Great Self-Control

Tonight in women’s Bible study we studied self-control. One of the questions we were asked to consider was “What biblical examples can you find of people who demonstrate great self-control and what can you learn from them?”

I admit as I wrote down my response, I was surprised at what came up for me, as generally self-control is not the first thing that comes to mind. The first description we hear of them is wickedness. The Ninevites were known for the wickedness of their actions.

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭‬‬

Yet, when confronted with their sins, as a whole the people repented in a way that demonstrated great self-control.

“And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭10‬ ‭‬

What can i learn from them?

When God calls me on my sin, I need to repent. When I know that changing my ways will be hard, self-control may require a fast. Sacrificing my flesh to pick up God’s will for my life. I have to be willing to lay aside everything that makes me feel like I have it all together, to cover myself in humility and God’s grace. I can cry out to God, with complete faith that He will forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.