Saturday, August 21
Self-control
Scripture: Jeremiah 41-42, Titus 2
Titus 2:2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
Titus 2:4–5 Then they (older women) can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Titus 2:6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
Titus 2:12 It (the grace of God) teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
Observation
Self-control seems to be one of Paul’s favorite words! He uses it 4 times in this chapter, telling older and younger men to be self-controlled and older women to teach younger women to be self-controlled, then telling everyone that the grace of God teaches all of us to live self-controlled lives.
The root Greek word Paul uses is sophron (literally, “a saved mind) which means “a sound mind; to be reasonable, rational, thoughtful, prudent, moderate, and self-controlled.” Trench defines it as “an entire command over the passions and desires; that habitual inner self-government, with its constant rein on all the passions and desires.”
Application
I love this idea of having a “saved mind” that is rational, thoughtful, reasonable, and results in self-control—living with your desires and passions under control. It’s not that we deny our desires or even squelch them; it’s that we master them, rein them in and control them. Rather than our passions and desires mastering us, we master them!
I’ve often said that the hardest person to lead is yourself. And it starts here with self-control.
Thankfully, we have help. One of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) is self-control. The Spirit enables us to live this kind of powerful life!
Prayer: Holy Spirit, fill me today and enable me to live with a saved mind and self-control.