Self-indulgence is the opposite, from eating a pound of chocolate at once or partying your way to oblivion. Too much excess will leave you empty and alone, it will at best cause us to gain a lot of weight and lose your friends and at worst lose your life and miss out on our heavenly reward! Self-indulgence seeks what is fleeting when we as a Christian are made for eternity.
Self-Control is not the subject of the media; you may perhaps never see a movie with this as the premise because it is anti-climatic and perhaps boring. The world wants us to grab all of the gusto that we can, go for that brass ring regardless of the consequences or who we step on to get it or taking the responsibility of our actions. Yet, Christ is calling us by His example and Word to seek what is in eternity that is permanent and lasting not what is fleeting and empty. Christ was our greatest example from the humbleness of the incarnation through Gethsemane to the Cross He was the perfect model of self-control! Self-control will be the key to inner strength that will help deliver us from fear, depression, harm and the pain of life by being focused on Christ and not our circumstances. Christ's strength in us that we cannot do on our own! And the key to receive this strength is our surrender to His Lordship over all aspects of our lives! Remember God wants us to have fun too and enjoy life; we are not to be prudes at the same time we are not to seek sin either!
- What can I do to develop a better attitude of Self-Control?
- What blocks Self-Control from working and being exhibited in me?
- How can I make Self-Control function better, stronger and faster even in times of uncertainly and stress?
· Here are positive examples from Scripture (Gen. 39:6-18; II Sam. 16:5-13; Dan. 1:8-16)
· Here is are negative examples from Scripture (Gen. 3:1-7; Nub. 20:7-12; II Sam. 13:1-19; I Kings 21:1-7)
Further Questions- How would you define Self-Control?
- What are the things that lure you to be self-indulgent?
- How does the excess of life counteract Self-Control?
- What happens to our relationships with God and others when we relinquish self-control?
- When have you been filled with Self-Control the most?
- In what situation did you fail to have Self-Control in which you should have?
- What issue is in your life that would improve with more Self-Control?
- Think through the steps you need to take to put Self-Control into action in a specific instance. Such as how can you place safe guards against the areas in your life where you are weak in? Or how can you avoid situations, things, certain people and places that may cause you to lose control? Or how can you balance having joy and fun so they do not become excess that lead to sin?
© 2002, Richard J. Krejcir, Ph.D. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership, www.churchleadership.org
