“THINK ON THESE THINGS”
Philippians 4:8

November 08, 2020 -- Volume 4.46
 

Consuming Alcohol”
By Carl Allen

Drinking alcohol continues to be a problem among men. Alcohol use ultimately brings ruin, and yet, it is a multi-million-dollar product. Living in Kentucky, we are well aware of the bourbon industry, and the dollars (in taxes and profits) it produces yearly.

Can we justify drinking alcohol because of the monetary rewards for the city, county, or state? Can we justify drinking alcohol because so much of the world thinks this is the right thing to do? I find it odd that if alcohol is such a wonderful thing to have, and a “boon” for our economy, why are there “AA” groups and Betty Ford Clinics (now called Hazelden Betty Ford) scattered throughout the United States whose purpose is to help people stop drinking alcohol and overcome addiction?

Often, people will argue that God never condemned drinking alcohol, only the abuse of it (i.e., getting drunk). This seems to be so when we know that yes, God condemned getting drunk (Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:11, 6:10; Gal. 5:21). Yet, is this the extent of God’s condemnation? Is it OK to drink “a little” and promise not to get drunk?

Actually, God condemns not only drunkenness but everything that leads up to that point. In other words, God condemns “social” drinking as well as getting drunk! This is not an opinion but this statement is based upon the facts of the Scripture. For example, Solomon said, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). In other words, wine is personified as mocking us when we drink. Mocking has to do with scorn, derision, to make fun of, or treat cruelly. This is what happens to one when it is in our system. Wine doesn’t make one “ten feet tall and bulletproof.” It is just the opposite! Anyone who thinks otherwise about alcohol is not a wise person. If one is not a wise person, then what is he?

In Proverbs 23:29-35, we read again about the dangers of alcohol. In this case, Solomon begins by talking about people who suffer injuries and yet have no idea how they were injured. Their minds are so messed up with alcohol that they have lost their memory of how it happened (v. 30). Yet, notice that God not only condemns drunkenness but also tells the reader not to even look at the wine (v. 31). “At the last,” it will “bite like a serpent and sting like an adder” (v. 32). Remember, there would be no “at the last” if there were not a “first!” Drinking alcohol is condemned by God from the beginning in this passage!

A New Testament passage that is appropriate in this study is 1 Peter 4:3. There, we read, “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.” In this verse, we see where Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke God’s word and condemned drinking in any amount. “Excess of wine,” “revellings,” and “banquetings” describe various states of inebriation. Essentially, from the “social” drinking party (banquetings) to the passed out drunk (excess of wine), God, through Peter, said to not be involved in it. Such actions are in the same category as lasciviousness, lusts, idolatry, and the lusts of men (1 Pet. 4:2).

Does this sound like alcohol consumption is a “game?” Does this sound like it is not a serious issue? Christians need to avoid the appearance of evil and need to stop playing games with sin (1 Thess. 5:21-22). Some justify drinking champagne at weddings, while others say it is OK to drink a beer from time to time. We hear of those who think an after-dinner drink, or a “nightcap” before bed is the way to go. Friends, don’t get caught up in Satan’s trap! Alcohol consumption will wreck and ruin our souls. We stand in jeopardy when we are justifying the recreational use of alcohol! Don’t fall for Satan’s lies! – Ed’s Sermons and Things, January 2, 2020


Recipe for a Fruitful Garden
Author Unknown

Plant three rows of peas:

Peas of mind
Peas of heart
Peas of soul! 

Plant four rows of squash:

Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash selfishness
Squash murmuring and complaining.

Plant four rows of lettuce:

Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind and happy
Lettuce love our neighbor as ourselves
Lettuce not be weary in well doing.

No garden should be without turnips:

Turnip for every assembly of the saints
Turnip your giving to the Lord’s work
Turnip to help one another.

Don’t forget, you must have thyme:

Thyme for prayer, study and meditation on God’s Word
Thyme for your family
Thyme for rest.

Water freely with patience

Cultivate frequently with love and hard work.
If you do these things, you will have an abundant harvest of good fruit
Because you reap what you sow (Gal. 6:7-9). 

Selected & Revised


Swift and Slow
By Jesse Flowers

Let us always be swift to hear “the word of truth” (James 1:18); to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (1:21). Let us be swift to hear and swift to do what God says (1:22). For if we will continue in it and are a doer of the work, “this one will be blessed in what he does” (1:25). But let us also be swift to hear one another, rather than always in a hurry to speak to make our point and to be heard. Let us be slow to speak on social media as well. And let us be slow to wrath in our homes, with our brethren, with our fellow man, as well as in our use of social media. Always remembering that our wrath will never be found well pleasing or acceptable in the sight of God. May God help each one of us to possess the resolve and self-control to “be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”