Fruit of the Spirit...Self-Control

Yesterday was the beginning of Lent. No, I'm not Catholic. But I do observe Lent. I love God, I love His holy word, and I love the church that was bought with His Son's blood. Each believer in that body is saved by faith alone in Christ alone, but we can learn a lot from the saints that came before us. I don't have much respect for traditions that exist for the sake of tradition alone, but if there is a biblical emphasis to a practice and if that practice focuses one's thoughts more acutely on God, then I'm not critical of it.

Having said that,there has been a theme to my reading over the past several weeks. This hasn't even been of my design. It seems that everything I've picked up has had something to say about gluttony. And then yesterday I get an email from my husband. He's not a Christian, so he wasn't even thinking about overeating as sin. He was lamenting the 10 pounds he's put on while in Egypt, and asked me to join him in a contest to lose weight. So, while I've been here considering my own habits and thinking about what actually defines gluttony (I think the biblical definition may be different than the average American's), I believe God was speaking through my husband (again...man, sometimes I hate when that happens!). I think a lack of self-control in one area, is indicative of a larger sin issue.

As I contemplated what this lenten season meant to me, I realized that self is just too prevalent in my thoughts. My prayer is that as I focus on Christ, His mission, and His sacrifice, that I will more readily die to self. That God will fill me with His Spirit, so that I will be more self-controlled in my life and my habits. For me, that means giving up a few things during the next 40 days and 6 Sundays.