Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:26
Without self-control, we are broken down. We slip into temptation of all kinds.
As Paul told Timothy, terrible times in the last days will be marked by this:
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love. unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, rash, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Timothy 3:2-5
Wow! Quite a nest of bedfellows that nestle with lack of self-control. So different from our wonderful fruit-of-the-Spirit list.
Sometimes it is easier to see what a characteristic is like by examining the opposite.
Consider the obese person who does not control eating habits, the businessman who submits to working countless hours to the neglect of his family, the teen who refuses to give up unhealthy relationships, or the woman who will not control her spending habits.
On another level, we may picture those who lack self-control to be the ones who beat their wives out of insane jealousy or the married office worker who brazenly flirts with a married secretary which leads to an affair. We may think of the person who has ongoing fits of anger which lead to road rage or the woman who drowns her cares in a drunken stupor.
All of these speak to not having self-control over something negative., But let’s think of having self-control toward something positive.
As we think back through the fruit—love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness—all require self-control toward these positive qualities.
Peter says that the way we escape the corruption of this world is to:
. . . make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control . . . 2 Peter 1:5-6
Following these building blocks, he adds on to self-control, perseverance and godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Like the fruit of the Spirit, it all goes back to love. Over and over again, Jesus taught us to love one another.
One final thought to ponder—rather of thinking of this fruit as apples, oranges, and bananas, let’s think instead of a grapevine. We aren’t to choose just the “love” grape or the “patience” grape. The Spirit wants to supply us with all of them, abundantly. Self-control provides the determination we need to keep our grape branch connected to the main vine. Jesus reminded us,
‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:8
It takes self-control to abide in the vine that nourishes us. We will fail; we will falter, we will get lazy, but let us desire the blessings so much that we will draw closer and closer to Him and what he has for us—the sweet fruit of his Spirit.
~ Joyce ~