Self-control, never a lively virtue, seems in danger of death in American culture. Proverbs 25:28 says: " A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls."

Self-control is sacrified to satisfy whims whipped up by advertising meant only to make money.  Few advertisers care for our best interests. Fast food is the obvious example. Burger King has recently introduced their Quad Stacker, a sandwich sans lettuce, tomato, pickle or onion, but including four 2.5 oz. beef patties with cheese and several strips of bacon. It has 1,000 calories, 68 grams of fat and 30 grams of saturated fat. Hardee’s Monster Thickburger, however, tops even that, at 1410 calories with its 45 gram load of saturated fat. Burger King spokeswoman Adrienne Hayes says, "We’re just offering people an alternative." So when you feel like indulging there’s something for you." And she adds, with a straight face, "of course everything in moderation." *

Should an alternative like that be encouraged? Some decry a "nanny state," resisting any curbs on their freedom to self-destruct. Others wish for some limits, perhaps to help their own self-control. Though I’m not particularly tempted by big burgers, I am tempted when I am in the presence of cookies, pies, or warm artichoke dip. Perhaps you, like me, are also temped to waste time on the internet, enjoying interesting information that isn’t relevant to our current purposes. The proliferation of weekend festivals temps me to exhaust myself in the pursuit of good times. The temptations to distract ourselves from what is good for us are ever-present, whether with food or activities. We must encourage ourselves toward self-control.

The imagery of broken-down walls has helped me see the danger of letting myself eat what I want when I want it or do what I want without thoughtfulness. Self-control is self-protection.

Jesus, you are the model and your Spirit is the power, of self-control. Please convict us and equip us to seek what is best.

* http://www.komo1000news.com/consumertip/story.asp?ID=44293

No one escapes sin. That’s been brought home to us this week. Invading the school houses in tiny towns, gunmen in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have shattered the American mythology of rural righteousness. We want so much to believe there are pockets of peaceful community yet abounding in our recently Christian culture. But it is untrue. We are all vulnerable. In a split second, peace turns to hysterics. And how deep and painful is our grief when we grieve not only for lost and ravaged children, but also for cherished beliefs. We want to believe in safe places, where sin does not reign. And there is much we can do to be safe, from locking doors to using wisdom on the streets.

But we’ve been reminded again that there’s no geographical cure for sin. The prophet Jeremiah says sin is lodged in our deceitful hearts. Not just those who actually murder and molest, but also those who are angry and lustful. And not just those who are angry and lustful, but all who falter at loving God, neighbors, and self.

That starts to include me, and probably, you.

But the way of escape from both sin and its terror lies before us–a "long obedience in the same direction." Eugene Peterson’s pithy title perfectly expresses the path. Jesus, at the head, is leading the way to his kingdom come, his plan of peace and joy finally being done. We’re still not "safe" on the path in the way we want to be, but we are being led to a real safety, a true escape.

May the Holy Spirit give us power today to both discern and tread the path.

"The first step felt like stepping into the abyss because I couldn’t feel the leg." Liz had suffered a stroke and was talking about learning to walk again, using her disabled limb. "When I realized I do have a leg to stand on, I could put my weight down on it." Only as she believed her leg was actually there could she learn to walk.

That’s faith. Believing God is there and able to support our weight. Jesus is our leg to stand on. In my life, that means believing God will provide financially as I take these years to learn to write.  In your life, perhaps Jesus being your leg to stand on means you take emotional risks. You work on forgiving your parents or your siblings. Or you open yourself up to God more fully, having put your weight on his deep compassion. We obey God to the extent we believe he’s really there and really cares.

Jesus, thank you for being our leg to stand on. Help us put our weight on you today.