THE SHEPHERD’S STANDARD: The Fruit of Self-Control

“A bishop then must be…temperate…” (1 Timothy 3:2 NKJV)

                                                                                           

Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and the pastor must exhibit this fruit in abundance.  That happens when the man of God experiences the fullness of the Spirit (Eph.5:18).  According to the Apostle, a man can choose to be full of self—and consequently, intemperate, or full of the Spirit, and thus, temperate.

One who is intemperate will allow passions rather than principles to reign over him—usurping the heart’s throne from the Savior and establishing self as sovereign.  He will overstep his authority, issuing dictatorial decrees—saying things that are out of bounds.  This will hurt people rather than help them—and does great damage to the cause of Christ.  This man will act in ways that show his intoxication with power and pleasure—and sooner of later is exposed as the egotist he is, with a life of excess that makes the church a laughingstock.  He provides the bullets for the enemy to fire at the church.

The pastor must be temperate.  This is to be disciplined.  By the grace of God, we are cautious about what we allow to penetrate the portal of our eyes, lest it lead to thoughts and feelings that are improper.  The disciplined sentinel allows no Trojan Horse into the citadel of his soul.

But, there is more—the pastor must have a discipline to direct his thoughts toward God and his glory.  This buttresses our defenses—putting iron bars of conviction in place and cementing more bricks into the wall of holiness, reinforcing self-control.  We rely upon the Holy Spirit to seize the reins of our tongue and speak that which exalts the Savior and edifies the saints.  Our entire being is harnessed for God’s purposes—and our passion is for His pleasure.  Our hands are surrendered to His tasks, our feet directed to His mission.

A PRAYER

Holy Father,

You have a heart for reaching the world with truth and I will never be able to accomplish that task if the world has reached my heart with its vile passions.  Lord, deliver me and reign over every facet of my life.  As I once surrendered my body to serve sin, I now abdicate the throne of my heart, and say, “Lord Jesus, I surrender all!”  Yet, my flesh resists discipline.  Carnal thinking finds it repulsive.  Worldly desires promote sinful delights.  With the hymn writer, I confess, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love: Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.”

In the name of Jesus our Lord,

Amen.