Temperance: a fruit of the Spirit

Have you noticed that our current generation has no concept of control. The recent rise in credit card induced bankruptcies, divorce attorneys, and mini-riots are skyrocketing. Road rage, impulse spending, and all sorts of addictions are seen as ‘normal’ in our society… even in the church! We are totally out-of-control. We have totally lost the value of temperance: the moderation of passions and appetites (Galatians 5:22-23).

Balance of Power

Most of the time, we fail to realize the struggle that is fought for our desires. Commercials, billboards, temptations, clearance items. It’s fast, easy, delicious, on-sale. Every store, every restaurant, every website… vying for your money, your time, your loyalty. Too often, we fall prey to these external influences and the only thing standing in our way of doing worse is circumstances. We’d spend more if we had it. We’d eat more if we could stuff it in. We’d buy it if we could afford it. I would do it if I only had the time. We live our lives only limited by our income, our physical appearance, our current ‘situation’ and by a ticking clock. There are a few who have decided to take matters into their own hands – creating for themselves a new ‘situation.’ Divorce. Debt. Drugs. You name it – nothing will hold them back. Nothing will stand in their way.

But honestly, this isn’t an external battle – it’s an internal struggle between flesh and spirit. Each of us face things throughout the day that are absolutely good – and we should choose to indulge (love & laughter are two favorites). There are also things which are absolutely bad – and we should choose to abstain (sinful thoughts & practices). But much of life is ‘necessary’ – and we should choose moderation (temperance; self-control). Temperance allows the Holy Spirit to say ‘No’ when my tendency is to over-indulge and says ‘Yes’ when I don’t feel like doing what I should! Will the natural, earthly desires (‘lusts’) win out? Or will the new, spiritual man reign supreme? Max Lucado said it best:

I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I refuse to what will rot rule even today! I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be fattened only by love. I will be impassioned only by faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control!

The Power of Self-Discipline

The Scriptures speak specifically to several areas where temperance needs applied:
- Self-control of what I do & how I behave. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul spoke of controlling his body like an athlete must do in the training process: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection : lest that by any means , when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. He was fearful of being disqualified due to out-of-control, fleshly desires. We would do well to take heed to this passage of personal testimony and wisdom.
- Self-control over what I say. The Bible speaks over 150 times about the tongue. Ephesians 4:25, 29 challenges the use of our words: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
- Self-control over the way I feel. This flies in the face of our culture – we are told that this is something you just can’t control – no way! The wisdom of Solomon: He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down , and without walls. Proverbs 25:28
- Self-control over what I think. Your mind is where it all begins. Get control of a person’s thoughts, and you’ll control him. One of the most challenging things to do, yet one of the most necessary to spiritual maturity, is this: Casting down imaginations… and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5

Getting Plugged In

These are simple steps to help each one of us tap into the power of the Holy Spirit, for the power of temperance is only in Him. First, we’ve got to identify the problem area(s). Do you have a weak spot – an Achilles heel? James 1:14-16 encourage us to be honest about ourselves when dealing with the Tempter. Next, confess the sin to God. If you’ve fallen off the wagon, then God already knows – He just wants you to come clean about it. Stop lying to yourself, quit lying to God. Agree with Him that He was right all along. This will lead to complete forgiveness and cleansing from shame and/or guilt (1 John 1:9). Next, make yourself accountable. It amazes my how so many ‘Christians’ have a problem with this. Why don’t we see how vulnerable we are when we try to go it alone? Two are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Last, we must die to our desires. We must crucify our selfish flesh each and every day – because the day we don’t will be the day that Satan uses it against us (Romans 8:13).

FLESH VS SPIRIT
An enemy I had, whose face I stoutly strove to know,
For hard he dogged my steps unseen, wherever I did go.
My plans he balked, my aims he foiled, He blocked my onward way.
When for some lofty goal I toiled, he grimly said to me, Nay.
One night I seized him and held him fast, From him the veil did draw,
I looked upon his face at last and lo … myself I saw.

