The ninth fruit – temperance

Brenda Cannon HenleyBy Brenda Cannon Henley
The last fruit listed in our study in Galatians 5 may be the most important one of all. Temperance may be more commonly viewed as self-control, self-discipline, or another word that is similar, modesty. How are we doing in that arena? Ron Moore of Back to the Bible says you are the master of your life or you are being mastered. He is speaking about the self-control of your own personal life. Temperance is such an important fruit if we truly want to be used by God and for the glory of God, but some of us plow through life with no real goal or plan to stay centered and used by God.

This fruit is the change in our sinful character that comes about because of the Holy Spirit’s work in us. We do not become a Christian on our own and we cannot grow to be more like Christ on our own. “It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) You may not believe this statement, but every good thing we do is the fruit of the Spirit’s work in our lives.

Self-control or temperance is the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to our own desires and fleshly lusts. You can find no better place to witness this lack of temperance or self-control than at any sports arena. Particularly strong illustrations come from parents and grandparents, I am sad to say, when their children are playing. Occasionally, a coach, or assistant coach will get in the fray. One would tend to think that if it is a Christian ball field, and the teams are representing a church, this would not be a problem, but you would be wrong. I have witnessed some displays of terrible behavior and I always think, “What in the world is that parent or coach thinking? Those kids are watching their behavior and will model it in their own lives.”

One of the best evidences of God working in a life is the ability to control our own thoughts, words, and actions. Our fallen nature, and we are all born with it, is simply under the influence of sin. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are incapable of knowing and choosing how best to meet our needs. Even when we strive to do better, or get our tempers under control, another need will come forward and trap us again.

As believers, we still live here on the earth. We know we will go to Heaven when we die or when the Lord comes, but how do we live on earth? Do our friends and neighbors know what our destination is by the way we live and act? When we choose to live away from godly influences, stop attending church or classes, find no time for prayer or meditation, run with those who act like wild heathens, show no concern for others, we are allowing ourselves to fall into the trap of lack of self-control.

One of the strongest examples I have ever personally witnessed of a lack of temperance happened in my own home over a situation that should have never occurred. A young father of two that is not in church, has no spiritual influence, gathers to drink and smoke with young and old alike, and brags openly that he’ll do as he pleases, literally exploded in anger and hatred. BCH_2017-0425His big face turned bright red and he swung his arms around like a windmill. Had he known how absolutely unappealing he looked, perhaps he would have stopped, but I think he was so mad that he lost all tolerance.

He did not like something that was said, and even though it was truthful and not meant in any harmful way, he let go and screamed and punched the air, cursed, and carried on until I asked him to leave my property. I said something like, “The Lord cannot be pleased with your behavior and I will not have it in my home.” He got right in my face and screamed, “I don’t give a G_d damn what the Lord likes and I don’t care what the Bible says. I am going to live my life the way I want to live it and I don’t care what any of you think.”

I backed off and repeated my desire for him to leave my property and not to ever return until he could get himself under control. The sad thing is that he has no spiritual influence on either side of the family or any older relatives to offer him any sound advice. He will pay, and pay dearly for his behavior, but the really sad thing to me is that those two precious little children will pay, too. His wife comes from equally disturbing circumstances and can offer no positive reinforcement. I pray for them to find some temperance as they age.

And, that completes our study of the nine fruits of the Spirit of God. Some illustrations show us how to live and some show us how not to live. I pray that we will remember these nine fruits and strive to incorporate them into our lives daily.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected].

  1. Love
  2. Joy
  3. Peace
  4. Long-suffering (we had two)
  5. Gentleness
  6. Goodness
  7. Faith
  8. Meekness
  9. Temperance or self-control

[4-24-2017]

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