Drink Responsibly
- Heidi Eva Jones
- May 31, 2024
- 5 min read
Volume 13 Issue 5
Greeting in His Name,
I hope you have had a refreshing Spring. Especially as we move into Summer. And it appears that it may be a hot one for those of us in the south. We will definitely be reaching for that favorite beverage to keep us hydrated. I hope that we drink "responsibly ; )" With that being said, today's blog is entitled Drink Responsibly. Hope you find some inspiration, conviction, and queries.
shalom and love,
heidi
To drink or not to drink.
My goal in this issue is not so much to target alcohol abuse because 'to drink' can mean to drink any beverage. However, I want us to see the importance of what we allow to enter our bodies, which can either be refreshing and nourishing or intoxicating and harmful. And I want to use drinks or liquids to symbolize something entering our bodies, knowing we can also invite emotions and thoughts with the same effect. For instance, if I consume Jack Daniels at an immoderate level, chances are I will lose self-control and get out of hand. The same goes for emotions. If I allow myself to get entangled in ungodly behavior, my conduct can resemble a lack of self-control, which could lead to things getting out of hand. On the other hand, if I have an inviting glass of iced tea or lemonade, I can sit back, relax, and think of good things. The same goes if I pray and keep my hand and emotions in God's hands. Then, I can expect that God will lead me in such a way that I don't have to regret a single act or decision. Because I invited Him, He directs me. We are talking about drinking responsibly.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit [Ephesians 5:17-18 NIV]. Be filled; live in excess of the Spirit of God. Take Peter, for example, on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit of God fell in that place with such profound alertness that the men thought Peter was in excess of wine, but he was really in excess of the Spirit. Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." But Peter explains, These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! [Acts 2:13, 15] After explaining to them what the prophet Joel spoke of, the people realized that they needed to do something, and Peter gave them the instructions, "Repent and be baptized….and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Unawareness of self and the thought-provoking move of God is granted to those who believe and drink [take in] the Spirit of God, like Peter. They could let go of their condemnation of Christ and receive an infilling of His power and presence in their lives. If I were to experience any drunkenness, it would have to be a Spirit one.
The Samaritan woman is a prime example of having a thirst but not quenching it correctly. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water [John 4:10 NIV]." Now, this was just a set-up conversation for the reality of what Christ wanted to address with this woman. For God to get to the 'drink responsibly' part of our lives that He wants to fill, He has to get to the nitty gritty of our sin, clean that up, and then He can pour in. Look at Jesus in John, "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them [7:37-38 NIV]." After Jesus spoke with the woman at the well of her husbands and then of the shacking situation that she was currently in she knew she had encountered a prophet, and not only a prophet, but the Messiah. Christ ministered to that overflowing need in her. He poured living water into that woman's spirit, which manifested in her running and telling an entire community, "He told me everything I ever did." She drank responsibly from the fountain of life, and she was able to alter the lives of those around her; out of her, that very day, flowed rivers of living water. Are you thirsty? Do you need a refreshing cup of alertness? As with the Samaritan woman and Peter, both were open to receiving the life-giving flow of Life. Both could set their eyes on the prize of a thirst being quenched because they allowed the Spirit to fill them. Both were able to be ministers to those of their day and even to us now because they drank responsibly.
God's will is that living water flows out of living fountains. I can't bring forth living water from a dead, self-motivating, self-reasoning womb. God has to have a womb clean of all selfish debris to bring forth life. I am not judging, but I am petitioning every reader to pray. The Word says not only in the last days that God will pour out His Spirit but also, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good [2 Timothy 3:1-2 KJV]," and so on. We can't allow ourselves to get drunk on ourselves; we have to kill this flesh and the desires thereof daily. Let's not drink the drink of Satan and drive folk irresponsibly to hell.
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [2 Timothy 4:6]. Amid a society that's already facing such hardship: floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, unnecessary killings, abuse on every level. Endure! Famine, disease, poverty, homelessness, high population of imprisonment. Endure! As Paul, pour yourself out as a drink-offering before the Lord that others may drink living water from you and maybe not escape the difficult times but finish the race. You can be that water that refreshes, revives, and nourishes a sin-sick soul. Drink Responsibly!
LIFE QUOTE
“O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! that we should, with joy, pleasance, revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts! "
-William Shakespeare, Othello
Let Us Laugh!
How do pastors like their orange juice? With pulpit.
Hope to see you Next Month....
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