Self-Control

Call me Captain Obvious, but it’s axiomatic that apple trees produce apples, and pear trees produce pears, and pine trees produce pine cones.  (I don’t recommend eating that last one.)

You won’t get an orange from an apple tree, and you won’t get a lemon from a pear tree.  A tree bears the fruit it was designed to bear.

Followers of Jesus, according to the Bible, receive the Holy Spirit when they name Jesus as Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead to cover our sin.  So if the Holy Spirit lives in us, it makes sense that we should bear the fruit of the Spirit.  That’s what the last eight weeks of Encouragement have focused on.

Today, we come to the final fruit of the Spirit (as outlined by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians).  And it may be the least popular.

We’ve talked about love, joy and peace (wonderful), patience (who doesn’t need more of that?), kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness (all great).  But self-control? Oh, boy!

We live in an age where self-control is less admired than pitied.  We live in a time of more, a time of excess, a time not of self-control, but of self-indulgence.  I think that may be, in part, why the restrictions of the pandemic have proven to be exceedingly difficult for many of us.  And I’ll readily admit that it’s probably the fruit of the Spirit that I least exude.  You might be in the same boat as I am.

So what do we do about that?  Moving to a hermitage is probably not the answer for the vast majority of us, and that simply takes us from one extreme to another.  Self-control is not austerity, though in some cases it may lead to that.  The word in the original language has to do with the mastery of the self.  It is, as one commentator has put it, the Christ-follower’s overcoming of the works of the flesh that Paul outlines in earlier verses in the same chapter (Galatians 5).  The term also refers to the way an athlete disciplines her or his body in preparation for competition.  

In short, self-control is our refusal to give free reign to impulse and desire.  Or, perhaps better put, it’s about submitting our desires to the One who has given us the ability to desire.

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires”, says Psalm 37.4 (NLT).  I think it was St. Augustine who said, “Love God and do as you please.”  The concept is the same:  when you truly submit to the Lordship of Jesus, he will transform your desires, and help you (by the Holy Spirit) to bear all of the fruit of the Spirit, including self-control.

Maybe it’s as simple as Charles Sheldon made it seem in In His Steps: if we evaluate each move we make by asking, “What would Jesus do?”, self-control will not be as unattainable as it may seem.

Give it a try!

Roots and Branches

In this worship gathering, we hear a message based on Romans 11.1-24 that helps us understand how we need to witness to the Jewish people, humbly, and to keep growing in our faith. You can watch the whole gathering below, or just the message below that.

Gentleness

When we think of gentleness, our minds often go to instructions we give children on how to pet an animal, or advertising for dish soap, but as a fruit of the Spirit, there must be more to it than that.

The word from the original language of the New Testament that is translated as “gentleness” doesn’t connote “meekness”, as some older translations put it; commonly, according to one commentator, the term was used to describe a person in whom strength and gentleness would meet.

That commentator goes on to say that gentleness often refers to one with a humble disposition that submits to God’s will, and is associated with such characteristics as love, forbearance, patience, humility, and avoiding quarrels.

I wouldn’t mind being known for gentleness when I grow up, that’s for sure!

The apostle Paul gives this encouragement to Titus, as he oversees a young church:  “Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone” (Titus 3.1-2, NLT).

Maybe in these days, especially, gentleness is an important character trait for us to develop.  Give it a shot, with God’s help.

But Some Shut It

We had some audio issues with our live-stream this morning, so when I learned this, I went back to the church to re-record today’s message, which I think needs to be heard (and I address this at the beginning). It’s based on Romans 10.16-21, and it looks at why some people say ‘no’ to Jesus when we seek to share our faith with them. (Apologies that the whole service broadcast is not available today.)

Faithfulness

Faithfulness:  literally, it means to be full of faith.  But in context, it also can mean the same thing as fidelity or loyalty.

We talk of being faithful to our spouse, or being loyal to the monarchy.  But when it comes to God, there’s more to it than that.

Faithfulness is about more than having faith; it is also about practising faith.

As the writer to the Hebrews puts it, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11.1, NLT).

