Choose Your Influence

The 5/18 verse of the day is Eph 5:18.  The Message version continues through verse 20, "Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ."

This subject may be taboo, but I'm approaching it with my heart.  I'm either bold or stupid, or maybe both.  But, I'd like to think I've sought God's leading and responded accordingly.  I think it is important to talk about all things that are in the bible, so we can live our lives according to God's direction, not our own desires. 

Personally, I hate what the influence of alcohol does to people.  I have seen too many lives and relationships cut short by alcohol abuse.  It takes little more than one drink for me to have loose lips and have no discipline or control over what I say.  I know God does not want me to go there, so I don't.  Bill's history of drinking, before He came to know the Lord, almost destroyed him and our marriage.  He had no discipline and used alcohol as a vice to numb his pain.  It caused further pain.  God eventually healed our marriage and set Bill free from alcohol abuse.  We would have to be crazy to do anything that would take us back to that kind of bondage.  We are both so very grateful to just say "no" to that kind of manufactured influence in our lives and relationship.

Impaired judgement begins the moment alcohol begins to alter your thinking and behavior.  Some people do not have the discipline to know when that occurs and to stop drinking; some people do not want to.  I have researched this subject backwards and forwards and I wish I could say that the bible says not to drink, but it doesn't.  It says not to get drunk.  Of course the trouble there is that people do not exercise proper judgement and discipline to stop drinking before their thinking and actions are altered.  In my opinion, a lot of potential thought and behavioral problems have a more fertile ground to grow and become sin when one's judgement is impaired by excessive alcohol use. 

I think the verses above are urging us to choose wisely.  We can easily worship our social and private influences; putting temporary pleasures before God's best for our lives.  Scripture advises us to choose God's wisdom and will.  When we do that, we will have the discipline to have self control over our desires and actions.  Getting drunk cheapens our lives and our experiences with others.  There is no high like the high that comes from the sweetness of letting God's Holy Spirit direct our lives.  When the influence we seek is from God, our lives tend to exemplify His place of honor in our hearts.  I'll take the real influence over a temporary imitation any day.