The Fruit of the Spirit is SELF-CONTROL.
Today’s background photo was taken from an airplane, high above eastern Washington, as smoke-choked skies obstruct the view and block out the sun.
Wildfires are terrible!! Not only do they devastate and destroy the immediate area which they are burning, but they send billowing plumes of thick black ash and smoke into the atmosphere! The smoke and ash are carried hundreds of miles away … affecting millions of people far far away! Far away, daylight changes to an eerie glow, ash falls blanketing decks and cars, and air quality becomes unbreathable.
We might not know exactly where the fire is burning, but our eyes are burning! Our lungs are burning! Our asthma is an issue!
This is a good representation of what happens when there is no SELF-CONTROL. We are witnessing this very thing occurring in our world today.
All across our world people are “burning” out-of-control with rage, hate, and passion for their particular issue. The out-of-control “burns” are not only devastating people’s individual lives and wreaking havoc in their souls, but their “burns” are resulting in billowing plumes which are “choking out” the very atmosphere of life! Humanity across the world is suffering from the “smoke-choked” atmosphere!
Our daily verse today states: “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, SELF-CONTROL; and to self-control, perseverance; …” -2 Peter 1:5-6
- Our world is “burning” out-of-control! We need FAITH! Unwavering FAITH in God and in God’s all-powerful, sovereign control over all of His creation.
- Not only that, we need GOODNESS … we need to know with certainty what is GOOD, RIGHT, and TRUE.
- Not only that, we need to examine the information we are receiving. Is it GOOD? Is it RIGHT? Is it TRUE? Filter all information.
- Then respond in wisdom … with discernment … and SELF-CONTROL.
But the barrage of out-of-control “burns” is constant! It’s so hard to “see” nowadays! It’s so hard to “breathe” nowadays!
We need to PERSEVERE. We need to keep on keeping on. Keep on having FAITH. Keep on filtering: Is it GOOD? Is it RIGHT? Is it TRUE? Keep on responding with SELF-CONTROL. Persevere.
The Fruit of the Spirit is SELF-CONTROL. Keep on keeping on.