That sounds a bit ethereal, but it’s true:  faith does show us the reality of what we hope for, and it gives us evidence of things we cannot see.

To put our faith into practice means taking risks, sometimes.  

When I plunk myself down on a chair, I’m acting in faith that the chair will hold me.  (I’ve been known, on occasion, when visiting someone’s home, if the chair in which they invite me to sit will hold me – particularly if it is an antique or is somewhat rickety-looking.)  Every day, I act in faith in ways I don’t even think about.

But when it comes to our faith in Jesus, acting on it means living in daily relationship with him, in the same way we would with a spouse.  In that sense, faithfulness to Jesus is fidelity to Jesus.

Take a step of faith today.  You will find that God is even more faithful.

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

At St. Paul’s Church, Nobleton, we have a pastoral intern this year from Knox College, Toronto, who is learning the craft of ministry alongside me. Christine preached for the first time this morning, and the service, and just her message, based on Luke 17.11-19, can be found below. This was our Thanksgiving celebration.

Goodness

“Goodness.”  It’s a strange term in our culture, isn’t it?  It has so many uses.

Sometimes, it’s a substitute swear word:  “Oh, my goodness.”

Sometimes, it’s an exclamation:  “Goodness, me!”

Sometimes, it’s a character trait.

For a lot of people, “goodness” is what characterizes everybody:  “He’s such a good person”, or “We all have inherent goodness.”

And there is some truth to that:  all human beings are made in God’s image, and there is a certain goodness that comes with that.  The challenge with that is that our inherent goodness is badly stained by sin.

I once heard the late renowned theologian and apologist, R.C. Sproul, offer what I thought was the best answer to the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” 

His response?  “There are no good people.”

Not very encouraging, eh?  But he was right.

The apostle Paul, in writing to the church in Rome in the first century, said, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3.23, NLT).

In other words, the goodness in us is tainted by the reality of our sin, our inability to measure up to God’s perfect standard.

Thankfully, God also gave a solution to our problem:  Jesus.  As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5.21, NLT).

This means that when we place our faith in Jesus, receiving his death and resurrection as being for us, personally, we receive the righteousness of Jesus by faith.  So when God looks on people of faith, he sees only the righteousness – the goodness – of Jesus.

That’s why we can bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit – a fruit that includes goodness.  It’s not something that comes from within us; it’s something that is borne through us by God the Holy Spirit, who lives in all followers of Jesus.

And for that, on this Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, we can be thankful.

The Door Is Open

What do escape rooms and “Let’s Make A Deal” have in common with Romans 10.5-15? In this worship celebration, which includes the Lord’s Supper, we learn about it! There is a lovely prelude that goes until 7:14. The message begins at 12:54, but is also available as a stand-alone video below the first one. Thanks for tuning in!

Kindness

There’s a meme floating around social media that has grown more popular through COVID times.  One variant of it says this:  “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Always be kind.”

Another says this:  “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”

Very warm and fuzzy indeed.  But what does it mean to be kind?

The dictionary refers to it as the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.  Fair enough.  But when we remember that one of the fruit of the Spirit is kindness, that kicks it up a notch for followers of Jesus.

Anybody can be friendly, generous or considerate when they need to be, or want to be.

Followers of Jesus, who have the Holy Spirit living in them, are called to bear the fruit of kindness, which is on an entirely different level.  Consider what the apostle Paul wrote:  “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4.31-32, NLT).

See what I mean?

Being kind means more than being nice.  There’s stuff to get rid of and stuff to appropriate.  Paul suggests that being kind involves being tender-hearted, and forgiving other people in the same way Jesus forgave you.

Now there’s a challenge.

The good news is you can do it, because if you follow Jesus, you have his Spirit in you, and his Spirit enables you to be able to forgive in his way as part of being kind.

Are you harbouring a grudge against anyone?  Today’s the day to let go and forgive.

That doesn’t mean what the other person did was right.  It doesn’t mean you will forget.  But it means you can release whatever was wrong into the merciful care of God, without taking it back.

You can do it.  If you follow Jesus, his empowering Spirit will help you.