This can be a somewhat controversial topic for some Christians, there are mixed feelings towards it but it came up in conversation today so it's what is on my mind right now.
I'll start with the story of my conversation.
I was talking to a few young girls aged about 12 - 15. One of which was texting her friend a lot and mentioned he was drinking, and getting drunk. What saddened me was the fact that she was laughing about it, and thought it was great, and she wanted to join him. I simply said to her that I've been there, before I was Christian, and being drunk isn't all it's made out to be. You say things without thinking which can then hurt others, you make decisions without thinking, many of which are not very good decisions, decisions that you cannot take back, and not only that, but you feel terrible in the morning. Hangovers are not wonderful. I tried to share what I could of my own experiences without obviously going into too much details. I had to be careful what I was saying due to the differences in the girls that were in the room, if it was one on one conversation it would be easier. But then we got onto the conversation about whether it was ok as a Christian to drink.
My own personal thoughts on this is that it is a personal revelation. I don't feel it is a simple yes or no answer. I know that we should not drink to get drunk however, is there anything wrong with having the occasional drink? Putting it down to a personal revelation, I guess if we do not know if we should allow ourselves to have a drink, we should first seek God. I believe if we are not supposed to have a drink, He will tell us. If God says clearly 'No', then there's your answer, but if he says you may have a drink well then there's an answer too. I've come to the conclusion that it comes down to your obedience. If God says no you shouldn't drink and you go and have one then you are sinning, which is not good. If God says you can have one, and you go ahead and have 2 or 3, again, you have disobeyed God which is a sin. But if you stick to only what He says you can have at that time, then I don't believe there's a problem.
I also believe it depends on your heart, why is it that you want to have that drink? If you want to drink to try and drown sorrows or to just cover up a bad patch in your day, then why turn to drink? If there's a problem, your first point of contact should be with God, not with a beer bottle or wine cooler. Really... they are not going to be able to help you with your problem... but God can! If you want to go out and have a drink to get drunk, well that's foolishness. And if you think thats the only way you can have fun, think again. Put on some praise music, go crazy for God instead. He can fill you up with more joy than any alcohol can, and His joy lasts much longer too!
So that's my thoughts... but I guess the question is... what does the bible say?
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)
I guess this goes along with my last point, let the Spirit fill you, don't fill yourself with alcohol that is short lived. Fill yourself with the Spirit that is ever lasting!
"Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags" (Proverbs 23:20-21)
This tell us not to join drunkards. I find it interesting to read that it says they become poor. Alcohol is expensive, and when you start drinking more, you find you'll want more of it, and soon enough... you'll be spending a lot of money on alcohol and will have less money for not only the necessities but also on clothing. I feel this is not preventing us from drinking, however, to stay away from drunkards. It is a warning to stay away from too much.
"Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1)
This verse to me is warning us to not let the evils of alcohol take over our minds. As I said earlier too much alcohol leads to poor decision making and bad judgement. Letting this happen is letting the alcohol lead us astray and this is not wise.
These are just a couple of scriptures and I know there are a lot more. Feel free to share them and share your opinion. As I said I really believe it is a personal revelation, so what God may be talking to me about and what He's showing me in the Bible may be different to what He's telling you and showing you. And depending on the seasons in my life, God may change what He is saying to me. I don't drink often at all, but I have had the occassional drink, but the moment I hear God tell me not to drink, I will stop. As long as I continue to put Him first, I feel I am safe with Him.
Thankful for: Patience
I realised tonight at times my patience needs some work. I found myself getting frustrated and annoyed because girls who I needed to take home were taking their time, and then hiding. They were having a bit of fun but I became impatient. It made me realise later how important patience was. I don't know what these girls lives at home are like and that little bit of fun they tried to have may have been the last bit of fun they would have until next week. I don't know. I also began to realise how patient God has been with me, it took me 22 years for me to finally reach out to Him. He waited that long for me, and I struggled to wait 5 minutes for these girls to get ready. I'm thankful for patience and aware that I need more of it!
No comments:
Post a Comment