Not only is it easy to see how our nation got into such a deplorable condition, it’s easy to see why our future seems so dim. We look at our situation, complain about it, and sometimes even debate the issues, but we don’t take action. We refuse to allow anything to disrupt our lifestyle. We talk about the dangers we face and how our future hangs in the balance, but we “fiddle while Rome burns”. The only thing most people are committed to is the pursuit of pleasure. As long as they are pleased nothing else seems to matter. Even those who would not admit to being one of those with a sense of entitlement, and do not depend on the government for a handout, are equally guilty when it comes to the sin of covetousness. So what do we do about it?
When’s the last time you thought about the words, “Confirm thy soul in self-control”? We often sing or hear the song without giving any serious thought as to what it is saying. We love to talk about freedom and liberty, but not so much about “self-control“. Self-government is great, but it works only for a virtuous people. Our forefathers were emphatic about that. However when we are out of control, unable to govern ourselves, we are unable to elect the kind of people needed to rightly govern our nation. Our country is in this present mess, not because of any one leader or party, but because of the selfish, out of control populace that empowers them. And, if we look deep enough, I suspect we all can see that we are contributors to the problem. We cannot condone in ourselves what we condemn in others and expect anything to change for the better. As Christians we should know better.
For Christians the only acceptable form of self-control is to be Spirit-controlled. If we aren’t under His control we are out of control. This is a paradox–being Spirit-controlled results in self-control. He enables us to what we could never do on our own. Only by walking in the Spirit can we experience true self-control and walk in the path of righteousness (Gal. 5:16-21). — HDS, 10/12/16
