Self-Control

Bible reading: 2nd Peter 1:2 – 9

Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Principle 3: Consciously choose to commit all of my life and will to Christ care and control.

“Happy are the meek.” (Matthew 5:8)

We would love to have self-control! The trying to find it within ourselves can become as much of an obsession as our primary addiction.

According to Peter, self-control is one step in the middle of a larger progression. He said, “Do you want more and more of God’s kindness in peace? Then learn how to know him better and better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he that shares his own glory and his own goodness with us! And by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character. But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith: you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn how to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires [self-control] so that you will become patient godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply” (2 Peter 1:2 – 7).

Self-control is something that comes as we grow progressively closer to God. Taking one step at a time, one day at a time, God will give us his own character, including self-control.

Our self-control increases as we give increasing control over to God.

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