Self-Control....Do You Have It?

Wednesday night was the night where we found out who is and who isn't kind and gentle. Only a fraction of the kids brought back their eggs unharmed. Some were forgotten, some were broken by friends, and others were smashed on the very first day. Well, as I promised, there was a reward for bringing back an undamaged egg. Each of them got an Air Head candy. Of course I had a bunch left, so I incorporated it into my lesson, which was Self-Control. I said "self control...who has it?" then I threw the candy in the middle of the group. After a moment's hesitation, most everyone made a dive for their favorite colored Air Head. I was prepared for this, so I asked if anyone didn't dive for a piece of candy. There were four or five who didn't, so they got an even better prize: a bouncy balloon on a rubber band. (I know that sounds ridiculous, but everyone else was envious, so my point was made.) The point was that if we control ourselves, perhaps we won't get immediate gratification; but, eventually we will get an even better reward for our behavior. Like, say you are a student in elementary school, and if you have perfect attendence, you get to go on a field trip at the end of the year. But, one day in the middle of the school year, you feel like taking a day off to play or do whatever you want. Which would be better? Having the one day to do something fun now? Or having a better day to do something even more fun later? To get the better reward, you would have to have the self-control to not skip school. We can compare this to our salvation with Jesus. Though our good works are not what get us into Heaven, our reward for having self-control over our sins is an eternity with Jesus Christ. So, again I ask you; which would be better? The temporary satisfaction that comes from a sinful behavior? Or an eternity in Heaven with our Lord and Savior? It doesn't get much more simple than that.

The real reason behind the lesson on self-control was the upcoming trip to Six Flags. I knew that everyone was very excited for the trip, including myself; but, I wanted to make it clear that everyone needed to behave themselves when we got there. As a group, we represented followers of Jesus Christ, and it was important to behave in ways that represented how we, as Christians, are supposed to live.