Scripture reminds us that we are to think of others in a way that is very difficult to do. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3). Now the sense of this is not that we are to pretend that others …
Being Made Wince-Worthy
Another area where self-control is greatly needed is in the area of mockery and scoffing. The reason this is needed is because mockery is a deadly weapon, and a lot depends on where it is aimed. This is important because mockery is inescapable—it is not whether you mock, but what you mock, when you mock …
The Sinful Rave
We have been emphasizing the relationship of personal self-control to the larger political issues related to self-governance. If a people are enslaved to their own passions and desires, then it will not be long before their enslavement takes on a larger and more sinister form. The most obvious area where a lack of self-control can …
Load the Right Truck
Self-control involves much more than simply refraining from taking one more cookie. It is easy to relegate self-control issues to sins and peccadilloes of the flesh, strive to above average respectable in that department, and call it self-control. Now of course it is important to have the appetites under control, but for most Christians today, …
Thoroughly Gay
As we continue to meditate on the importance of self-control, and its relationship to other forms of free governance, we have to do more than consider control of appetites and emotions that we know to be a problem. We also need to exercise self-control when it comes to suppression of false virtues. One of the …
Shadows of the Pyramids
We have been considering the importance of self-control, and how it is the key to responsible governance in every larger societal grouping. Slaves to vice individually do not deserve liberty on a larger scale, and whether they deserve it or not, they do not know how to defend it, or how to fight for it …
Whoa and Giddyup
Self-control is not a virtue that can be tucked away in one small portion of our lives. We have seen that it applies everywhere, and that when a people are self-governed, they are in a position to enjoy free government. It should be self-evident to us that a huge collection of slaves to sin are …
That Little Wooden Tray
We have been considering the relationship between self-discipline and the possibility of free and responsible government in other areas. Men and women who are slaves to their vices are not going to be capable of creating or sustaining the various forms of public liberty that God wants us to enjoy. It is not possible to …
Little Hellions
The great enemy of self-control is feeling. I do not refer to feeling as rightly ordered sentiment, which is an essential part of what it means to be human. Rather, I am referring to the modern and very pernicious habit of making feelings foundational to all arguments. And by all arguments, I mean political arguments, …
Communication is Completely Free
Self-control, self-government, is foundational to every form of free government. We have been talking about its importance when it comes to temptations to vice, our emotions and passions, and so on. But there is another area where self-control often goes missing as well. That is in the area of work, vocational competence, and delivery of …