VS. March 21, 2025 Devotional
March 21, 2025
1 CORINTHIANS 6:12 | 12 ‘All things are lawful for me’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be dominated by anything.
I believe one reason Jesus fasted, and sought to exercise discipline over his physical appetites, was that such self-mastery in one area helps us in others. The person who trains and endures physical
discomfort can apply that discipline to other areas. Jesus had to exercise great self-control in the emotional and spiritual realms. He faced sceptics and opponents who set out to trap and discredit him, yet they could never provoke his ire or trigger his anger. He dealt with the emotional trauma of rejection and abandonment, the frustration of being misunderstood. He overcame the spiritual pressures that came with the cross and the temptation to avoid its shame and suffering.
Emotional and spiritual self-control can begin and be enhanced by developing some self-mastery with respect to appetites and urges.
In which area of your life is it hardest to exercise self-control?
Gracious God,
Firm my will and strengthen my spine when the pressures mount, and when emotions run high. May I practice now for the hard moments to come.
Amen.
