22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.
Reflection
We often think of the fruit of the Spirit as a list of beautiful qualities to pursue, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness. But the final one, self-control, may be the most empowering of them all, because it enables us to live out the others.
Self-control gives us the strength and authority to say “no” to the things that separate us from God and “yes” to the life God desires for us. It brings clarity to our hearts and minds, allowing us to focus on displaying the Spirit’s fruit in our everyday choices.
- Saying “no” to hatred is saying “yes” to love.
- Saying “no” to bitterness is saying “yes” to joy.
- Saying “no” to anger is saying “yes” to peace.
- Saying “no” to gossip is saying “yes” to kindness.
- Saying “no” to temptation is saying “yes” to goodness.
- Saying “no” to inconsistency is saying “yes” to faithfulness.
- Saying “no” to oppression is saying “yes” to gentleness.
When we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives, it becomes clearer what we need to say “no” to, so that we can say “yes” to what God is calling us toward.
Self-control is not about our willpower; it’s about the Holy Spirit’s power. On our own, it’s easy to give in to temptation or pressure. But when we stay close to God, the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to say “no” to sin and death so that we can say “yes” to God and life.
by Manny Estevez
For Pondering and Prayer
- Are there things in your life keeping you away from God that you need to say “no” to?
- Do you rely on your own strength to practice self-control, or are you leaning on the Holy Spirit to help you?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, empower us today to say “no” to the things that keep us from You and from the abundant life You promise. Give us strength and wisdom to recognize what we must turn away from, so that we can fully say “yes” to Your love, joy, peace, and grace. In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
