Self (control) is a 4 letter word

I have been thinking a lot about self-control and obedience the last couple months. It seems that many I've talked to lately are struggling with this subject as well.  Whether it's "holding our tongue", staying out of the drive through, buying bigger and better "stuff", or resisting a temptation. Many Christians are challenged to be obedient and change our bad habits but it's HARD isn't it???

And what is it about the word "obedience" that makes us clench our teeth? At least it does mine! I'm a rebel...always have been. When someone tells me I can't do something, there's a part of me that says "Hmmm, why not?" or maybe "we'll see about that!" And yet when someone ELSE is breaking the rules, I'm very much the do-gooder, amazingly surprised at their actions. So don't get me wrong. I am a rule follower and take pride in doing the right thing. I don't like being in "trouble" so I usually follow the rules...unless it's a hard rule to follow or "someone else is doing it" and I might start considering the parameters of the "rule". Is it a rule that makes sense? Have we always done it this way and does it need to be changed? Does the person that set the rule really care if the rule is enforced? Is it more of a "guideline"? I'm a triangle...I want to know "what's the point?"

I think about obedience a lot because I seem to be my own worst critic when it comes to reaching a goal and "self-control" (or a lack there of!) seems to always be the biggest hurdle. And I KNOW I am not alone.

Which brings me to what I wanted to share from scripture this week...there is a point to this prequel I promise. I'm on a "detox" diet and I can't have anything fun for 11 days. That's not actually completely true...strawberries are fun...cilantro is fun. yeah, that's it. The rest is boring veggies and lean meat. I can't have caffeine, sugar, dairy, gluten or ANYTHING artificial/processed. I love food. Ask my family...I'll pretty much eat anything and love MANY things so it is not easy to have self-control this week. Sticking to the diet is hard but I am determined and I keep focusing on the fact that it is temporary torture.

Food isn't actually my biggest problem though. It's getting enough sleep and fitting in the exercise. (I'm up late writing right now because my house is quiet!) One of the other things I'm doing during the 11 days on this special diet that is supposed to be kicking up my metabolism a notch, is getting enough sleep and exercise. So how am I doing? GREAT on the diet and exercise part...just OK on the sleeping part. I have had 8+ hours of sleep 4 out of 6 days so far...tonight is not one of them. I guess that's not too bad. And if I'm really honest with myself, the problem is time management.

So with that confessional, let's take a look at what the scripture says on "self-control".

S - 2 Peter 1:3-9 (Holman Christian Standard Version/Apologetics Bible) 
³ His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. ⁴ By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, ⁷ godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

O - First observation that just gives me such an amazing peace is vs. 3 which says that God gives us EVERYTHING "required" for life and godliness through His divine power. Did you catch that? EVERYTHING that is REQUIRED. Not everything we WANT. This is so important because I think our satisfaction level is such a HUGE part of living with self-control and obedience. Why is it that we convince ourselves that we "need" something, in the moment, on an impulse? We usually give in because we decide it is worth it to "enjoy" whatever it is that we think we NEED. We desire the enjoyment more than we desire to be satisfied in God and what He provides. Don't worry...I'm preaching to the mirror!

Next observation is about the promises that God gives. These are great and precious promises that allow us to SHARE in God's divine nature. We are not subordinates that He looks down on. Jesus calls us His friends and we are CHOSEN to "bear fruit". (John 15:15-16). He wants to SHARE His divine nature with us and help us escape the "corruption" that is in the world...evil desires are of the world and this is not OF God. He is not condemning US, He is condemning the evil desires, the temptations, the corruption that draws us away from Him and His promises. These promises are His protection. We have a choice to believe these promises.

The final observation I have is the progression of HOW to be useful and fruitful. The meaning behind this progression is that after we receive salvation (by grace/God's gift, not by works/what we DO) we are challenged and motivated by the Holy Spirit to seek God's path for us. This is like a path with many choices and it is in finding God's path that we find our purpose, how He will use us, and how we will produce "fruit". (see also Galatians 5:22 on the fruit of the spirit).

