I’m not inclined to put it on public display. It’s really a kind of public service. And you’re welcome.

 

But still, despite advancing age, when it comes to health and physical fitness I do have a stewardship responsibility placed upon me by God to do my best to stay as healthy and fit as I can for as long as I can. God expects me to take good care of this body He has given me.

 

Doing so is a matter of self-control. Everyday I make choices about the things I will eat and drink and the activities I will participate in. I can choose to eat junk food, or I can consumer good nutritious foods. I can choose to plant my fanny on the sofa in front of the television, or I can go out for a two-mile after-dinner walk. I’m in control of those things, and God expects me to control them.

 

But that’s just one example. Self-control is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s a character trait that increases as we mature spiritually. That being the case, the more spiritually mature and the more like Christ we become, the more self-control we should exhibit in all areas of our lives.

 

Self-control is a big issue in the Bible. God created us with free will and therefore we have the ability to evaluate choices, make decisions, and take actions. God has also created a big beautiful world filled with wonderful things for us to enjoy. But then He placed limits and boundaries upon the exercise of our free will and tells us to control ourselves in a manner that honors Him. We’re to exercise self-control and live within the limits He has set for us.

 

All this month we will explore this subject of self-control. We’ll consider it from many angles including spiritual disciplines, sexual morality, finances, healthy living, relationships, personal conduct, and much more.

 

In many ways the overall quality of our lives often ends up being determined by how well we do or don’t control ourselves. The good news is that we can learn to exercise self-control in all areas of our lives. It’s a spiritual discipline and therefore the Holy Spirit will help us do it.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim