Self-Control in God’s Strength

Welcome to another daily encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional.

I'm Kirsten Holmberg and I titled our reading, Self-Control in God's Strength. A 1972 study known as The Marshmallow Test was developed to gauge children's ability to delay gratification of their desires. The kids were offered a single marshmallow to enjoy, but were told if they could refrain from eating it for 10 minutes, they'd be given a second one. About a third of the children were able to hold out for the larger reward.

Another third gobbled it up within 30 seconds. We might struggle to show self-control when offered something we desire, even if we know it would benefit us more in the future to wait? Yet in 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter urged us to add to our faith many important virtues, including self-control. Having laid hold of faith in Jesus, Peter encouraged his readers—and us—to continue to grow in goodness, knowledge, perseverance, self-control, godliness, affection, and love in increasing measure as evidence of that faith. While these virtues don't earn us God's favor nor secure our place in heaven, they demonstrate—to ourselves as well as to all those with whom we interact—our need to exercise self-control as God provides the wisdom and strength to do so. And best of all, He's given us everything we need to live a godly life—one that pleases Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 10. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them ye may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 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. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. Let's pray. Holy Spirit, please grow in us the qualities that reflect Jesus so we might reveal Your goodness to the world around us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Kirsten Holmberg, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.