Subject: [ETI Informal All 1AD.05.07.02] Self Control
From: "James R @ ETIMin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Lists @ ETI Min" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 15:56:31 +0200

Greetings

I was reading in the translation called "The Scriptures" yesterday and the following passage really stood out for me.

As usual words that i have substituted are shown in {}.  Emphasis added.

2 Kepha (Peter) 1:2-11:

"2. Favour and peace be increased to you in the knowledge of the Almighty {Elohim} and of Yahooshua our master.
3. As his Almighty-like {mighty-like} power has given to us all we need for life and reverence, through the knowledge of him who called us to glory {esteem} and uprightness.
4. Through these there have been give to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these you might be partakers of the Almighty-like {mighty-like} nature, having escaped from the corruption in the world, caused by lust.
5. And for this reason do your utmost to add to your faith {belief} uprightness, to uprightness knowledge,
6. to knowledge self-control, to self control endurance, to endurance reverence,
7. to reverence brotherly affection, and to brotherly affection love.
8. For IF these are in you and increase, they cause you to be neither inactive nor without fruit in the knowledge of our master Yahooshua's anointing {Messiah}.
9. For he in whom these are not present is blind, being shortsighted, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his old sins.
10. For this reason, brothers, all the more do your utmost to make firm your calling and choosing, for IF you are doing these matters you shall never stumble at all,
11. for in this way an entrance into the everlasting reign of our master and saviour Yahooshua's anointing shall be richly supplied to you."

I was particularly struck by the juxtaposition of "self-control" with "IF you are doing these matters you shall never stumble at all".

It seems to me that the aspect of self-control is one that we frequently understate.  We have minds and imaginations, we are able to do far more than we can imagine and control of ourselves is something that is lacking many times.

There is a tendency to expect super-natural guidance and change in every area of our lives because we pray or believe a certain way, yet we under estimate the extent to which our own WILL can override the guidance of the Almighty and lead us into error.

It is important to recognize that Kepha (Peter) is writing to believers about believers and we should therefore be willing to test our own lives against these severe words.

Warm regards and blessings

James Robertson
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