Thursday, April 10, 2014

Don't Be Crazy

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV)

When I was in college I played goalie for the soccer team. It was small school and we played in a league that had several semi-pro type players. One game against a team that called themselves the Pars got pretty physical and the ref warned everyone (mostly this one guy from the other team) that he would call the game if it got out of hand. 

Shortly into the second half the ref awarded the Pars a free kick. The player from the other team who was player just shy of dirty, thought it should have been a penalty kick. While he was complaining we blocked their attempt and went down and scored. Crazy guy "attempted" to block a pass from our best player and kicked him full force in the shin. The ref blew the whistle and called the game. 

Crazy out of control guy was just getting warmed up. He was yelling at the ref and his entire team was trying to restrain him from attacking the ref. He broke free, ran directly at the ref, jumped in the air and kicked the ref square in the chest. Crazy out of control guy and his team were kicked out of the league. 

Proverbs 25:28 warns, "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." If you don't have self-control, you have no defense. While crazy guy was busy complaining about the call, we scored. Sometimes we do that too, don't we. Something happens and we start complaining (maybe just to ourselves) but, we get distracted from the battle at hand, our defenses are down like broken walls, and the enemy can walk right in. 

Self-control is knowing that God is Sovereign and acting like it even when we don't see exactly see or discern what God is doing. 

Father, help us to by faith be self-controlled. Praise be to you in us today!

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