I don't know about you, but I've found myself rediscovering some great truths in the Proverbs over the past several weeks.

One of the most profound things that has struck me is the connection between wisdom and discipline. There's a clear connection from God's perspective between the wisest people and the most disciplined people. If you think about it, it makes sense.

The people I admire most are the ones who are the most disciplined. They're the ones who have bit their tongue when they could have yelled at their kids. They're the ones who have accomplished a lot professionally because they are great time managers. They are people who have cared deeply for people because they're disciplined to make the time to do that.

I was struck this week by this passage in Proverbs 25:28...

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control."

Now we don't have cities with walls in Lancaster, but the principle holds. When a city loses its walls it can no longer function with efficiency. It is no longer respected. It's no longer a safe place to be. It does not produce the kind of growth it should. A city without walls is unsafe, unreliable and undesirable....

And so am I when I lose self-control - over my tongue, my time, my appetite, my disciplines.

The Proverbs were given in part to help us "acquire a disciplined and prudent life" (Proverbs 1:3) and to avoid the life of the fool who "despises wisdom & discipline" (Prov. 1:7).

In what areas might you need to take another look at your own wall of self-control? Perhaps you're finding yourself short with your kids, or impatient with your spouse, or complaining about work or undisciplined in personal health habits.

Living a self-controlled life is never easy. It's counter-intuitive. Our sin nature makes us want to live a self-focused, not a self-controlled life. That is why self-control is mentioned in Galatians 5 as a fruit of the Spirit.

It's hard to keep the wall built around the city. It requires routine maintenance. It requires a plan to overcome opposition. It requires commitment.

Trying to maintain the wall,

Pastor Tim