Sanctified Self-Control

Marianne pushed her grocery cart from aisle to aisle, marking every item off of her list as she placed it in the cart.  Her five-year-old boy, Bradley, was walking beside her, more interested in causing a scene than helping his mother shop for groceries.  In reality, Bradley was far too busy nocking boxes off the lower shelves, singing loudly to himself, and bombarding his mother with questions to help her out.  Needless to say, Marianne was losing her patience and her son's ploys for attention, though less-than positive, were working.

Bradley pulled a can of soup from the shelf and, with the finesse of a dancer, bowled the chowder down the aisle, hitting a display of crackers and knocking it across the tiled floor: strike.  Bradley hooped and hollered at his success.  Marianne had had enough. She grabbed her son's arm and pulled him to her so that she could yell at him under her breath, "Bradley! We are in public! Show some self-control!"  Bradley, acknowledging that his mother was mad, looked up at her and said sincerely, "But mom, I am in control!"

Perhaps Bradley's response is more appropriate than we could possibly conceive and it poses a question relevant to us all: at what point does the self lose control?  In a world that is marked by excess and hedonism, self-control seems like an antiquated ideal that is all the more challenging to live-by and promote.  But, which self do we put in control, the flesh? the Spirit?

Unequivocally, Christians are to be self-controlled in the Spirit.  Recall Paul's letter to the Colossians, where he exhorts believers to put to death that which is earthly so as to put on that which is godly and right (Col. 3:1-17).  In this way, we are to become self-controlled in the Spirit and compelled by Spirit to live lives of a worthy manner (Eph. 4:1-3).

Paul actually defines Spirit-led self-control as spiritual fruit, indicating that the truest form of self-control is gifted from the Lord, who trains us to live in such a way (Gal. 5:22-23; Tit. 2:11-14).  Paramount to the pursuit of self-control is then faith.  Only when we cling to Christ will we be equipped and able to live self-controlled in the godliest sense.  In truth, self-control is a misleading term.  For if we are to become self-controlled as God asks of us, then a more correct term would be God-controlled.  But praise be to God who we can always rely upon for guidance and direction!