The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Joel M. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Research on Self-Government
The definition of govern is to control or to restrain; to keep in due subjection. Self government literally means to control or restrain yourself, or keep yourself in due subjection. The definition of control is the activity of managing or having power over something. So self control literally means the activity of managing or having power over yourself. I included these definitions just to show you the literal meaning of them.
I also believe them to both be very under appreciated and unnoticed. In the Bible, self control is very highly regarded. In Proverbs 25:28 it says, "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Sure, you see people's lack of these traits all the time. It's basically what's always on the news. But you don't see headlines for men and women who have these traits being praised all that often. I think the lack of appreciation for these traits is one of the biggest reasons why we see such a depletion of them in our culture.
The need for these qualities is very evident in our society. You see it every day, murders, robberies, sexual assaults, and many, many more. The little things as well, laziness, lying, jealousy, selfishness, these are seen in ourselves and people we know. These can be just as dangerous as the headline makers. Now I'm not saying that if we have self-government and self-control our culture would be perfect, it wouldn't be. But can you imagine our culture if these traits were imprinted on young children growing up? I can tell you one thing, our world would look a lot better.
Can you picture our world with leaders that had these two qualities? Quite a few of our world conflicts would not be there. The character of the man or woman who is in charge trickles down through their organization. So if our world had leaders that could control themselves well, and govern their actions and be responsible for them, our world would be much better.
A very good example of self-control in the Bible is in I Samuel 24:3-11. Saul was out to kill David, and when Saul was searching for him, he went into a cave to relieve himself. David, having the full opportunity to kill Saul, only cut off a corner of his robe. He then later presented himself to Saul with the piece he cut off from his robe. David, having the qualities of self-control and self-government (at least earlier in his life) led him to be a great man for the Lord.
I believe that self-government and self-control are two of the most important traits a person should have. There are quite a few advantages of self-government and self-control in life as well. Throughout your life, you will avoid a lot of mistakes if you have these traits. Most likely, you will be successful in what you do if you govern yourself. And being able to control yourself will help in many, many situations. In the end, we should want to have these traits, not because of what they can do for us, but because we will be more like Christ if we do. Now know that none of this can be accomplished without God in your life. "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32
