For those who know me, you may be wondering, what?
It is true I do not drink, ever. I have a family history of alcoholism and choose to abstain from all forms of drinking. But recently, I was having a conversation with a friend about drinking and I have been pondering it ever since.
My friend grew up in a very strict, religious home. Her church and parents taught that drinking, smoking, swearing, wearing makeup, and going to the movies were all sins, just to name a few. We were discussing that after a season of rebellion, my friend had a crisis of faith and began to seek God. In her journey, she opened her Bible and began reading it from cover to cover. (Whenever someone tells me they read their Bible from cover to cover, I get excited.) She went on to tell me that she saw God totally different than what her parents and childhood church had taught her. She fell in love with the God of the Bible. Slowly, her life began to change.
She started applying the things of the Bible to her life, she started praying and talking to God all the time, and she started looking for people to worship with that saw God the way she did.
Even as she did indeed find like-minded believers, she felt unsure of some things. One of those things was drinking.
We discussed the fact that there are lots and lots of verses in the Bible on being sober-minded, there are lots of verses on not being a drunk or glutton. Yet, there were also verses that suggested drinking wine and celebrating Yehovah was a good thing. There was also that passage were Paul tells Timothy to have a glass of wine to settle his stomach each night.
So, how does God feel about drinking and is it different now? Is our wine or alcoholic beverages somehow different than that of Jesus day? Does it matter?
It was a fun discussion.
As we finished our discussion I explained to, my friend, that I do not see having a drink in celebration to Yehovah as necessary, nor do I find it wrong. I personally have no desire to drink alcohol, but if someone chooses to have a drink, I think, like all things, they should be responsible. So, often, I hear people say, ” I NEED a drink.” I actually say this too, about Dr Pepper. Here is the problem with this. Whenever we run to anything in place of running to God, we are saying God isn’t enough.
What I want my kids, friends, loved ones to know is always run to God first.
If you decide to have a drink to settle your nerves, stomach, or to celebrate make sure you know your limit. Make sure you are not drinking to “be cool’ or a part of the crowd. Make sure you are thinking of others too.
So, many people think just one more is ok. People say things like, “I feel fine.” But you never ever want to be that person that accidentally harms someone because you had one too many drinks. Know yourself. Know your family history. Know your God.
When drinking away from home you need to remember, one drink equals one hour. If you have more than one serving in an hour, you should not be driving, no matter how you feel.
Be wise.
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We are Bible believing, scripture only people. We love to learn about the Hebrew roots of our faith. We believe it is important to not add or subtract from the Divine Word of God. The compiled scriptures that agree with one another and have no contradiction is the 66 books of what is commonly referred to as the Christian Bible, or the Holy Bible.
These writings were originally written by men inspired by God. They were written in the language of the writers and readers of the original documents. Many of the original documents have been lost, but God’s Word is eternal and remains. Therefore, it is important to us to study, learn, and consider the culture, history, and language of the original writers of the scriptures.
In our studies we have learned that the true name of God is Yehovah, and His son, our Messiah, is named Yeshua. Therefore, as you read our posts we will use the Hebrew names of God and our Messiah.
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