Temperance isn’t really self-control at all… it is Spirit-control. Pilots must know how to fly both VFR (visual flight rules) & IFR (instrument flight rules). It’s not too hard to pick up VFR – you just direct the plan in relation to the horizon and the sun. But in thick storm-clouds or the darkness of night – you can’t operate by what comes naturally, you have to trust the instruments. We need to learn that operating by sight is dangerous to the Christian life… trust the Bible’s instruction, surrender the Spirit – He’ll bring you in save and sound every time!

Meekness: a fruit of the Spirit

Meekness is a rare concept in our culture – even among Christians. We can’t define it, we don’t know where to get it, and aren’t sure we’d really even want to keep it if we had it! It’s a word being used far more to describe our economy than our spirits. Tragically, meekness is becoming synonymous with weakness; when in actuality, meekness is odds with our weakness. Meekness will overturn your weakness if you will allow it!

The Object of Meekness

Meekness is the toughest of these nine virtues to define, yet it is very essential. Its ambiguity in meaning does not mean that it is less important. The best definition I’ve discovered: “strength under control… the ability to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked.” It is being unoccupied with self and genuinely concerned with others. This happens in the innermost part of a person: the spirit. This is where the battle rages so hot between selfishness and surrender. ‘Will I be humble? Why should I give up what is rightfully mine? How can I forgive? What does God expect of me?’ These are spiritual questions with spiritual answers – answers that come with meekness.

Two wives were doing their washing in a laundry mat. They were both sitting mend their husband’s pants. As they were sowing, the one lady said, “My husband is so discouraged, he is so cold. We can’t find anything good on TV. Nothing seems to go right for him. Every one at work picks on him and we are not appreciated by anyone. We cry a lot. Our home is so sad and we live in despair. Our kids are brats. When we go to church the song service is dead. The pastor is an idiot.” The other lady said, “My husband is so excited. He can’t wait to go to church. He loves the sermons. We go visit people all the time. He is so enthused. We laugh all the time. We can’t wait to see what God is going to do for us.” It got very quiet in the laundry mat as the two women continued sewing on their husbands pants. Seems one was patching the seat of the pants, the other was mending the knees.

The Origin of Meekness

Meekness is a spiritual fruit. It’s not something we attain to or grow with much effort. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 Just because Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, they should not expect to see this amazing spiritual strength called meekness growing automatically. The only way to see meekness overcome your weakness is by letting the Holy Spirit bring it to pass: as Paul says: “Walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).
As the Holy Spirit gains control, we begin to lose our self-absorption and self-assertion – we don’t find as much use for it as we used to. We begin to see what David meant when he said the meek are easily satisfied, they delight in the abundance of peace, lifted up by God, and beautified with salvation (Psalms 22:26; 37:11; 147:6; 149:4). Jesus promised that the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), but perhaps Isaiah said it best: The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD… (29:19). Meekness comes from God – and it really changes things!

The Outflow of Meekness

All of the Spirit’s fruit have both inward & outward effects; He makes me better (in relationship with God) and makes me a better father, parent, pastor, friend and citizen. Here are five ways which meekness helps me and works through me:

1. Meekness overcomes the weakness of contention. [James 3:14 – “shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom”] Wisdom in action: knowing how to appropriate knowledge without even the hint of pride.  Meekness diffuses strife, conflict, discord and disagreements.

2. Meekness overcomes the weakness of self-righteousness. [Galatians 6:1 – “ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness…”] Humility considers that it is only God’s grace that keeps anyone from diving face-first into their temptations.  It helps me keep my belittling tongue quiet and points me to pray more for my own continued purity.

3. Meekness overcomes the weaknesses in church. [2 Timothy 2:24 – “the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle…in meekness instructing those…”] Gentleness keeps me in the game, serving the Lord by serving others. I must never be too big to learn, never too busy to teach, never too proud to serve.

4. Meekness overcomes the weaknesses in marriage. [1 Peter 3:4 – “the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”] Submission is the only route to peace in any relationship, but especially in one so close as marriage. If mutual submission is not consistent, neither will be the marriage (Eph. 5:21).

5. Meekness overcomes the weakness of fear. [1 Peter 3:15 – “be ready always to give an answer…with meekness and fear”] Deferring my fear from man to God, enables me to be bold in my witness for Christ. Why should I fear man (who could destroy my body) when I should fear God (who has power to destroy both body & soul)?

