This is the last installment of my nine-month series on The Fruit of the Spirit and its cultivation in our lives. With each post I’m including a free embroidery pattern download featuring the month’s topic.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
—Galatians 5:22-23
It’s late at night, you are still up and haven’t gone to bed because you just can’t put down that book or you just have one more thing to do on the internet. Or perhaps you snuck a few extra cookies and wonder why those extra pounds just keep hanging around. Maybe you just got frustrated with all the commotion in your home and yelled at your children. You might be thinking, “Self-control, I don’t have it and I don’t want to talk about it.”
I think this is a common problem for all of us. In and of ourselves this is a character trait that is not natural to us. We don’t wake up and automatically go through our day having complete self-control in all our thoughts and actions. Quite the opposite happens! Our natural tendency is much more self-serving, self-centered, gluttonous, and self-indulgent. Our natural self is quite ugly.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what the fruit of the Spirit looks like and it is far from ugly. It is beautiful. We cannot muster up all of what these verses tell us on our own–it is only through the strength of Jesus Christ. His living in us through His Spirit, and His precious grace in our lives produces the fruit of the Spirit. If you have never experienced true grace through Jesus Christ, I encourage you to seek Him, this link explains the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
With the Spirit bearing fruit in our lives, we and our homes can be a sweet balm to all around us. We can be used of the Lord to share His glorious commission. After all, that is why He came to earth: so that He could redeem and transform lives.
How can we cultivate self-control?
Pray diligently and be thankful.
If you haven’t already, make a habit of praying daily as well as throughout the day. Pray for self-control, and that the fruit of the Spirit would be evident in you.
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).”
Preach to yourself.
Stop and consider your actions and reactions. Are you showing self-control in words, tone of voice, thoughts, actions? Remind yourself of the scriptures that tell us to have self-control and to encourage it in others.
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. (Titus 2:1-6)
Look for ways to teach our children to show self-control.
When we need to teach something to our children, we must know something of it ourselves. Don’t you love that? God, in His graciousness to us, uses our children to teach us as we try to teach them. Show your children how much you need Jesus Christ to help you with self-control and that they need Him too. Without Him we are like the city in Proverbs that is broken and has no protection.
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. (Proverbs 25:28)
Free “SELF-CONTROL” Embroidery Pattern
As an extra way to remember to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, we’ve created a free embroidery pattern from Clementine Patterns – just for you! (This makes for a great mother-daughter project!)
This month’s pattern features several graphics for Self-Control. Download the pattern for free and embroider your own version of “Self-Control” for your home and family! (For personal use only. This PDF pattern is available for free download through February 8th.)
Other posts in this series:
• LOVE
• JOY
• PEACE
• PATIENCE
• KINDNESS
• GOODNESS
• FAITHFULNESS
• GENTLENESS
