I stared at it for a good few seconds, my mind working out why I would deserve it. When the taxi stopped, I paid the driver and said there’s a pound coin just there. Looking back, I think we surprised each other: he didn’t want the 4p and rounded down the fare to a whole number.
Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. There are many examples of self-control “success stories” in the Bible, as well as failures!
Not merely abstaining from doing a bad thing, or choosing to do the right thing, it is part of growing in Christ.
- We are no longer caged in by the power of sin – its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).
- Proverbs 25:28 – Like a city whose walls are broken down is like someone who lacks self-control. City? Not me. Walls? That sounds like relationship. Broken down? Yes, I now know what that means.
Self-control is a sign of being children of God, his Spirit guides, protects and surrounds us like a wall. But he does not force us. We can break out of the wall if we so choose, the way the rich young man wanted the new gadget in town – “eternal life” (Matthew 19) while yet maintaining a sort of double life where he thought the ten commandments could not apply to his wealth (and maybe passions and desires).
I don’t think the taxi driver immediately thought: hey he must be a Christian, or any other religion. I could have chosen not to tell him about the treasure, or picked it up and gave it to him. But interesting thing is that he trusted in what I said without checking it himself.
Self-control is not merely being determined to do something, otherwise we could just say “being determined” as a fruit of the Spirit. A person exercising self-control is like one who chooses for him-/her-self an action or attitude that is a result, or even a proof, of growing in Christ. Ultimately, this person becomes more mature in Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-7 has self control as the 3rd element in “make every effort to add to your faith”, preceded by goodness and knowledge. It’s interesting that Jesus said to the rich young man his required “self control” actions to attain eternal life in this sequence:
(1) do lots of good work,
(2) God gives you award, but wait till you get to heaven,
(3) with (1) and (2) already in the bag, follow Jesus.
There might be much more in this story for the particular way Jesus responded to this man, so we probably shouldn’t over-generalise the story.
Jesus didn’t teach his disciples to spend their days in silent meditation, but to equip themselves with the Gospel brand and globalise it using their own life stories as marketing materials. Eventually it is the Spirit that touches people. Self control is choosing to do the right thing for God because it’s become “first nature” to us as we grow in Christ.
While certain that the coin didn’t belong to me, I thought the best thing to do was to leave it to the driver to decide its fate. I didn’t see a pound coin in the return taxi, and I didn’t get the result I wanted from the interview. But those are secondary to a new character beginning in faith (2 Peter 1:5-7). There’s some element of “being determined” in this passage, and the objective is to be a more “credible” “you are hired!”. God desires all of us and the rich young man to be his “hired” – in fact, more than that, to be his children with the right to heavenly inheritance – Paul said this earlier in Galatians 4:7. Being able to “self control” has to be taken in the context of a result of growing in Christ. Rather than a way to become a “hired”, showing self-control is a proof of a worthy “hired” and blessed child of God.
