Our God is a god of order and control. He created the universe to follow basic laws that we can observe over and over again. He instituted water cycles, and weather, and seasons and, time. He gives us a framework that helps us feel safe. Can you imagine how hard it would be to make it through each day if you never knew if gravity was going to work that day or if the color scheme got updated overnight or if each day the magnetism of the earth changed directions or stopped working?
God created us to be orderly too. We look for patterns in everything. We can actually read messages even if all the letters of each word are not included because our brains can fill in the missing information! Some people see faces in everything or love to look for images in the clouds. We breath a sigh of relief when we walk into an uncluttered room or when we know exactly where to go to get that tool we need. We organize things to make them easy to find, like alphabetically or numerically or by timestamp. Music and art follow patterns to create something beautiful or soothing.
God also created rules so that we can find comfort in knowing the results of our decisions. If we eat more than our body uses in energy, we gain weight. If we spend too much time in the sun or don’t drink enough water, we get sunburned or dehydrated. If we break the rules, there are consequences. Not that we don’t sometimes push those boundaries, but when the results come, we know it is what we deserve.
God asks us to have self-control and be orderly because that is who He is. He wants us to be like him. Self control is a fruit of the spirit. Orderliness helps us be safe and efficient. As we mature and learn how to be more like Christ, we will be less fickle and less chaotic. We will be able to respond to difficult situations with love. And that will bring glory to him!
