… who is self-controlled …
Summary: Remote-control is a great thing when it comes to toys. It is not so great when it comes to people. God offers us freedom from Evil’s remote-control over our lives. All we need is Jesus.
My son stopped by yesterday. In the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he was going to give his son a remote-controlled car for Christmas. I had to smile. Some things transcend generations. A remote-controlled anything falls into that category.
I still have the toy train set my dad played with when he was a kid. It was something he probably got at Christmastime, too. The old toy is a precursor of the remote-controlled car in a way. True, it follows the tracks (most of the time), but you can adjust the speed by remote control.
When I was a kid, “remote-control” meant a wire between the toy and the controller. I had a little airplane that would spin around a tower. The control was limited to “ON” and “OFF,” but it was still technically remote-controlled. Later I would have a toy car that I could steer as well as go forward and back. Pretty high tech!
Nowadays, we have all kinds of wireless technology that allows us to “control” everything. We can control trains and airplanes, cars, trucks, and even robots. There are little robots that can walk on command. They can pick things up and carry them around. They can sometimes talk, too. Oops… Wait a minute. That means that they are becoming like us!
When God made us, he opted not to make us operate by remote control. Not that he couldn’t have if he had wanted to. But the thing with remote-controlled toys is, well, they become boring after a while. When you have to tell it what to do each step of the way, having a toy can become a chore. Instead, God allowed us to decide for ourselves what we wanted to do.
The God who made us allows us to have control over our own lives.
Think about that for a moment. In the beginning, God placed mankind in a garden of perfection (Genesis 3). But we didn’t have to stay there. We could choose to disobey God, and we did. The result was that Adam and Eve became spiritually dead to God. Also, from that point forward, all of us would have eyes that are “opened.” People now know both “good and evil.” (Genesis 3: 5)
Every minute of every day, we must choose to do good or evil. Before God gave man his Law, people chose evil in such numbers that God wiped the earth clean of all mankind except for one man and his family (Genesis 6-8). After God raised up Israel, he gave them his Law. Even with the simplest of rules to follow, mankind again chose evil. Finally, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the Law and paid the price for all mankind’s evil choices. He offered mankind a deal no sane person would refuse: Believe in Jesus (John 3:16) and be saved from the fires of hell (Matthew 25:41).
Through faith in Jesus, we can be restored to a living relationship with God. But we need something more if we are to live like people who are saved. We need freedom from the grasp of Evil. We need self-control.
To accomplish this, God did one more thing. For those who accept his Son as their savior, he sends his own Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to teach us (John 14:26). It is through his Spirit, and God’s Word, that we learn to exercise self-control (2 Peter 1:3-8).
When we fall for the seduction of Evil’s wiles, we are being controlled by Evil. Evil likes pulling our strings, making us do hurtful things, running us by remote-control. God offers freedom from the control of Evil. The choice is not between God or the devil controlling us. The choice is between being controlled by Evil or self-control. Only through faith in Jesus and accepting God’s Holy Spirit can we hope to succeed.
Application: Do what any sane person would; believe in Jesus and accept him as Lord.
Food for Thought: How do you recognize someone who is self-controlled?
Thank you for another excellent devotional.
I think of self control as being disciplined. A worldly person can be disciplined in their habits just as much as a believer can. However, a worldly person will not yield their flesh to the will of God and the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 16 – 26; 1 Corinthians 2: 14 – 16).
I think one way we can tell if a believer is yielding to the will of God, and using their self control according to His plan, is if they exhibit the other fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22 – 23). Are they becoming more Christ-like? Is that their goal? Are they deferring to others and serving selflessly (Philippians 2: 3 – 5). Are they seeking to glorify God or themselves (1 Corinthians 10: 31).
It is admittedly hard to evaluate others because we cannot read their minds or hearts. We can see their fruit.
However, it is easier to evaluate our own hearts and lives if we are willing to take an honest, prayerful look.
Rich,
Thank you! Sometimes these mediations take me in strange directions. Your conclusion is interesting, too. These questions always seem to come back to Matthew 7:1-5.
The Word seems to be speaking to two groups of people. One group are those who are tasked with selecting the leaders for themselves and/or others.
The Word also speaks to those of us who are feeling lost in the midst of competing voices all claiming to speak for Jesus. We are the ones looking for a leader who is faithful to the Truth.
How do you recognize someone who is self-controlled?
The Webster Dictionary definition for self-control is “restraint exercised over one’s impulses, emotions, or desires.”
As believers, we are spiritual beings living in a physical world with its ever changing standards. Many of these standards conflict with what we know in our hearts to be the truths of God. Someone with self-control is aware of their goal and unaffected by the changing standards of the world, events or distractions around them. They able to remain focused on achieving this goal,
Proverbs 21:5, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 4:18, Colossians 3:2
God has given each believer the power of the Holy Spirit, who provides His self control enabling every believer to remain focused, walk with God in the midst of the insanity of this world. One who looks to the Holy Spirit, surrenders to His power of self control and conquers the power of sin, has self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7, Galatians 5: 22-23
Yet we have the writings of Paul which show us in Romans 7:18-20
18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Be thankful for believers like Paul who humbly admit their failings rather than boast of their successes.
Ron,
Thank you! So one important sign of a person who exhibits self-control is humility. I agree!
I appreciate the verses you provide today, especially the 2 Corinthians 4:18 and Colossians 3:2 passages. They point out that we live a dual existence between the seen and the unseen.
We definitely need to keep our eyes on “things above.”
I think having self control involved recognizing good from evil. Using God’s word to differentiate between the two is a blessing.
Dear RTR,
I agree! Nicely said. As Rich pointed out we are talking about a self-control that glorifies God.