Ch 6 Self-Control
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control”
Something that “men” lack in great quantities today, is self control. Crazy spending habits, horrific porn addictions, alcohol abuse, violent outbursts, and always having to explain their side of the story. I’m sure you could add something to that list as well.
There are countless books on will power and self-control. They do work, for a time. Eventually, our will power fades and we can no longer control our urges. That is why, as I mentioned before, this verse builds on each previous part. In our own strength we can never accomplish what this verse demands. Yet, as we begin with adding goodness to our faith and growing in the knowledge of God, we are able to “trust in the lord and with all [our] heart and lean not on [our] own understanding” leading to us having greater self-control through Jesus Christ.
This portion of the verse is ordering us to start making choices based on the knowledge of God we have gained. Self-control takes time to develop. If your like me, you would rather pray a prayer and “poof” have enough self control to face whatever life throws your way. God simply doesn’t work at our pace.