Egkrateia 4

Romans 13:11-14

There is something wonderful about the dawn of a new day. The first light of the morning sun seems to bring hope and happiness. The uncertainty and fears of darkness are gone and we are presented a clear vision.

A member of our previous church was once in Egypt on a tour of the Holy Land when violence broke out at the hotel. The uprising included military force – automatic weapons and tanks! She said that her group huddled against an outside courtyard wall all through the harrowing night as they listened to gunfire streaking overhead. When the next day dawned, she said, everyone inexplicably stood up. They all had a sense of hope in spite of the continued fighting.

In his letter to the believers in Rome, people who were struggling against persecution and a very uncertain future, Paul has an urgent message. What is Paul urging in verse 11? What is near? What are we instructed to do in verses 12 and 13? What instruction is in verse 14?

Many people approach their faith with very little conviction or sense of urgency about it all. Many seem to act as if they are too busy to take the time to worry about believing in God. Perhaps they think there will be plenty of time for that when they get older – when they retire, when the kids are grown and gone.

But Paul points out the urgency we need to have with our faith. The day is today; the hour is now for us to begin walking in step with the Holy Spirit. Each day of living for ourselves and living to gratify our human desires takes us further from God.

The dawn of salvation and new hope – hope for our souls – is here and now. The new day of living out the fruit of the Spirit is in front of us.

And living out the fruit of the Spirit requires egkrateia – self-control. We should take on this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit now, not some distant day in our uncertain future. Now is the time to live out self-control, to shed ourselves of the physical and temporary desires and pleasures of the flesh. Now is the time to clothe ourselves in Jesus and begin living as mature Christians – holy and beloved of God, able to live out all the parts of the fruit of the Spirit.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you exercise spiritual self-control in your faith life today?

Christian Magic 1

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

As we near Halloween the idea of witchcraft and magic spells, of incantations and ghosts, begins to surface in conversation and on television programs. As Christians we are adamantly opposed to such thinking. Belief in the one true God and in our Savior Jesus Christ negates such concepts of luck and magical spells.

Yet, there can be times when even the most devout of Christian believers can fall into the habit of ritualistic behavior that borders on supernatural belief. Today’s passage is one such example of a very popular ritual.

The book The Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkinson, points out that 1 Chronicles begins with a lengthy list of Jewish heritage, and goes on to say that this list has a slight interruption in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. Suddenly we are presented with more in-depth information regarding a man named Jabez. What do we learn about the name? What four things does Jabez ask of God? What is the result?

It is interesting that this chronicle has this interruption, and Jabez’s prayer does have interesting aspects to it. The man dares to ask God to bless him, and not just a little. Some translations have Jabez saying “bless me indeed,” the word “indeed” implying a request for abundance.
He further wants more territory, which the book explains to be more responsibility. But he concedes his place with God and asks that God will be with him and protect him. And God, in His benevolence, grants the request.

I am one who read the book and prayed the prayer. The book recommends praying the prayer daily for 30 days to see that God will indeed respond to such a request.

The problem is that this prayer and daily recitation can be viewed as a type of incantation, a magical Christian spell that furthers us along in God’s kingdom. But rather than using this prayer as a ritual, I think it is more important to see the intention behind it. I do not believe that the words, the order of the words, the exactness of the wording, are what can produce positive fruits from God. Instead it is the attitude.

If we, in our own words, will draw close to God and ask Him for blessings that are meant to serve Him and not just benefit us, I believe God will respond. He does indeed want what is best for us and He wants us to prosper in His kingdom. We also must acknowledge our need for God to control our situation and protect us.

Rather than adopting specific words and phrases to make our life better, we should adopt the attitude of Jabez. Draw close to God. Ask for more responsibility in His kingdom, more evangelical, missional, service work. Then ask God to be with you to guide and protect. Then, I believe God will grant your request also.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Create your own prayer, asking God for more opportunities to serve Him and for His presence to help you get it all done.