But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL. Galatians 5: 22-23a

The tension is building. Only a few days are left in this Holy Week. Tomorrow we’ll wait in the Garden while our Lord and Savior prays to his Father with such anguish that he sweats drops of blood. But his disciples don’t understand the gravity of what is coming, and they fall asleep. The soldiers will come with Judas at their head. They’ll take Jesus away under the protest of those same sleepy disciples. One will even raise his sword and lop off the ear of one of the servants. Jesus simply lifts his hand for quiet and heals the man’s ear.

The soldiers drag Jesus away and his own disciples abandon him in fear for their own lives. He is tried before one after another kangaroo court. These “judges” know that he is innocent, but they are more interested in protecting their own necks than in dealing out justice. Eventually, he is sentenced to death amidst the clamor of the crowds. He’s beaten, tortured, spit upon, and yet he remains at peace, even in his agony. He falters along the path to Golgotha and a stranger is commandeered to bear the cross for him. 

Once they reach the site designated for their cruel execution, the soldiers lay him on the cross, striking the nails through his hands and feet. Then they raise the cross into the air placing unimaginable strain on those nail piercings. To add insult to injury, two hardened criminals are placed one on each side of him. And the tormenting of the crowd continues until it appears to be over. He succumbs to human death, but not before he offers forgiveness to the criminal who asks for it. Through it all, he proved to be the epitome of gentleness and complete self-control. I think there is no greater definition of our two fruits of the spirit for this week than the example Jesus set forth throughout His life on earth, especially in those final hours.

The concept of self-control is perhaps the most difficult of the spiritual gifts for us to define and choose to follow. The human mind connects self-control with having a total say over every aspect of our lives. It refuses to let others help and creates chasms between ourselves and others with the “me first” attitude. Let’s face it, we all have our moments when emotions call on us to take absolute control over the situation at hand. But, what if we approached that crisis with a gentle attitude, a civil tongue? Which is more likely to diffuse anger and unrest?

Control over situations is not a sign of strength, control over oneself conveys deep strength. Next time you’re tempted to lash out, choose gentle words instead. Bob Goff (Paraphrased from Live In Grace, Walk In Love)

I believe self-control to be a composite of all the other spiritual fruits. Here in the Ozarks, we are blessed with numerous springs flowing forth from the earth to create sparkling, babbling streams. These sometimes, after periods of heavy rain, become torrents of muddied water tearing through the surrounding ground, re-routing themselves by cutting new channels and often reaching into homes nestled

nearby. We can be like those springs. We can maintain a calm peaceful demeanor with others, or we can turn our tensions and need to be in control into a flood of destruction. I believe the Spirit meant for us to focus on all the fruits offered to us so that the end result would be a constant and natural outflow of self-control, living life in adherence to His Word.