This is where the progression listed in this scripture is so interesting. The final step in this progression is love...I think this means it's the ultimate goal and is pretty important. We are asked to "supplement" our faith FIRST with goodness. To supplement means to complete or make an addition to. Then we are to supplement goodness with KNOWLEDGE and then it is through knowledge that we can then supplement our faith with self-control. This is not so much "smarts" as it is gaining wisdom. In other words, we must BEGIN and ACT. We must find a way to begin showing goodness and by our acts of goodness, (and I believe also with studying God's word) we will begin to find strength in showing self-control. AFTER we start working purposefully on self-control is when we can really find the ability to have endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

A - I believe this passage is saying that the key to obedience to God is self-control, which really comes from knowledge/wisdom and taking steps toward goodness. SELF-control is really putting GOD in control and a release of "self"...it's really "God-control". We must work towards finding a way to focus on God's provision and being satisfied in His blessings. If we do not open our eyes and renew our mind to see and think the things of God, then we will not be successful in our attempts at obedience. Oh yes, we will slip up, and even mess up royally. But that is also the beauty of a relationship with Christ. He advocates for us and has already covered our sin and mistakes with his own blood. God sees us for what we WILL be instead of what holds us back.

So I think I can conquer the diet thing this week without saying any 4 letter words...long term will have to come with opening my eyes and renewing my mind, to see God's provision and promises clearly. In order for me to conquer my "night owl" problem, I must focus on my satisfaction in the Lord, instead of the satisfaction I get from being in my house in the quiet late at night writing about it! Hmmmm...I'll have to work on that.

For more scripture on this topic, read David's efforts toward self-control in 1 Samuel 24:1-15;26:1-20

And read these scriptures for more encouragement:
Philippians 3:9
Galatians 5:13
James 4:2-3
2 Corinthians 3:5
1 Peter 1:13-16
Romans 8:26-28

P - Father God, you are the best Daddy because you provide ALL that we need. I am in awe that you never forget us, nor do you give up on us. You are persistent to draw us to you and remind us that your love is consistent, never-ending and readily available no matter what we have done, if we will receive it! I pray that you will show me how and where to take action to show goodness towards others and in so doing I will gain knowledge and wisdom on the path to self-control. Walking in your ways is my goal and I thank you that you see me for who I will become, not for what I have done. Give me strength and courage to be bold in my faith and not only stand up for what is right in obedience, but also to help and guide others to do the same. In the precious name of Jesus I pray. amen.  

Go against the flow...as God's LIVING sacrifice!

I'm doing something different today. Instead of sharing one of my daily SOAP devotionals I felt compelled, in light of my experience in the carpool line this morning, to write about one of my favorite verses that I use as a guiding principle EVERY day. I am writing this literally as I think of it, 95% unedited, so please share your thoughts.

S - Romans 12:1-2
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

O - There is so much power here!!! In Old testament times, the Jews were called to give sacrifices. These were animals or a portion of their harvest/hard labor, that they were asked to give to God. There were many guidelines on how these sacrifices were to be given in order for them to be genuine. Today, we are living in the post-resurrection of Jesus and are no longer asked to give physical sacrifices. However, we are asked to give of our time, our service, and our personal sacrifice. This is seen by God as a "living sacrifice" and is an act of worshipping God, or giving Him reverence. We are to do this because of God's mercy. In addition, we are to transform our mind to think in line with God's word, not the ways of the world. We are to live in the world without being a part of it. How do we sit on the fence between living both ways?

A - I have always been a rule follower...to a degree. In some ways I am a rebel because if something is more of a "guideline" than a rule, I tend to see what I can get away with...I like to "go against the flow" when it won't hurt anyone or get me in trouble! Sometimes I have been known to push the peddle to a speed that might be 5-10 miles above where it's supposed to be if I'm in a hurry. I have been known on occasion to go in the "out hole" in the school parking lot if no one was in the way. I have actually had the thought that "some rules are stupid" therefore they were "made to be broken." We aren't supposed to wear flip-flops to work, however some get away with this and so I do it too because "everyone else is doing it." However, I seem to know when being "too bold" is going too far and would NEVER want to create a hazard or safety issue. I like to keep it right below the line of "crazy" :) And I definitely want approval so I would never want to purposefully make someone mad at me. I find this always interesting in the church because many churches have "rules" about how we should all conform to doing things the "right" way, and yet there are many ways to do things. So who has the right way? Who gets to be an authority?

