Growing Together – Day 26: Self-Control
READ: Proverbs 26:32
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Hosea 11: 8-9
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
“Patience in man is many times interpreted, and truly too, as a cowardice, a feebleness of spirit, and a want of strength. But it is not from the shortness of the Divine arm, that he cannot reach us, nor from the feebleness of his hand, that he cannot strike us…it is not for want of power over the creature, it is from a fullness of power over Himself…it is a part of his dominion over Himself, whereby he can moderate, and rule his own affections according to the holiness of his own will.” (Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God)
REFLECT:
Have you ever thought of God exercising self-control? The idea seems completely weird – until we think of something like the Golden Calf at the base of Mt. Sinai. Moses is up on the mountain receiving the commandments from God Himself. The Israelites know this is happening, and they still decide to build a golden calf to worship while they wait.
I don’t know about you, but If I were God, I would definitely have been tempted to hit the SMITE button that day.
Gary Larson, The Far Side, 2002
The good news is that God’s plan is never overruled by our bad decisions. No matter how slow we are to understand, God is not thrown off, He’s not taken aback, He’s not overwhelmed, and His plans are not in danger. The Spirit is building in us this kind of self-control. Whatever the world, the enemy, or the flesh can throw at us, the Spirit can empower us to respond with strength, with kindness, and with goodness.
PRAY: Whether today is a vacation day for you, or just another Monday, pray for more of those Spirit-controlled responses. When the kids knock over the BBQ, or the Air Conditioner goes out, or the neighbors start their Labor Day celebration at 10pm and go happily into Tuesday AM…whatever it is - pray that God’s Spirit would empower us to respond well.