Proverbs 23
Self-Control
Read Proverbs Chapter 23
Key Verse | Proverbs 23:19-21
19 Listen, my son, and be wise,
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
and set your heart on the right path:
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
Reflection
How much is too much? Excess may bring temporary happiness, but it never brings lasting contentment. The Teacher’s warning against drunkenness and gluttony is not merely a prohibition – it is a picture of what happens when wisdom is absent. When we are led by our appetites, we are prone to excess. The Teacher does not present self-control as a harsh restriction, but as protection and preservation. Wisdom sees beyond the moment. Wisdom understands that without restraint pleasure becomes poverty – materially, relationally, and spiritually.
A wise person does not suppress desire out of fear but governs it out of foresight. As God shapes our heart he does not diminish life – he deepens it. Self-control is not deprivation; it is freedom. It is the strength to choose what leads to life rather than what merely satisfies for a moment.
A wise person does not suppress desire out of fear but governs it out of foresight. As God shapes our heart he does not diminish life – he deepens it. Self-control is not deprivation; it is freedom. It is the strength to choose what leads to life rather than what merely satisfies for a moment.
A Song to Worship With
Control by Tenth Avenue North
Self-Examine
1. What appetites or impulses most easily pull my heart off course? Where might excesses -whether in food, drink, entertainment, spending, or work – be dulling my spiritual sensitivity?
2. What would it look like to practice Spirit-shaped self-control in one specific area this week?
2. What would it look like to practice Spirit-shaped self-control in one specific area this week?
Prayer
Father God, help me to confess the areas of my life where excesses are dulling my spiritual sensitivity. Show me people in my life who model wise restraint and help me to learn from their example. I believe that true freedom and contentment is found in the practice of self-control. Help me to exemplify the fruit of self-control as I surrender to the Spirits power and control in my life. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Riverside Evangelical Methodist
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