JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is Self-Control.

Second Peter chapter 1 encourages us to add certain qualities to our faith, not because it adds to our salvation, but because it makes our faith more effective and productive.

One of those qualities in verse 6 is self-control.  Self-control can be defined as the ability to control one’s emotions, behavior, and desires in order to obtain some reward later.  An example of that is an athlete training for an event, who avoids overeating to maximize their potential.

Spiritually, self-control is the ability to make choices that prevent other influences from hindering our walk with Jesus. Sometimes, self-control means that we say “no” to harmful influences, and sometimes it means saying “no” to too much of a good thing. But saying “no” in these areas means that we can make better use of our time and energy to say “yes” to God’s plan for our lives.

Self-Control is a vital step to a radiant faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com