Faith: a fruit of the Spirit

Faith can be the most difficult to find when it’s most needed.  It is in the darkness of temptation and in the lonely, sinful distance we need its light the most.  Some think that faith comes from within (inside of you), but in Ephesians 2:8, Paul reminds us that faith “is the gift of God” and that it comes from God only. It is not something we can muster up or dig down deep to find.  It is the fruit of God in the life of His surrendered child.  In God, this is called foreknowledge.  In us, it is the assurance of His foreknowledge.  In Him, this is omniscience.  For the Christian, it is reliance upon His omniscience.  And the only way we can understand God’s mighty power and wisdom is through His Word (Romans 10:17).

Three Biblical ‘Kinds’ of Faith

Conviction– [Your faith is your body of doctrine & belief system.]
I love Christianity because it makes sense.  Although it can’t always be explained by logic, it is never illogical to trust in a benevolent God!  Other faiths require works for salvation and/or to please their Deity; Christianity requires only faith in its Deity.  Other faiths require its followers to sacrifice (even die) for their Deity; Christianity is unique because our Deity sacrificed (even died) for its followers.  America is benevolent & free b/c we still have some Christian principles!

Confidence– [Your faith is what you expect from God and what you depend God to do.]
Faith is the solid part of spiritual living; faith in the unseen realms is plainly and visibly evidenced in our world!  And without faith, you and I cannot please God. (Hebrews 11:1,6)  With each answered prayer and each silent miracle, God strengthens His case.  He is the trustworthy Father, standing next to the play-set, calling for his son to jump into his arms. There is enough proof for me to know that God is not going to allow me to fall.  He’s not going to drop me.  He loves me.  He can be trusted.  I’d be a fool to try anything else.

Consistency– [A continual confidence & constant conviction brings a consistent faithfulness.]
This usage is the word ‘faith’ is the true meaning of the Spirit’s fruit of faith: consistency.  Our faith brings faithfulness.  Our dependence creates dependability.  Our trust makes us trustworthy.  This quality is what we will be judged against at the end of time: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  1 Corinthians 4:2

Four Basic ‘Steps’ of Faith

1. Request– Reliance on God brings an ever-present asking, seeking, and knocking.  When we realize that ‘without Him we can do nothing’ and ‘with Him nothing is impossible,’ we begin looking in the right direction: up!  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God…” Matthew 6:33 (see also Matthew 7:7; Luke 1:37; John 15:5)
2. Rest– Trusting God allows us to relax.  Too many Christians only the extremes of trusting God: either lazily, passively waiting on God to do everything –or– anxiously worrying about whether or not God will work things out.  I know pastors on both sides of the fence. Some don’t do much of anything, expecting God’s sovereignty to outweigh their lack of interest and involvement.  Some are dependent on Tums and Rolaids because they’ve stressed themselves into worry warts.  God doesn’t want it either way… He provides a balance.  “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works…let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…”  Hebrews 4:10-11

3. Receive– Since God is such a big giver and you are His child, you’d better get ready to receive!  I don’t speak selfishly, as if we do all this to get what we want.  I speak this because you need to know how to get with grace and gratitude.  “Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Father…” James 1:17 God gave us His Son. He offers salvation, His Spirit, and much more.  He gives families, health, and financial blessings.  Part of faith is learning how to receive from God and continue our reliance: to remain faithful through periods of blessings.  We must learn to trust in the One Blessing, not in the blessings themselves.
4. Respond– We are not the end of the pipeline.  You are not a dead-end street.  God seeks to bless you that we will bless Him and others.  “…freely ye have received, freely give.”  Matthew 10:8b How we respond to God’s blessings is as important as how we sought after them in the first place.  Allow God’s goodness to grow your faith: respond to God with an expanding trust.  I also believe that a reasonable reaction to God’s sacrifice is one of self-sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).Truly, our response should simply be a cycle back to ‘Requesting’ (see #1), just more.  More asking, more seeking, more knocking.  More trusting.  Growing in faith & in faithfulness.

