Self-control – We change directions based on what we learn

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Self-Control

2 Peter 1:5-8 (Click on any Bible link in this article and you may choose to read the verses from other translations)

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. –New International Version 1984

As we progress through our early life as a Christian, and as we read the Bible and listen to Biblical Christian teachers we will discover areas of our lives that need to be brought in line with Jesus teachings. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 7:7 that apart from the Law, he would not know what sin is. We don’t discover every aspect of our behavior that needs correcting all at once. And some behaviors will give us greater challenges than others and may take a lifetime to overcome. This is where we will see our need for self-control.

What are some of some of the more difficult areas where we may need to develop self-control? Let me suggest a few…

Read the Ten Commandments carefully in Deuteronomy 5:1-21 and be brutally honest with yourself.

Ephesians 5:3-7 points out sins like a “hint of sexual immorality,” impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, and course joking.

Colossians 3:8 tells us to get rid of anger, rage, malice and slander. In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus puts anger towards our brother on the same level as murder.

Without taking the time to locate specific verses, I could continue to name sins that require more self-control. These might include gossip, meddling, grumbling, self-indulgence, lust, holding a grudge, resentment, neglecting responsibilities, laziness, …

My intent in listing these is not to condemn, but rather to point out how we become aware of our need for self-control by reading God’s Word.

We can also find re-assurance in the Bible for times when we fall short:

We are not alone in our struggle. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with sin. Read Romans 7:14-25.

Here is a comforting verse about our struggle with temptation: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Philippians 1:6 assures us that God began a good work in us and he will bring it to completion.

The hymn “He’s Still Working on Me” brings out this scripture verse. Unfortunately we tend to think of this as a children’s song and forget that he is still working on every one of his children no matter what their age. Listen to this hymn and sing along.

 

Knowledge – We educate ourselves with God’s Word

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Knowledge

2 Peter 1:5-8 (Click on any Bible link in this article and you may choose to read the verses from other translations)

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. –New International Version (NIV 1984)

When we begin our faith walk with Christ and if we are serious about pleasing God, we will set out to gain knowledge and understanding of God and his Word. A search of several Bible translations of this verse revealed that some translations used the word “understanding” in place of “knowledge.”

As I searched for scriptures containing the word “knowledge” I found that most of them referred to the knowledge of God or the knowledge of Christ. Yet in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve broke God’s one rule to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In one situation the knowledge leads us to a greater understanding of God; but in the case of Adam and Eve, they ate in rebellion against God. In so doing they discovered not only knowledge of good, but also knowledge of evil.

Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:20-21 saying “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.”

Knowledge used for good blesses many, while knowledge applied to evil purposes cause pain and suffering for many. Knowledge at its best brings us wisdom. Proverbs 9:10-18 begins “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” For greater understanding read the whole passage.

It follows that to gain the kind of knowledge God desires for us, we should spend time reading from the Bible, God’s Word. In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Read Paul’s powerful prayer for the Colossians in Colossians 1:9-14. Notice that the first and key request for the Colossians was that God would fill them “with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

In Philippians 3:7-11 Paul says “…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” Again, reading the extended passage offers greater depth and understanding.

Not only has God supplied us with his written Word in the Bible, he also gave us the Holy Spirit as a teacher to help us to understand it. See John 14:26.

God promises to all that if we will seek him with all our hearts we will find him. Jeremiah 29:13 The book of James also tells us to ask God for wisdom and he will give it, but we must ask believing we will receive. Read James 1:5-8.

Enjoy “Thy Word” by Amy Grant (with lyrics) The scripture reference that inspired this song is Psalm 119:105

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The Creation by Janice D. Green

 

Goodness – We clean up our act to please God.

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Goodness

2 Peter 1:5-8 (Click on any Bible link in this article and you may choose to read the verses from other translations)

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. –New International Version 1984

Ask any child to tell you what they must do to be good and they will probably give you two lists – one long list of things they should not do and a shorter list of “good” things they could do. We generally grow up with some sense of right and wrong. Depending on our upbringing and on the upbringing of our parents, these ideas may vary somewhat, but there will be many striking similarities in the lists as well.

