May 21, 2017 (Proverbs 25:28)

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (Prov 25:28). Let us continue on the theme of the past two weeks, namely that a person lacking self-control is like a city whose walls are broken down. A classic example of such a person is described in Proverbs 26:11 which tells us, “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” This is a pattern of behavior every one of us observes in people that we know or are acquainted with, especially characteristic of those who struggle with a form of dependency more commonly known as addiction. Indeed it is a pattern of behavior which quite likely applied to most of us until such time as we submitted our lives to the lordship of Christ Jesus. Human will power and good intentions has never been sufficient to keep us from repeating a pattern of destructive behavior. For if such were possible, there would be no need for the saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The greatest problem with many who come to belief in Christ is failure to recognize areas in one’s life where there is little rule over one’s own spirit because the sanctifying work of Holy Spirit has not yet brought recognition of what is truly folly (vomit) such as a love for the world and things of the world. We are warned that covetousness (greed) is idolatry and suggests that such a person does not have the love of the Father in him (1 John 2:15). Yet despite this warning, and  warning of Jesus that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions, thousands of professing Christians in America and other  nations which are highly industrialized are not satisfied with wearing a watch of modest price. No, they must have a Rolex or similar luxurious watch costing tens of thousands of dollars so as to parade their prosperity before others. At the risk of offending many, I would suggest that such persons lack rule over their own spirit for the simple reason that they have chosen to ignore that Jesus tells what is highly valued by men is detestable in the sight of God: “For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). In a most instructive parable (John 15), Jesus describes Himself as a vine with those who believe in Him as branches and His Father in heaven as the vine-dresser or gardener. And while “every branch in Me that does not bear fruit” is cut off from the Vine, the Father still prunes even those branches bearing fruit that they may be more fruitful. I would dare to suggest that a great deal of pruning is necessary in all of our lives, including mine, if we would become the holy and blameless bride for which the Son of God is returning.