Practicing Self-Control (1 of 2)

Again and again I’ve seen that the only real freedom a person ever has comes from developing inner self-control. And how do you develop this? It’s obviously a lifetime project, but if you want to begin, here are some guidelines to follow.

Take a moral inventory: decide the areas in your life where you may need more self-control. Your job, for example. You might never steal merchandise, but do you steal time? Do you ever come in late, leave early, paid an expense account or change a private phone call to the company? What about your marriage? Are there areas in your life—or even in your thoughts—where you deceive your married partner? And your children, do you always tell them the truth?

Do you set up standards for them that you refuse to meet yourself?

Work from a spiritual base: The best base for spiritual growth is, of course, the Bible. What do the Ten Commandments say to you? Christ’s Sermon on the Mount? It’s vital that you know what you believe about God and how this belief relates to your life.

Concentrate on thought-control: Wrong action starts with a thought. Work at blocking those wrong thoughts before they become action. Not that you can totally prevent a tempting or destructive thought from entering your mind. But you can refuse to dwell on the thought and thus keep it from enlarging.

The Power of Changes

Ask yourself, “Why is change so important in our lives?” if you think about it, not every change is positive. Sometimes, we feel it’s better for the people and the situations we are in, to remain the way they are. However, without change, there are life experiences we might be missing out on. Beyond our self-exploration, we should also consider that the world cannot possibly exist without going through necessary changes.

Like if we talk about volcanic activity and how it affects the integrity of the ozone layer. Volcanic emissions changes the balance between the amount of radiation Earth receives from the Sun and the amount of energy Earth Reflects back to space. We also noted how this change can eventually lead to the destruction of the ozone layer. And while this change can be viewed as something that the world is better off without. We should also remember its geologic e=importance in building the Earth’s crust. Volcanic activity is always good for farmlands, as it enriches the soil with rare minerals.

Next, we got to see changes at the microscopic level, as we looked at how a unique “bug” is able to pull a Midas trick on gold ores. Know s the Midas bug, we saw how this particular species of bacteria plays a significant role in the formation of secondary gold grains. We also got to discover the possibilities of this kind of information, especially in the field of bioprocessing and gold prospecting.

Ten, we explored the skies, and discovered how far from friendly if could actually be. When the conditions turn sunny to icy, we learned how pilots and aircraft personnel deal with flight hazards such a s in-flight icing. Currently, there are a number of tools and techniques devised to handle this problem but, any changes or modifications to up the safety factor, and of course with the help of technology, will always be welcome in the aviation industry.

Finally, we wend deep, 400 meters below the sea floor to be exact. We witnessed a change in perspective, as we learned about other processes aside from photosynthesis that can drive the survival of organisms. Deep-sea radiation, radiolysis, and natural radioactivity were just some of the new concepts we learned in this article.

Changes are happening all the time—around us and within us. Life is more fulfilling if we lean to accept changes, rather than resist it.

To Right A Wrong

Every wrong doing is a barrier separating us from God. To move closer to Him, the barrier must be removed. Restitution (described in the dictionary as “any act of restoring . . . of giving an equivalent for loss or damage”) is one way of accomplishing this. It is not easy, but if you work at it, you’ll find the rewards are great.

First, read the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19) and not how he decided that before he could become a follower of Jesus he had to make restitution for his past dishonesty: “And if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” Then review the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Make your prayer something like this: “Lord, I have done many wrong things in my life. Help me to see now which ones I can rectify. Show me how to go about this so that in a small way it will ease the hurt of mankind and glorify You.”

Second, make a list of the wrongs you want to right and submit it prayerfully to God. Remember this is a private matter between you and God. Do not let anyone else see this list. Overzealousness in confessing sins is wrong if it involves someone else and hurts is or her reputation.

Third, write down after each wrong the action you feel guided to take. A letter of apology; or, if there seems no way to pay a person back, send an equivalent sum to a church or charity. Restoring a bad relationship is thorny; one way is to seek the other person out and personally admit your mistake. Go further and accept responsibility for things that happened which you feel were not your fault. If your effort is rejected, don’t feel hurt. You tried. Te wounds may take time to heal. Try again later.

Restitution is a good way to deal wit an overgrown ego. It also strengthen one’s faith and makes it harder to beackslide. The worker who returned the equipment he had sneaked out of his company found his will to resist temptations stronger. The more so because he acknowledged his guilt to is boss and fellow workers. Restitution always const something—money, pride, position—but the alternative is worse, and inner discontent.

Righting a wrong smooths your way to God agan!

Source: “ Daily Guidepost ”