Special Focus: Self-Control

"The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living, and the get rich theory of life."
Theodore Roosevelt

What Theodore Roosevelt described is an era that features a total lack of self-discipline and self control. Virtually everywhere we look, no matter what segment or portion of society is examined, we find clear evidence that Americans are living unrestrained lives. Divorce, AIDS, pregnancies outside of marriage, drug abuse, obesity, alcoholism, personal bankruptcies all are skyrocketing and all testify to an astounding unwillingness by Americans to practice personal self-discipline.

Perhaps we should expect such problems in a country as affluent as ours is in these times. I doubt seriously if citizens of third world countries have difficulty controlling themselves with their Gold MasterCard! With wealth comes opportunity opportunity to do good or opportunity to be destroyed by it. It is self-control that will make the difference.

This issue of Abundant Life deals exclusively with self-control. It is our hope as you read these pages that you will throw off the thinking of our time that says discipline is always bad and liberty is always good. Secular thought says liberty is the greatest personal value and must never be given up. Everyone must be free to do what they want when they want. "I can't help myself" and "this is how I am" are our society's watchwords.

Such is not Christian in any shape or form. Jesus says that to follow Him you must give up your personal liberty: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Want to see that in action? Read John 8:11.There Jesus tells the woman taken in adultery to "go and sin no more." Jesus tells this "free" woman to "Stop living like this, control yourself, and change how you behave!" In other words, deny yourself and practice self-discipline.

But how do we do that? How do I say to "no" to a bigger house (that will put me in debt beyond my means) an affair with an attractive co-worker (that will destroy my marriage), or even properly manage my time spent in recreation so that I have time to serve God? Read and study this issue carefully as our writers take up those very kind of questions. By so doing may we "add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge self-control . . . " (2 Peter 1:5-6).