Main Scriptures: Acts 24:25
More Scriptures: Rom.12:21, Philippians 4:5, Tit.2:12
In the last few days, we have considered those spiritual seeds that must be lavishly sown into our hearts if we must see improvement in our lives as the shepherds and spiritual leaders to our sheep and in our sheepfold. I believe that you are exercising yourself in them and I pray that those virtues will flow out of you to make all the difference in your life and impact positively the lives of your wife and children.
Today, let us look at another virtue. It is the virtue of temperance. Now, what does temperance mean and how does it affect you as the godly husbandman? Temperance is the ability to control one’s behaviour. What this means is that you may not have the ability to control how other people may behave to you, but you can control how you respond to the behaviour of other people. The ability to control how you respond to people’s behaviour is the hallmark of a matured shepherd. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgement to come, Felix trembled and answered, go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. (Acts 24:25). If you look at this Scripture two things happened which will help you exercise control over your behaviour from the inner man. The first is that he reasoned and the second is a convenient season. There is a time to reason and there is a time to talk. When you missed these spiritual tools as the shepherd of your wife and children, you lose everything, including your sheep and sheepfold.
Now, as the godly husbandman and the one God has ordained to lead His sheep in your sheepfold, it is very important for you to exercise restraint in your behaviour toward your wife and children in the face of obvious provocation. You must recognize that your wife and children are not perfect. They will offend you and do or say things that will provoke you. You must not allow their behaviour to overwhelm you, rather overcome their negative behaviour with positive responses (Rom.12:21).
I recall an incident that happened few months ago. My wife did something that I did not like. But instead of me to reason and wait for a convenient time to have a healthy conversation with her, I did not. I spoke very harshly to her for the first time in over twenty years that we have been together and that broke her completely. She tried to explain to me that she did not mean it the way I interpreted it, but it was late for me to comprehend. And few hours afterwards, my Teacher, the Person of the Holy Spirit, scolded me and showed me that I had crossed the line. I acknowledged my mistake and went back to her and apologized profusely. Thereafter, I realized that capacity building is a lifelong endeavour. You and I must continue to develop our inner man by the word of God to become all that God wants us to be to our wives and children and the marketplace of life.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISE
- Father, in the name of Jesus, empower me to have control over my emotion.
- Father, in the Name of Jesus, empower to exercise restraint when my wife and children offend me.
- Father, in the Name of Jesus, let Your love at work in my life overpower the faults of my wife and children.
FAITH CONFESSION
I exercise restraint over my emotion and control my response to the behaviour of my wife and children because that is what makes me the good and godly husbandman in Jesus name. Amen.
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