The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Erin M. during the 2007-2008 League.
When Morgan was a teenager, she always ate out. She would pile that food in like it was air! Somehow you could never tell that she ate like a horse. She exercised absolutely no self control at all. If there was food out, she ate it.
The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines self control as: restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires, and Self government is defined as: government under the control and direction of the inhabitants of a political unit rather than by an outside authority; broadly : control of one's own affairs.
(Titus 2:2 NLT) "Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have strong faith and be filled with love and patience." (Titus 2:11-12 NLT) "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God." God is telling us plain and simple that we need to have self control. Self government is taking responsibility for your own actions and a conscious decision to follow the rules. Self government is when you are driving and you decide what speed you're going to go, what food you're going to eat, if you're going to get your homework done on time, and why you are going to vote for someone. These verses are clearly encouraging self control/government.
(1 Pet 1:13 NLT) "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ." (2 Pet 1:6 NLT) "Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness." Self control is providing yourself with a sense of limits. This can apply to every area of life and about every situation. If we can learn to exercise self control, it will improve almost every area of our lives. To be successful in any field you should know how to control what you're going to say. Basically keep yourself in check. Self government is a blessing to others.
Thomas Jefferson once said, "The object of the republican form of government and of the principles that are essential to that form, is to enable a people to govern themselves to the most practicable extent possible. Not every nation of people are capable of self-government, and many expected the experiment of the Founding Fathers to fail. But it did not fail, and the experiment proved that an educated and enlightened people are capable of self-government. The question remains, however, the extent to which government by the people themselves may be extended."
Remember Morgan? Well once she hit twenty she began to recognize the consequences of her actions. Morgan, at 5'1'' was 190 pounds. Her lack of self government affected her physically because with those kind of proportions, her knees and back where constantly in pain, it hurt her mentally because her self image and confidence was great lowered. So let us learn from Morgan's mistakes, and exercise self control, govern our selves and live life to the fullest.
