Faith Matters: January 14, 2009

In one of the Peanuts strips, Charlie Brown climbs up to the can-opener and fills two puppy bowls with dog food. "Suppertime!" he yells. Snoopy comes up and Charlie says, "I'm going to be gone all day tomorrow, so I've brought you an extra supper. I'd advise you not to be greedy and eat it before tomorrow." Snoopy eats one bowl and then mounts his doghouse. He begins to think of that other bowl and breaks out in a sweat as he struggles within himself. Finally, he lunges on the second bowl and devours it. Back at the top of his house he says, "I'm glad I ate it . . . I would have hated myself if tomorrow never came."

That is our indulgent age. "Get it now - tomorrow may never come" is the prevalent philosophy of our day. The apostle Paul said it would be (2 Timothy 3:1-3).

A California psychiatrist complained that four out of ten teenagers and young adults who came to his medical center have a psychological malady that he can do nothing about. According to the Los Angeles Times, it is simply this: "Each of them demands that the world conform to his uncontrolled desires. Society has provided him with so many escape routes that he has never had to stand his ground against disappointment, postponement of pleasure and the weight of responsibility - all forces that shape character."

The Bible says that self-control should characterize the followers of Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:22-23).