September 5, 2022 8:00 pm
Something was eating my flowers. The day before, blooms proudly lifted their heads. Now they were headless stems. I prowled the perimeter of my yard and discovered a rabbit-sized hole in my wooden fence. Bunnies are cute, but the pesky animals can mow down a garden of flowers in minutes.
I wonder, might there be “intruders” shearing off the blooms of God’s character in my life? Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” In ancient days, the wall of the city protected it against invasion from enemies. Even a small opening in a wall meant that the entire city lay open to attack.
So many of the proverbs are about self-control. “If you find honey, eat just enough,” wrote the wise man (25:16). Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that guards us, protecting us from losing ground to impatience, bitterness, greed, and other pests that can intrude and destroy God’s harvest in our lives (see Galatians 5:22–23). Self-control is a healthy-mindedness that watches for the holes in the walls of our lives and keeps them patched.
When I inspect the perimeter of my life, I can at times see vulnerable holes. A spot where I give in to temptation over and over. An area of impatience. Oh, how I need the healthy-minded self-control of God in my life to guard me from such intruders!
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.
I'm Elissa Morgan and I titled our reading, A Hole in the Wall. Something was eating my flowers. The day before, blooms proudly lifted their heads. Now, they were headless stems. I prowled the perimeter of my yard and I discovered a rabbit-sized hole in my wooden fence.
Bunnies are cute. But the pesky animals can mow down a garden of flowers in minutes. I wonder, might there be intruders shearing off the blooms of God's character in my life? Proverbs chapter 25, 28 says, So many of the proverbs are about self-control. If you find honey, eat just enough, wrote the wise man. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that guards us, protecting us from losing ground to impatience, bitterness, greed, and other pests that can intrude and destroy God's harvest in our lives. Self-control is a healthy-mindedness that watches for the holes in the walls of our lives and keeps them patched. When I inspect the perimeter of my life, I can at times see vulnerable holes, a spot where I give in to temptation over and over, an area of impatience. Oh, how I need the healthy-minded self-control of God in my life to guard me from such intruders.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture is from Proverbs chapter 25, verses 16 through 28. Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat.
If he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head and the Lord will reward you. Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue which provokes a horrified look.
Better to live on the corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Like muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Let's pray. Dear God, please grow the fruit of self-control in our lives so that we might be protected from intruders. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Elisa Morgan and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-03-01 19:37:18 / 2023-03-01 19:38:46 / 1
