Proverbs 25:27 – 26:1

It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.  Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.  Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.

Well Pooh just happened to have a little too much honey while at Rabbit's House, and when he tried to leave he got stuck... "I was beginning to think" said Bear, sniffing lightly, "that Rabbit might never be able to use his front door again. And I should hate that," he said.  "So should I," said Rabbit.  "Use his front door again?" said Christopher Robin. "Of course he'll use his front door again."  "Good," said Rabbit.  "If we can't pull you out, Pooh, we might have to push you back." …  "You mean I'd never get out?" said Pooh… “there's only one thing to be done," he said. "We shall have to wait for you to get thin again."  "How long does getting thin take?" asked Pooh anxiously. "About a week, I should think."  "But I can't stay here for a week!" … AND at the end of the week Christopher Robin said "NOW!"  So he took hold of Pooh's front paws and Rabbit took hold of Christopher Robin, and all Rabbit's friends and relations took hold of Rabbit, and they all pulled together … And for a long time Pooh only said "Ow!" and "Oh!"  And then all of a sudden he said "Pop!" just as if a cork was coming out of a bottle. And Christopher Robin and Rabbit and all Rabbit's friends and relations went head over heel backwards...  -- From Chapter Two: Winnie-the-Pooh In which Pooh goes visiting and gets into a tight place.

Sometimes I ask myself, “If I were able to whittle the bulk of the immorality of our modern society and judicial system down to a single word, what would that word be?”  I almost always come to the same conclusion – Self Discipline.

Where has self-discipline or self-control gone from America?  Why does it seem to no longer be a virtuous quality to strive for, outside of the gym?  Why does it seem to no longer be an invaluable lesson to pass onto our children as we endeavor to raise them into adulthood?

Winnie-the-Pooh, of all bears, is able to shed some light on this topic for us.

In his famous misadventure, ‘Pooh discloses for us 3 distinct modern enemies to self-control in our lives today.

Firstly it is disclosed that, "If we can't pull you out, Pooh, we might have to push you back."

è Self-control very often, is not the perceived road to advancement in life. 

It doesn’t make any sense to wait to have sexual relations until we are married, when we love each other so much now.  Why should we wait when the natural affection we share is prompting us to explore and express ourselves in this new and exciting way?

“How can it be wrong when it feels so right?”

Like all aspects involved with lack of self-control, this idea is a deceptive trap.  In fact it is the lack of self-control that sends us backward in the first place.  In relationships, sharing an aspect of intimacy, designed to be expressed with a single lifelong partner, outside of that context, will actually rob us of the very intimacy we seek to enjoy.

It undermines the trust and hope we wish to build in a friendship, and makes it harder for us to reach a deeper level of intimacy in the next relationship we might have.

Self-control exercised now, is actually the quickest path to the goal we are working towards in the end. 

Lack of self-discipline actually causes us to take steps backward in emotional and spiritual maturity, sending us along the beltway of the city of God, instead of on the highway to the heart of the city.

It has been said, “Just because you CAN do a thing doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.”

Secondly, ‘Pooh confesses, "But I can't stay here for a week!"

è We haven’t been trained to undergo the patient trek of self-control.

One of the major drawbacks of self-discipline is that it requires self-discipline to use it!

Not only does ‘Pooh have to wait a whole week, but he has to go that week without eating anything, or it will just be a waist of time.

Don’t blame your parents, but somewhere along the road, we have not had the proper discipline, to build discipline in our lives. 

Because of this the word “WAIT”, has become one of the most offensive terms of life.

The word wait has no treasured place in our hearts and minds, but many of life’s greatest treasures are missed because we refuse to wait just a little bit longer, to go just a little bit further.

Ask God to help you grow in the area of self-control.  He can give you a new training course designed to bring you up to speed.

Lastly, ‘Pooh’s adventure reveals to us, … And for a long time Pooh only said "Ow!" and "Oh!"

è Make no mistake about it, self-discipline hurts – it hurts a lot!

The road of self-control hurts along the way, but the fact of the matter is, a little pain now is much better for you than a lot of heartache later.

The whole purpose and design of self-discipline, is to spare us of heartache that sin brings to our lives in the long run.

Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

Not exercising regular self-control in our lives, opens us up to attack from any and every enemy we might have.  Think about the number of politicians and popular personalities who have been brought to ruin because of a lack of self-control in their personal lives.

But we have other, more powerful enemies to consider, and more than just a reputation to be sullied.

It’s interesting that the passages in Proverbs, seem to make a connection between self-control and honor, and between lax self-discipline and foolishness.

We are the people of God who bear the name of the Holy One!  May we live up to the glory of the gospel we proclaim, by our faith in the Lord our God and the exercise of self-control in our lives.