The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Hannah K. during the 2007-2008 League.
Bible Study on Self Control and Self-Government
The definition of self-control 'restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires' in Webster's' Dictionary is only a beginning on what I was able to find about self-control and self-government throughout my research. There are many different verses that speak specifically to the controlling of self. Proverbs 19:11 "The discretion of a man deferred his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression." This verse got me thinking about how easy it is for us, as humans to forget any kind of discretion, and just run with whatever we think, and in the process we hurt many people. I just hope and pray that God will be able to teach me how to use discretion when dealing with those around about me.
James 3:3-11 says "Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor desires. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" This scripture lines up so well with what I was saying before, and adds a little bit to it. A bit that is very important in our lives to remember. I want to have discretion when it comes to using my tongue. I know that I can get discouraged when I think about having self-control in this area, because it's SO hard to learn it, but as it says in Scripture, we should always strive to have control, because if we were able to control our tongues we would be perfect, lacking nothing. This is to be our goal- to be perfect like Jesus. James 1:26 says "If any man among you seems to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain." James 1:19 tells us "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" Here we find that God desires us not only to be in control of our tongues, but also our anger. 2 Timothy 3:2-3 says "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good," In this verse we see what happens if we do not use self-control in our lives.
Another area where we see that God wants us to have control in is spoken of in Proverbs 12:24 "The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute." This is something that we should not ignore in our lives today. If you are lazy, you won't keep a job, your life will be a mess, and you will eventually be forced to work quite often in a way that you don't want to. If you are diligent and hardworking, you will have unlimited ways of getting what you need. I have found that this principal, although it may be simple, is hard for many groups of people in our society today to accept. I must admit, although I know the principle to be important, I find it hard to carry it out like I should. "Help me Lord, to be more diligent!" In Galatians 5:22-23 it says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." While reading through the fruit of the spirit I was encouraged all the more to continue to strive towards being more diligent to becoming self-controlled like God wants me to be.
II Peter 1:5-8 in the Amplified Bible says "For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy); and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), and in [exercising] knowledge [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), and in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the (full personal) knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One." It is my continued prayer that God will teach me how to have self-control in every situation that I might come across. "Lord, show me your ways, guide my footsteps in your path, that I might be more like You"
Hannah K.
