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The Challenge of Control
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1 Peter 4:7,8 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (ESV)
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Download audio fileThe best way to ensure that things turn out the way you want them to, whatever those “things” happen to be, is to have them under your control. Sure, that’s the answer. Control everything. But life’s not like that.
In fact, life has a funny way of throwing stuff at you that you never expected. Sometimes they’re small things you can deal with. Other times though, they’re huge. You’ve had them, I’ve had them … and we’ll continue to have them. And we react – often not all that well.
Sometimes we withdraw into our shell to have our own pity party. Other times we come out punching, only making things worse.
The Apostle Peter was writing to some terribly – I mean terribly – persecuted Christians. They were literally being burnt alive, some of them. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
1 Peter 4:7,8 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (ESV)
What’s the response God’s calling us to when life throws terrible things at us? To be self-controlled and sober-minded!
On the one hand, not morose, not falling into self-pity. And on the other, not belligerent, not blaming the rest of the world for your woes, not lashing out and punishing them. But simply to keep loving people even when you’re tempted to behave badly.
So, when you can’t control the things that are happening to you, challenge yourself, in Christ, with His power, the power of the Holy Spirit, to control the way you respond to them.
Be self-controlled and sober-minded.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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