So here's the scene: This morning I was dropping off my son at school. He attends an elementary school on a busy street and the school has modified the entrance and exit this year to reduce traffic congestion on the main road. The parking lot has a CLEAR one way in and one way out entrance. There is even a median to keep drivers from turning left out of the school parking lot. Some have argued that the school has no right to keep parents from turning left out of the parking lot. This morning there was not one, but TWO parents in front of me that not only attempted to turn left, but they blocked traffic doing it. One went around the median into oncoming traffic in order to get out and even honked at a lady that was waiting to move forward, signaling to her that he wanted her to move up and get out of his way. He was definitely not going to let any median or sign or other parents hinder his attempts to get out quickly. I wondered to myself if this is how he does this every day?

My first thought on this was it made me mad that they would be so rude. I wanted to yell at them and set them straight! First of all, I might be a little bit of a rebel (and I confess I have turned left when no one else was there!) but I would never do "that!" And yet they were doing exactly what in some ways, I try to live by every day. They were going "against the flow" because they don't recognize the school as having authority on the traffic flow.

So I ask you, how do we recognize who is in authority in our Christian walk? So how do we know how far we should take it in our Christian walk to not conform to the world's standards and yet, we are called to model a Christian life? Some might argue that perhaps these parents were having an emergency therefore it required them to be rude and go against the traffic "guidelines." It occurred to me, in even this minor way, that there are people in the world that are hurting so badly, or so focused on SELF that they don't even have a desire to be open to thinking about how their actions might effect others. They justify their actions because of how the "world" has treated them perhaps. And this overlaps into parents that drink too much, do drugs, and abuse their children...people that rob stores or break into homes because they are in need of the money...beggars on the street that would rather have a handout than a job...the list goes on. Do we excuse this behavior because they "do not know what they do?" Even Jesus on the cross asked God to forgive those that persecuted Him. How do we make an impact on these that need a hand UP? We often think that we are "better" people because we are not doing these "blatant, unrepentant sins". How are we different? The key is with God's guidance. My little attempts to justify my "speeding" or going in the "out hole" in the school parking lot are really no different in God's eyes unless I am recognizing my sins as what they are. My rebellion should simply be an act of going against the world, following God and lining up my choices with God's word, not attempts to go against HIM. In addition, do I go against the flow when it comes to reaching some of these that don't even know how far off balance they are? So many in the world are comfortable in their little Christian lives that they don't even make the effort to look for how they can be a friend to those just like them in their community. We don't have to go to the food bank or the shelter or Mexico to serve those in need. We need to open our eyes to those right next door. Just this week I realized that I have given up inviting my neighbor to church because she has said no a couple times. I should be continuing to fight that fear of rejection and continue to invite her.

P - Lord God, you went "against the flow" and surprised everyone with sending your son as a humble servant instead of a "warrior". Jesus came to conquer the world but not in the way that anyone expected. Oh that I would want to be like Jesus! Help me to have courage to reach out in spite of my fears and have an impact on those around me that need you. With your help, perhaps they will know how much you love them and want to draw them to you, regardless of whatever they have done or the choices they have made. Thank you Lord that you love us, even as we make stupid choices before your very eyes. You are a big and mighty God and how blessed we are that you do not give up on us. I pray that you would continue to help me NOT conform to the world but to have a mind that is transformed and focused on serving you. Amen.

Worry About Yourself - A Look at How We Judge

This is my SOAP devotional for May 14th

S - Acts 15:10-11
10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

O - The Jewish Christians were struggling with which of their customs/laws should be followed by the Gentiles. Circumcision was an important issue to the Jews because it was a physical reminder of their covenant with God. To the Jews, following these laws was true obedience, and not following them was pure defiance. The council of Jerusalem had decided to not make the issue a requirement so as not to relegate Christianity to "just another sect of Judaism". The bottom line was that God's way was to include ALL believers the same way, by faith alone. This was Jesus' special favor, not with requirements. The additional recommendations the council asked of the Gentile believers were simply to help unify the church as a whole, to help find common ground against pagan worship.

