A lesson in dealing with self-Part 2
A lesson in dealing with self-Part 2
Romans 6: 12-13 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Extra Reading: Romans 6:1-23
You must decisively “put off” a preoccupation with self, which is sin, and “put on” a life committed to Christ, pleasing to the Lord (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-10; James 4:17). You need a spiritual foundation for developing a pattern of stewardship in your life. God’s view concerning self emphasizes the need for spiritual change. Instead of a preoccupation with “self” in its varied forms, God’s plan focuses on a denial of self in order to please Him and be a blessing to others (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:20; Luke 9:23-24; Romans 1:20-21). You have to develop a discipline of taking the focus off yourself in daily situations and relationships (John 3:30; 2 Cor. 5:15) by following God’s commandments (Matthew 22:37-39). Instead of sinning through self-belittlement, self-exaltation, or self-pity, you are to regard others as more important than yourself and be a servant of God and others (Matthew 20:26-28;Philippians 2:3-8).
You are to put off the sins of envy, jealousy, covetousness, and greed, which characterized your life before you accepted Jesus in your life. Rather, you are to delight yourself in the Lord, commit your ways to Him, and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:1-9). Instead of being jealous and having selfish ambition, you are to be pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, and unwavering without hypocrisy (James 3:16-17). Since you have been bought with the precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ and are not your own (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Peter 1:17-19), you are God’s possession and a steward of all that the Lord has provided for you. As the Lord’s servant, you have the privilege and responsibility to be faithful with all that He has placed in your care (Matthew 25:14-29; 1 Peter 4:10). As a servant of the Lord, you should not seek to be served (Mark 10:42-45) or to receive credit from men (Colossians 3:23; 1 Thess. 2:4-6) but instead should seek only to please the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31; Hebrews 13:20-21).
Examine yourself continually in a biblical manner (Matthew 7:5; 1 Cor. 11:26-32) and do not compare yourself with others (Galatians 6:3-4) to determine whose approval you ultimately seek (Colossians 3:23-24). God wants us to bless others by practicing biblical stewardship (Acts 20:35). God is sovereign over every facet of His creation, yet He graciously allows you to be a steward over what He places in your care. As a steward of all that God has entrusted to you, you are to be faithful in the care and use of God’s provisions (Ephesians 5:15-17). Your motivation to be a faithful steward is to be centred on God and His objectives instead of a preoccupation with self. The goal of your service must be to give glory to God instead of receiving honour from others or gratifying your own self-centred desires (1 Cor. 6: 19-20).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, Amen!
Rev. Samuel N. Modise 
