April 4, 2016
Ben Dieterly
Ben Dieterly
During his term as President of the U.S., Lyndon Johnson was
somewhat overweight. One day his wife challenged him with this blunt assertion:
"You can’t run the country if you can’t run yourself." Respecting
Mrs. Johnson’s wise observation, the President lost 23 pounds.
The virtue of self-control is one that we long for, yet few attain it. In fact, most people do not even try because they don’t want to say “no” to themselves. Self-control, while it is highly respected and greatly desired, is tough.
As tough as self-control is, we know that without it, we create many troubles for ourselves. Ask Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet in 1750. When the British and French were fighting in Canada, Admiral Phipps was commanded to anchor outside of Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive. Then he was to support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral. So, he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints."
Have you been there? How many times have we gave in to the tyranny of the urgent to later find ourselves not being able to fulfill our responsibility or dream? Rather than wait until we can afford it, we pull out the credit card and buy it too soon. Rather than wait for further instructions, we move forward in our own wisdom thinking we’ll please the boss only to discover the plans had been changed. Rather than wait on God to fulfill his promise, we decide God needs a little help, so we take action and create a mess. Granted, our times of not controlling ourselves will not create problems that big. However, the problems we do create do wreak havoc in our lives and the lives of those close to us. So, how do we allow the virtue of self-control to grow within us?
The virtue of self-control is one that we long for, yet few attain it. In fact, most people do not even try because they don’t want to say “no” to themselves. Self-control, while it is highly respected and greatly desired, is tough.
As tough as self-control is, we know that without it, we create many troubles for ourselves. Ask Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet in 1750. When the British and French were fighting in Canada, Admiral Phipps was commanded to anchor outside of Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive. Then he was to support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral. So, he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints."
Have you been there? How many times have we gave in to the tyranny of the urgent to later find ourselves not being able to fulfill our responsibility or dream? Rather than wait until we can afford it, we pull out the credit card and buy it too soon. Rather than wait for further instructions, we move forward in our own wisdom thinking we’ll please the boss only to discover the plans had been changed. Rather than wait on God to fulfill his promise, we decide God needs a little help, so we take action and create a mess. Granted, our times of not controlling ourselves will not create problems that big. However, the problems we do create do wreak havoc in our lives and the lives of those close to us. So, how do we allow the virtue of self-control to grow within us?
Fruit is produced by a
tree when the tree receives everything it needs to be healthy. As it
receives water, nutrients, sunlight, and time to grow and mature, a tree will
then produce fruit. The tree bearing fruit is a byproduct of the tree’s
continued health. If we want to see the fruit of the spirit mentioned in
Galatians 5:22-23, then we need to draw closer to God and grow in our
relationship with Him. Love, Joy, peace, self-control and all the other
fruit of the spirit will then be naturally produced in our lives as we are
disciplined in growing our faith.
My main takeaway from yesterday’s message was to draw closer to
God. And as simple as it sounds, in doing so you will begin to experience
greater self-control. Go ahead, give it a shot and see what happens.
Follow on Twitter @jefflampl
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