But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control…
Galatians 5:22-23a
Oh, the irony. We come to our last week of writing the Word—for two months we have worked our way through verses on the nine traits comprising the Fruit of the Spirit!—and we just happen to reach self-control on Thanksgiving weekend. Along with spurring on our lovelies to exhibit grateful spirits, many of us have just over-indulged in a weekend of spending and eating. How appropriate is today’s topic!
It’s Not Just About the Binging
When we hear the phrase self-control, most (if not all) of us may feel a twinge, pinch, prod, or kick of shame. But placing self-control in its proper context may bring some less shallow or fleshly thoughts and push us to deeper, more spiritual thinking on the topic.
A negative connotation may be our first response to self-control, but when we see it in the context of a fruit produced by the Spirit, it is a good and positive thing.
Whatever we can’t not do controls us. It owns us. In extreme cases that might be gambling, heroin, alcohol, or pornography. But the list might also include chocolate … shopping … chestnut praline lattes from the Starbucks drive-thru … Zumba class … or the 24-hour Christmas movie channel.
Even a good thing can become an obsession that controls us.
Our identity in Christ means we can live free—free from the compulsive urges to do what we really don’t want to do, and free to enjoy good things in moderation. Before Christ, we were slaves to sin (Romans 6:6), but “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1a). The presence of the Holy Spirit means we are free to live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness for His glory!
Self-Control is Listed Last
As I study Scripture, I’ve learned to pay attention to the order when a list is given. If it’s a list of brothers, they may be in chronological order, oldest to youngest. If it’s a list of people, the most prominent or important may come first. There’s a reason for the order of things.
Looking at the nine traits, perhaps self-control comes last because it is the culmination of all the others. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can constrain our old self and give full reign to the Spirit living in us. With His Spirit leading out and our flesh being curbed, it is possible to:
- Love unconditionally … even when we are not loved back or appreciated.
- Find joy even in hard things.
- Abide in His peace when our day-to-day existence feels like a war zone.
- Choose patience over irritation and frustration.
- Be intentionally kind when others are rude.
- Release goodness even when circumstances are stressful and chaotic.
- Walk in faithfulness, even when we see no change in our situation.
It Means We’ve Grown Up
As parents and grandparents, we may find ourselves telling a three-year-old when it’s time for bed, a nine-year-old to resist that third cookie because dinner will be served shortly, or a 15-year-old that it’s time to put down the phone and engage with the rest of the family. As I used to tell my now grown-children when they were young: Maturity means you can say no to yourself. (And I’m sure there were times I shared that wisdom, got them all in bed, then treated myself to two dips of Rocky Road!)
Spiritually speaking, we are mature in Christ when we can say no to ourselves and yes to the leading of the Spirit. Rather than seeing those things we are leaving behind as negatives or sacrifices, we begin to see them as things that hold us back from being all we can be and are meant to be in Christ.
When it comes to self-control, losing our way means we have forgotten who we are. Our identity is in Christ. We are filled with the Holy Spirit. We can choose to squelch our flesh—to “stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:2b).
To live self-controlled is to live in step with the Spirit. Paul says it this way:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25
If you are walking (or dancing) with a partner and find yourself out of step, the best thing to do is stop, then begin again. It’s the Microsoft solution when our computer goes nuts: just reboot. The same works for our spiritual lives. If you are out of step, stop. Make time to abide in Him. Pray. Repent. Read the Word. Start again. Remember who you are. Get back in step.
It’s not just about remembering what not to do. It’s about remembering who you are.
The best way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas is to stay in the WORD! In honor of the birth of our Lord, our Write the WORD study will be focusing on five characters in the nativity during the month of December. In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces our new Characters of Christmas study, as we dig deeper into the stories of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, the Wise Men, and Jesus. We invite you to watch now:
As 2024 approaches, we are again making available our set of 12 Write the WORD bookmarks for the entire new year. If you’d like to receive twelve pre-printed, full color bookmarks for the coming year, please reach out to us via email to learn more about getting a set for yourself or a friend.