Gentleness & Goodness: fruit of the Spirit

Do gentleness and goodness seem like qualities on the top of many lists?  What do these words mean to you?  For some, it might mean being a push-over or a marshmallow… to others, it might be a coveted virtue.  Needless to say, these character traits are as scarce as water in a summer Arizona desert.  We live in a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world.  There is not even much gentleness or goodness where you might expect to find it: nurses and doctors have become preoccupied with their paychecks, homes are toxic environments, and churches are full of bitterness.  It’s tragic how few true ‘gentlemen’ are living generous, good lives in today’s society.

I’ve chosen to blend these two into one thought because they are so closely related; indeed, they are siblings.  Gentleness is the kind, outward interactions pictured by the hands of a cherishing mother.  Goodness is the generous, inward intent of the heart of that same mother.  Gentleness says, “God does good.”  Goodness says, “God is good.”

Gentleness – kind / emphasis: outward; action
Goodness – generous / emphasis: inward; attitude

The 2 G’s – Begin with God

Over and over, the Scriptures speak of a gentle and good God.  He is good to His children:  “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”  (Isaiah 40:11)  “Praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us…” (Ps. 117:1-2) He is gentle with sinners: “The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared… Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”  (Titus 3:4-7)  God plans to spend all eternity showing how good He can be: “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us…”  (Ephesians 2:7)

But His gentleness and goodness can only come into focus when considered along side His omnipotence and holiness.  The mightier the power, the more compelling his trait of gentleness.  Consider that He can do anything – including abuse His power – yet He only uses it for our good and His glory.  Consider that it’s not necessary to tolerate sin for a split-second, yet He suffers the sinners existence through love.  Make no mistake, this is not tolerance or passivism.  This is not compromise or softness with sin, nor an inability or impotence to deal with it.  His goodness and gentleness reveal His deep understand and great love toward His creation.

The Apostle Paul must have tried to reproduce this kind of goodness on his own – only to fail.  He said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”  (Romans 7:18)  Our only way to obtain this kind of gentleness and goodness is from the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18 states: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” Are you under the influence of something earthly or Someone Heavenly?  It can’t be both!  We must strip off all controlling parasites and yield ourselves wholly to God.  Allowing Him to fill us and control us is the only way to be empowered with this supernatural level of integrity.

The 2 G’s – the Bases of Greatness

No one is ever great if they are not first good.  Never has there truly been a great deed that didn’t start with a good intent.  David, the Psalmist of Israel, knew that if it weren’t from the grace of God, he would not have been king: “Thy gentleness hath made me great.”  (2 Samuel 22:36; Psalm 18:35)  As I read C.J. Mahaney’s book on Humility, chapters one and two presented a significant problem to me: the clash between my desire and my call.  My desire to be great is founded in pride.  Greatness (earthly), he said, conflicted with humility.  But I was so happy to get to chapters three and four which redefined greatness through humility.  Yes, I could desire to be great as long as I understood that it only comes through the gracious, serving spirit of gentleness and goodness – not through ambition and self-promotion.  What a revelation!  The basis of greatness is grace: God’s gentleness and goodness.

The 2 G’s – Bearing the Gospel

Let us turn our attention to the cross of Christ… It is only because of the goodness and gentleness of God that we are saved.  In Romans 2:4, Paul asks the question: Don’t you know “that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”  Our sinful nature is not good. “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:12)  Only by being born again and becoming “partakers of the divine nature” can we ever hope to experience His goodness.  (2 Peter 1:4)

And now to your cross… As Christians, we were created “unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10); we were called to be the “light of the world.”  (Matthew 5:14)  If we are to fulfill our mission, we will be compassionate about those around us.  We will sympathize with the hurting, we will be sensitive to our neighbor’s needs, and we will serve others. Goodness will carry the gospel to a lost and dying world; gentleness will carry it in the spirit of Christ.  Goodness will speak the truth; gentleness will speak it in love.  Goodness will care; gentleness will go.

Yield to Christ, and His virtues of integrity and love will be reproduced in you.  His fruit in you will be in high contrast to wickedness of the world and to the status-quo Christianity.  Be gentle and good because that is what God is like and that is what gives Him much glory.