Self Control / Forbearance

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23

Forbearance means self-control or restraint. Consider this, friends. Self-control is mentioned twice. A double warning might be there to warn us of double trouble

It is pretty easy for me to flex my “oh well” muscle most of the time. I seldom react quickly to situations. I don’t have “Road Rage” even when things frustrate me. Am I doing ok with self-control?

Not so fast. I have a verse about self-control hanging on my refrigerator to remind me that I don’t need another potato chip, or piece of chocolate, or bowl of ice cream. I admit that I am not very good at controlling what I put into my mouth! (I am also, at times, not very good at controlling what comes out of my mouth, but that is another column topic!) 

Does God really care about whether or not I overeat or put on a few pounds? Actually, he cares very much about how we treat our bodies. 

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) 

When we list the fruit of the Spirit, we need to remember that God is serious about all these, especially the self-control part.

Gina Caswell Kelly (gck9454@aol.com) kindly let me use part of her article in this devotional. It was so important to me that someone besides me preached self-control. I get tired of being the lone wolf in the wilderness.

As Gina says, “As I continue stepping on toes, I remind you that our God is loving and caring, and he wants and expects us to care for those gifts entrusted to us. That includes our bodies. We serve him better when we feel better.  We serve His world better when we live a healthy life.

Choose self-control in all areas of your life, even what you take into your body! It will make a difference!