On their website, the Merriam Webster dictionary defines goodness as “the quality or state of being good.” It further defines good as “virtuous, right, commendable.”

Fifty years ago it would have been easy to create lists of what was good and what was not good, and most people would have been in agreement with most of the things in both lists. Today our culture is sadly divided and things that have been considered taboo for three centuries are now being heralded as acceptable and good by more and more people.

When we make the decision to step out in faith and ask Jesus into our hearts, we will want to turn from any known sin in our life and to strive for goodness. We may discover that different people have differing ideas about what is good. When this happens we must seek after God’s heart to learn what is truly good. If we are willing to learn from God, to read his Word, the Bible and to pray, we will be able to discern for ourselves what is right and wrong, and we will know what God considers to be good.

As we travel along our Christian faith journey, we may discover new insights concerning what is good at various points along the way. What seems okay to you at first may not be good. I remember when someone shared with me what God had to say about some occult practices I had dabbled in. When I saw how I had allowed these occult practices to interfere with my looking to Jesus for direction in my life, I grieved over my sin and burned the books I had about it. I also resolved to never again read a horoscope. I have never regretted making this decision.

God takes us where we are and moves us along an upward path. We are new creations, but we aren’t perfected in an instant.God promises in Philippians 1:6 that he will continue working on us until the day of Christ’s coming.

We need to keep in mind that our walk with Christ is a journey and is sometimes a struggle. Consider the struggle that Paul was going through as he wrote the book of Romans. Read Romans 7:15-25 to learn how even this great saint of God struggled with sin in his life.

There is a powerful hymn called He’s Still Working on Me that illustrates this struggle. Most of the time children are asked to sing this song, which makes it too easy for many adults to fully miss the point. It takes a lifetime to prepare us to spend eternity with Christ. It doesn’t happen overnight, and the process isn’t finished when we become adults.

Father God, help us to understand goodness as you understand it. Don’t allow us to settle into complacency at a good-enough level that falls far short of the goodness you desire to see in our lives. May we always compare our goodness to the goodness of Christ, and may we become ever mindful of those shortcomings in our lives that still need work.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The Creation by Janice D. Green

 

Faith – We begin our journey with Christ

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Faith

2 Peter 1:5-8 (Click on any Bible link in this article and you may choose to read the verses from other translations)

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. –New International Version 1984

I see in this passage a progression of growth. This premise is the basis of this Bible study. Verse 8 gives us an extra push to help us recognize the importance of growing in our faith. Who in their right mind would ever be satisfied to be ineffective and unproductive? If we are truly Christ’s servants, we will take seriously our efforts to grow in our knowledge of, and in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

We begin our journey when we step out in faith and believe in God. Meanwhile, God has also been reaching out to us preparing our hearts to put our faith in him. Ephesians 2:8 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Faith is the first essential ingredient in our developing a relationship with God.

Where does our faith come from? In Hebrews 12:2 the Apostle Paul tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” And Romans 10:17 brings to mind the importance of hearing the message of Christ.

I don’t think faith always comes in the same proportions to all people. Our initial expression of faith might fall short of accepting all of the beliefs that various professing Christians say we must believe. I recall my first confession of faith to God. It was in a prayer I made in bed one night as I wrestled with understanding what it meant to become a Christian. I was in junior high school and my confession didn’t have much to do with sin or the cross, but it was what I understood at the moment. I asked Jesus to come into my heart based on a Bible verse I read that held special meaning for me. There is no doubt in my mind but that something happened at that moment, as I felt a sudden warmth come over my body that could have only come from the Holy Spirit. I believe God starts with us at whatever level of faith we posses in the beginning, and at that point he enters our lives and helps us to grow in our faith.

At first we might not have enough faith to boldly face down a college professor who is professing his atheism, yet we would have enough faith to witness to a friend who is trying to persuade us to do something the Holy Spirit has revealed to us that we should not do.

Hebrews 11 begins by saying faith makes us sure of what we hope for and it enables us to believe what we cannot see. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is the great faith chapter in which God identifies the many early heroes in faith. God declared these men and women righteous because of their faith. And verse 6 brings it home to us by reminding us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Romans 3:22 also confirms that our righteousness comes from faith in Christ Jesus.

