Message
In today’s memory verse, Paul said that although all I things were lawful unto him, he would not be controlled by any earthly thing. Paul went further to say in that believers should be temperate in all things. These Bible verses show that God has a standard for everything His children do, including how they talk, dress, and relate with others. Unfortunately, many believers have allowed social media, people’s opinions, and societal trends to set the standards for how they dress, eat, sleep, and even worship God.
The devil will always try to use people’s desires to destroy them. It is not a sin to like some material things, but you must put your fondness for them under control. For example, Samson’s uncontrollable desire for sex eventually led to his downfall ().
Beloved, even if the material things you like are legitimate and good, you must still put your fondness for them under control. The things that you consider good and legitimate can lead to sin when they exceed lawful bounds. For example, although there is nothing wrong with eating good food, gluttony, which is excessive eating, is a sin because it goes against the divine instruction to be temperate in all things (). For many people, their excessive eating has led them to poverty ().
As a child of God, you must be moderate in all aspects of life. You must be moderate in your speech because when you talk too much, you are bound to sin (). For example, when the rich fool’s business prospered exceedingly, he became so excited that he began to talk too much, showcasing the pride in his heart and this led to his untimely death (). You must also be moderate in your appearance. It is good to dress well; however, focusing excessively on fashion and being driven by every fad is a sign of spiritual immaturity. Believers are admonished to set their affection on things above and not on things on the earth ().
Beloved, to live in moderation, you must have self-control. Solomon said that a fellow who has no rule over his own spirit is like a broken-down city that has no walls (). You must make no provision for the flesh to fulfil its lusts (). When you walk in the Spirit and set your heart on things above, you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh (, ), rather you will live a moderate life that will be pleasing to God.