A - Oh how much this reminds me of our churches today. One church requires baptism by full emersion to be a member and truly be saved. Another requires weekly confession to a priest to take communion. And still others have requirements like not allowing instruments in the church worship, or social requirements like wearing proper clothing, lest you be judged unworthy to attend services. There are many ways that we judge others in their "fitness" for God's grace. I confess that when I see tattoos and piercings, I judge that person to not be a true believer because it gives the appearance of drawing attention to "self". We all struggle with what God has called us to do...a simple issue that I'm trying to teach my Kindergarten music class..."Worry About Yourself!" We cannot earn God's smile...we already have it. We think if we do something pleasing then we will earn special favor...that this will put us in a "higher place" with God. In reality God does His work and the question we must ask is "How can I be a part of it?" This is where the "requirements" come in because we are asking of God and not of man.

P - Lord Jesus, this is a hot topic for my life and oh how amazing you are that you know what I need to hear. As I learn to "worry about myself" in where I am with you, will you remind me to ask what YOU require of me and not what I assume or think you require based on my so called knowledge of your word. Oh, how I must be diligent in my prayers to seek your wisdom in how to love others without judgment. For your grace and mercy are never ending. Amen.

To live as the exalted servant

Please read my previous post for today as well, from 2 weeks ago.
This is my SOAP devotional for March 10th

S - Matthew 23:11-12
"The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

O - Jesus is speaking of the fact that the most humble person will receive the greatest victory in heaven. He lived this example by being willing to come as a humble carpenter, labeled a bastard, faced persecution and died on a cross to fulfill God's plan of salvation.

A - If we have truly embraced the opportunity to live a life devoted to God, following Jesus in faith, then we cannot help but be humble. This is such a HUGE indication of a changed person if they do embrace it, and such a "red flag" as well because many that claim to live a life for Christ are still focusing on selfish desires and self promotion. It is not our place to judge where others are in their faith, of course...this is a reminder for ALL of us that fight against our human nature of a focus on self.

P - Oh that I would be humble Lord. Remove any selfish desire for great achievement...that my desire would be in proclaiming YOUR good news regardless of my own benefit. How I just prayed to be your servant with the purest heart and you give me this word reminding me of your humility as my example. You know me so well :) and what I need to hear! I must let go and release my personal agenda...live your will, and walk in your ways. You are good! Amen.

on making poor choices to protect ourselves

My SOAP devotional for Feb. 16th

S - Exodus 1:8-10a, 15-17
"8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous..."

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live."

O - The key word in this passage for me is "threat". The new King was threatened by the number of the Israelites. Why? Because they had different customs, they worshipped God, and perhaps they were not loyal to Egypt? Really, he FEARED they would turn against them. The King sought a way to oppress them through slavery, hoping to kill their spirit and stop their growth. His paranoia and oppression escalated to murder when he asked the midwives to start killing baby boys. He asked the wrong ladies though for their faith was strong and they risked their lives to do what was right.

A - This passage reminds me of the genocide that has taken place throughout human history in places like Poland, Rwanda, Darfur, and the Holy Land...and even here on American soil with gang violence and abortion. In each of these situations, someone made themselves and their own interests a priority. We as humans really are a savage people. For when we get so focused on our own desires and what is in the way of getting what we want or what we see as a threat, we simply will destroy it. It's not just murder that destroys. The destruction of a threat happens every day with "civilized" individuals too. Like those that will gossip to destroy a reputation, or cheat others simply because they "deserve" it or to advance their own economic status/career. We are ALL guilty at some point of making poor choices for the sake of bettering ourselves. Are we really that much different in God's eyes from this pharaoh or Hitler when we put our own best interests ahead of others and perform selfish acts?

P - God of LIFE! You have put us on this planet to test the boundaries of love. Will you help me to love those that are a "threat" and help me to always seek your wisdom, goodness, and glory regardless of the personal cost.