At “The Way” we have been studying the Fruit of the Spirit. We have been looking at the fruit not as something that just grows automatically, but at things we cultivate in our lives by our choices and decisions. Last Sunday we came to the last fruit, the one that sums up all the others – Self-Control, or Self-Discipline.
In my mind we have labeled that fruit in a way that leads to misunderstanding it. Our society is focused on lots of “selfs” – such as “Self-improvement,” Self-Awareness,” “Self-Esteem,” etc. And most of the time when we look at those things, we think of them as things we need to somehow conjure up from within “ourselves.”
For a Christian, the better way of looking at this fruit is “Discipline or Control of Self through the Power of the Holy Spirit.” Without that “Discipline of Self” we will never go on to achieve maturity in Christ Jesus. The lack of discipline or control just may be why some Christians soar as eagles and others never get off the ground.
Self-discipline is governing your thoughts, emotions, and actions in a godly manner in accordance with the Word of God, and in cooperation with the Spirit of Truth. For the believer, self-discipline can only be mastered by the power of the LORD.
We now live in a world full of overindulgence. There are far more temptations than there are restraints. In fact, our culture is averse to any kind of restraint–everyone should be allowed to be who they want to be, do what they want to do, think or say what they want to think or say, practice any kind of practice. To try to “impose” restraint in that kind of environment will be labeled narrow-mindedness or a host of far worse labels.
Our culture equates lack of restraint as freedom when the exact opposite is true. The more we succeed in governing ourselves (self-discipline), the more freedom we have. Lack of self-discipline impedes maturity, derails our relationships and spiritual growth, and destroys our peace of mind.
