My wife is on a diet. (This is when good husbands insert the comment, “She already looks great and does not need to diet but I will be supportive.”) One of the keys to success in dieting is self control. I watch Andreya have self control as she eats her lunch while three…okay four hungry boys eat a much different lunch.
Self control is critical to being successful in life. I also believe it is vital to grow as a healthy Christian.
There seems to be two primary ways to get self control. One is by establishing habits. The other (and the one I want to focus on) is when we want something more than whatever we need self control for. For example, if you really want an “A” in a class you will not watch TV but instead study. Andreya wants to be at a healthier weight more than she wants that piece of chocolate cake. (Sorry honey for reminding you of chocolate.)
Many people will try to have self control but fail. I believe they fail because they either don’t have good habits or they are more focused on what they are giving up rather than on what they want. When I keep thinking about how I am not suppose to watch TV, all I want to do is watch TV. However, when I focus on the fact I want that “A,” I am not thinking of TV but I am focused on my class.
What do I want more? That simple question seems to be a powerful tool to help me develop self control.
Here is the amazing part. God never asks us to do something that he has not done. God wants us to have self control. What about God? Has God ever demonstrated self control?
Walk with me through the gospels. Luke 4:9-12 gives us some insight into the power available to Jesus. Satan tempts Jesus to jump and see if the angels will do their job and catch him before he hits the ground. Jesus turns him down by quoting scripture. Just a little while later in Luke 4:28-30 we see Jesus walk through a crowd of people who wanted to throw him off a cliff. He walked right through because he had the power to do so. John 18 is about the arrest of Jesus. Verse 6 shows the soldiers falling back as he spoke. Later in the chapter, verse 22, we see Jesus getting slapped by one of the officials.
Pause with me right here. It is safe to say every angel in heaven wanted to pounce on that official. Imagine all of God’s army at the ready begging to step in and save Jesus. (There is a similar picture in 2 Kings 6:17.)
Instead of releasing the angels to protect Jesus, God restrained them.
Jesus wanted us more. He demonstrated self control in the face of humiliation, beatings and ultimately the cross. It is very humbling. It is also inspiring and amazing.
If you are like me you will struggle with self control in some area. Sometimes we will get self control by building good habits. Other times we may need to pause and ask ourselves what we want more. In that moment remember what God wanted more. If you are like me it will put things into perspective. You will be grateful and it will be easy to pick what you want.
devos by chaps 