FOR A BISHOP - Titus 1:7-8
Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
In this passage we see the qualifications of one who desires to lead the church. One of the many qualifications is that the individual must be temperate. A study of scripture reveals that the word temperate means to demonstrate self-control in suppressing our physical appetite for food, drink, and sexual activity.
If one is not careful, it is easy for one to allow the lusts of the flesh to control the body. You have seen those individuals who are drunkards; they claim that they can stop any time they want. Nonetheless, they enter the downward spiral and before too long they have lost everything that is important to them.
You have heard the story of some religious leader who was doing great things for God. All of a sudden, the leader is caught in some sexual immorality and he not only loses his entire ministry, but he also does great damage to the kingdom of God. Most of the time, the religious leader started out by simply viewing a little pornography thinking that it was harmless and would not cause any damage. However, because the religious leader did not exercise self-control over his body, he soon lost everything that he had.
Temperance is an important quality in any Christian but it is an absolutely vital quality in any leader. As Christians, we are to reflect the light of God to the world. Sin is like a flaw in a diamond, a flaw which diminishes the ability of a diamond to properly reflect the light and thus makes it not nearly as valuable. When we sin, by not controlling the lusts of our flesh, we diminish our ability to brightly reflect the light of God. How can we expect God to use us if our relationship with God is not right?
God holds you to a higher standard. This means that you cannot do everything that the world does. God has given you a body but when you are saved, HE requires that you no longer allow your body to have control over you but that you instead, allow the spirit of God to be the dominate part of your life.
When you are a glutton, when you are a drunkard, when you commit adultery in your heart, you are allowing the lusts of the flesh to control your life. You do not have to yield to sin because greater is HE that is in you then he that is of this world. When you yield to sin, you are yielding to Satan and are refusing to accept the strength of Christ.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. However, a Christian understands that when they sin and yield to the lusts of the flesh that they are to return to God and confess their sins. God is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
God requires that you be temperate in order to demonstrate to the world that you do not have to yield to your fleshly lusts. God can and will give you the strength to overcome temptation, but you must be willing to put your body under subjection of HIS spirit. Just because you are temperate in one thing, it does not mean that you are temperate in all. Satan knows your weakness and he will tempt you in the area that you are weakest. If you know that there is a particular area of weakness, you need to spend the time with God so that HE can deliver you.