The Fruit of the Spirit is SELF-CONTROL.
Words cannot describe the sound of an 80-foot-tall Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, or Douglas Fir snapping, splintering, and crashing to the ground!! The sound is absolutely terrifying! It sends chills up and down the spine! It causes the heart to race in panic! The ground shakes and trembles frighteningly underfoot! It makes a person feel very tiny and small!
Now imagine the sound of a vast forest of 80-foot-tall Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, and Douglas Fir all ablaze in an out-of-control wildfire! The snapping! The splintering! The popping, hissing, sizzling!! The explosive outbursts! The crashing to the ground! Terrifying!! Absolutely terrifying!!
This pretty much sums up society all around us. This pretty much sums up our world.
The out-of-control “burning-down” is overwhelming! The roar of the blaze is deafening! Society is fracturing and splintering apart! The very pillars of society are snapping! They are crashing down! The ground underneath our feet is shaking and trembling! It is absolutely terrifying to observe! It is terrifying to hear! It is all very frightening!
But what can we do?? We are so very tiny. We feel so small. Our world, our society, is “burning down” around us. What can we do??
Our daily verse today states: “In quietness and trust is your strength.” -Isaiah 30:15b
How is it possible to have quietness … when we’re overwhelmed by the roar of everything “burning down” all around us??
How is it possible to have quietness … when we’re inundated by the ceaseless, relentless splintering and snapping??
The Word of God! God’s Word can quiet our souls! God’s Word will fortify us with strength!
- “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -Isaiah 41:10
- “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” -Isaiah 41:13
- “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. … When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God.” -Isaiah 43:1-3
- “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’. … He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield.” -Psalm 91:1-4
- “You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” -Psalm 32:7
In a world that is “burning” out-of-control, we can have SELF-CONTROL as we rest in God’s salvation, as we trust Him, and as we allow God’s Word to quiet our souls.
The Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) will produce the Fruit of the Spirit (SELF-CONTROL).
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” -Isaiah 30:15
