And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but
be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5: 18.
I know a lot of churches are against drinking. I’m not especially fond of it myself and I’m very concerned for those who have family members who drink to excess. I do toast the bride and groom at weddings, but I really just don’t like the taste of alcohol. Based on this passage and several others in the Bible, I don’t think that having a drink every now and then is against God’s principles. I think it’s that some people don’t just have one drink every now and then…or their every now and then becomes an all too regular pattern. I think God doesn't want anyone to drink to excess or, for that matter, to do anything to excess.
I’m not including this verse to support “those who
drink a little too regularly”. That’s
not what this is about. I feel that it’s
my privilege in writing this book to be able to convey things, to the best of my
ability, that have influenced my life.
Knowing God gave me permission to have an occasional drink but not to do
it to excess, has helped be a guide for my life. I don’t think I have hardly ever had a second
drink or a third. I just don’t see any
point in trying to find out just how many drinks it takes to lead to drinking
in excess. Getting caught up in
repetitive social drinking would not make me a very good example of how God
works in my life.
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