It is comforting to know that when we take our first step of faith with Jesus, God doesn’t leave us floundering to figure out how we should live a Christian life. Jesus promised us in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit would come to teach us and to help us to remember what we need to know.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we accept Christ Jesus we become new creations in him. God gives us new hearts with the desire to please and serve him when we open our hearts to him. Philippians 1:6 assures us that he will finish the good work he began in us once we begin our spiritual journey with Christ.

Faith is our beginning point, but we must not settle for a mediocre faith. Let us build on this foundation so that our walk with Christ will be effective and productive, and that we can become strong witnesses for Christ through the lives we live.

Father God, keep our hearts pliable that we may continually seek to know you better and to grow in our faith. Give us the will to be proactive in reaching out to you every day in Bible reading, prayer, and in exercising our faith around the people you have placed in our lives.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The Creation by Janice D. Green

God Rested – Day 7

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On the seventh day God rested from his work. God called this day a holy day. Read it yourself in Genesis 2:1-3.

Although it wasn’t yet a commandment, God set an example for people to follow by resting on the seventh day. He also set the day apart when he called it a holy day.

Many years later when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, he included the commandment to remember the Sabboth and keep it holy. God also said not to do any work nor to expect others to work for us on that day. See Deuteronomy 5:12-15.

Opinions swing from one extreme to the other on how to keep the Sabbath holy. Many of our grandparents were so strict that children weren’t allowed to play ball in the yard. Children and adults alike were expected to sit quietly all day and meditate on God. Others have rejected these strict rules and have gone to the other extreme where anything goes on Sunday. They feel that if they spend an hour or two in a worship service, then they can do as they like for the rest of the day.

I personally think we need to honor God with more than a couple of hours in church. God rested the whole day. But I don’t think we need to be idle to rest. Many activities are restful, and for people whose work keeps them sitting at a desk eight hours a day, the most restful thing they might do might include an activity that gets them moving. I remember getting a gentle scolding from a neighbor because I was pulling weeds in my flower garden on a Sunday afternoon. But to me, this was a restful break from the normal activities I did during the week. I could enjoy the birds at the nearby feeders and bluebirds at their nest box while enjoying the fresh air. But, if I had stayed out there several hours and then came in with a backache, I would have to redefine it as work and not a form of rest.

Jesus said that God created the Sabbath for man, he didn’t create man for the Sabbath. This is how he defended the disciples who plucked some grains from a field and ate it on a Sabbath day. See Mark 2:25-28.

People also debate over whether Christians are wrong in making Sunday their holy day of worship in place of the original Sabbath which was Saturday, the seventh day of the week. I can’t in good conscience take a firm stand on this either way. But I know that God has a big heart. I believe he is more concerned that we love him from our hearts than he is on our getting every detail right in a legalistic way. I believe God has room in heaven for people who worship him, whether they make their holy day of rest on Saturday or on Sunday.

Another issue I want to address is that God rested on the seventh day, but that doesn’t mean he was finished working. He had a new week in front of him following his day of rest the same as we do. If God took a permanent vacation beginning on the seventh day it would set the example for all of mankind to do nothing.

So what does God continue to do? The Bible doesn’t exactly spell for us what God does on a day by day basis. We know he is involved in the lives of his children. We read about his covenant with Abraham and his descendants. There are clues all through the scriptures that tell us about God’s intervention in the lives of mankind.

The Bible isn’t as specific about God’s continued involvement in the creation process, but the evidence shows us that his hand is always at work. We know that changes have taken place in our world and in the environment over the years. Fossils show us animals that are no longer in existence today. Astronomers using the Hubble telescope tell us that new galaxies continue to be created in the heavens. It makes perfect sense to me that God continues to be involved in our changing world.

Sadly, there are those who would limit God, or worse, would deny his existence because the don’t think he could be big enough to create a universe as big as ours and still be involved in our daily lives.

But God is bigger than anything we can imagine. If we were capable of imagining all of who God is and what he can do, our minds would have to be as big his. Of course, they are not. God, and God alone, is worthy of our worship and praise.

Listen to: God and God Alone by Steve Green

The Creation by Janice D. Green