The Necessity for Christians to Understand the Serious Disadvantages of Constant Alcohol Usage!

18 May 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 May 2026   Ephesians 5:18.

Ephesians 5:18.        And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Oh friends, you won’t believe that it was only late Sunday evening, I realized that this was the Victoria Day long weekend, with cottage country coming alive for the summer and people beginning to plant their gardens. That just goes to show I was totally wrapped up in whatever I was wrapped up in. And don’t ask what that was, because I don’t even know. (smile) Anyway, many of us are blessed to have this Monday off, and with yesterday’s good weather, most likely to be repeated today, I can imagine the celebrations for this long weekend that usually ushers in the summer will be very big and boisterous.

But as always, let’s remember to have a modicum of circumspection as we celebrate, and don’t behave like leggo beasts, or imbibe too much of whatever you plan to imbibe, because you know that kind of behaviour only brings accidents and other heartbreaking stuff, that can often have serious, lifelong negative consequences. End of Sermon! 

And as I was looking through the Bible for something to write on, my eyes caught this section of Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, that seems rather appropriate for today. (smile) He writes: ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly (carefully) not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ (Eph. 5:15-18) Now didn’t I say that this passage was rather appropriate for today? (smile) 

And if you don’t want to listen to my warning, then you should at least have the common courtesy to listen to Bruh Paul’s and not get inebriated. And as the scholars explain: ‘This verse gives an example of what is and what is not the Lord’s will (vs. 17). Believers are not allowed to be intoxicated with alcoholic beverages; the reason for this prohibition is wherein is excess; that is, drunkenness leads to moral intemperance.

This is clearly contrary to God’s will. His will is that Christians be filled with (by) the Holy Spirit; that is, they are to allow Him to fill them with God’s own life, character and virtues. The analogy between these two moral states is this: a person filled with wine is under its influence; similarly, a Christian is filled with the Spirit when he controls his thoughts attitudes, and actions.’ 

And that’s all basic common sense my brethren! Whatever your mind and body are filled with, will influence your behaviour.  Now, if you don’t believe that Bruh Paul and I know what we’re talking about, then listen to the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, as he warns from Proverbs. ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging (intoxicating drink arouses brawling): and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.’ (Prov. 20:1) And that’s not a lie, because we see it every day in our debauched society, meaning there are a lot of unwise people around us. 

But here’s the real kicker, as Cousin Sol gets right down into the nitty gritty of drunkenness. He earnestly asks: ‘Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? (Prov. 23:29) Now those are very good questions. And can you guess the answer? ‘They that tarry (linger) at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.’ (Prov. 23:30) And that’s the gospel truth!

Cousin Sol then continues with this wise advice. ‘Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour (sparkles) in the cup, when it moveth itself aright (goes smoothly). At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder (viper). Thine eyes shall behold strange women (things), and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst (heart) of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick (hurt); they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it (another drink) yet again.’ (Prov. 23:31-35)

Ah my people, Cousin Sol does know what he’s talking about. And so do many of us, who have either experienced the feeling of inebriation, or seen someone intoxicated, behave rather poorly. And the scholars add their take on the situation. ‘Six rhetorical questions drive home the fact that alcoholism has both physical and psychological effects (vs. 29). These effects are further specified: physical and psychological poisoning (vs. 32); delusion (vs. 33); stumbling (vs. 34); unconscious wounds (vs.35a); and enslavement (vs.35b).’

And isn’t it strange that all this stuff has been happening since Adam was a little boy, and yet we still greatly desire to imbibe the fire water. Fortunes have been made, and still are being made, on its production and sale. The devil certainly has us hooked on that one. But here’s what we should really be doing, as Bruh Paul advised the Ephesians. ‘Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph. 5:19-21)

And to help us do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn for some divine help. Altogether:  ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise and thank You  this Monday morning for our jobs; jobs we sometimes don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose; keeping lives and families together. We also thank You Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm You’ve wrought in our weary souls over the weekend. It’s that rejuvenation of spirit which now allows us to sally forth with confidence into the evil and ungodly world, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s evil schemes.

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing Your powerful, protective spiritual armour! We surrender our all to You, and humbly ask that You allow Your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit to lead and guide all Your servants, as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, thereby furthering Your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!

And to be able to do that, we must stay away from the fire water this holiday Monday! Much LOVE!

…mankind takes pleasure in the devil’s delights…although they harm him in every possible way… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 October 2012 Psalm 50:14

05 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , ,

Psalm 50:14.     Offer unto God thanksgiving: and pay thy vows to the Most High.

Oh Friends, you all will be so proud of the ole fella because I finally changed the almanac on my office wall from May to October, and also the one in the studio that was showing February. Whew! Such difficult but amazing moments! Yes Friends, the busyness of life does cause us to overlook some small but important details, and that’s when we need to stop for a moment, regroup and smell the roses for a bit. Just let the refreshing perfume of God’s making gently course through our minds, souls and bodies. Then we’ll be ready for action again. And in our western culture, Friday is a day for winding down and getting set to rest and tune up our engines. That’s why on Fridays, everybody’s hopes soar, even though their bodies are tired, and they find the energy to joyfully declare: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’  But please note we can’t go overboard in the other direction of sloth and laziness either. It’s necessary to maintain a fine balance between both extremes. And for that reason, every Friday we chant our Friday Chant. It keeps us channelled on the straight and narrow path. So let’s chant, with the renewed enthusiasm that a Friday brings. As one loud, enthused voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And having set the right tone for the weekend, let’s turn to our Bit: ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving: and pay thy vows to the Most High.’ Now yesterday, we looked at scriptures that dealt with the first part of our Bit: ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving:’ Today, we’ll check out some that deal with the second half: ‘and pay thy vows to the Most High.’ Oh my people, the keeping of vows is of the utmost importance in this life, both to our fellow man and to our God. I know the old saying that promises are made to be broken has taken serious hold of this generation. It’s now the rule rather than the exception, for we make and break promises as is convenient to us, without any thought for the consequences. But Friends, please realize that there always consequences, and sometimes very serious ones, to broken promises, especially with our God. The Preacher says it best in Ecclesiastes: ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl.5:4-5) That’s such an awesome truth my brethren! I sure hope we learn it today and put it into practice right away. And one of the best examples we have of keeping a promise to God is that of Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother. She cried out in her barrenness for a son, promising ‘I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. (1 Sam.1:11) And when the Lord blessed her with Samuel, she did just that. (1 Sam.1:26-28) Please read that scripture passage Friends, for it shows us how to properly react to the faithfully kept promises of our God. You already know how we react with anger and dismay to broken promises by our fellow man, can you imagine our consternation if God broke a promise to us? But Friends, all we need to do is consider the truth of the wise and thoughtful saying, ‘do unto others as you would like them to do unto you,’ and put it into effect. It should be the basic rule in our lives my people, not the selfishness and inconsideration that’s running rampant in our world today. And please remember that our God has been very serious about keeping vows from day one. Listen to Moses, from the Book of Numbers, re the law concerning vows: ‘If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond (binding himself by some agreement); he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.’ (Num.30:2) Yes Friends, we ought to keep all our promises, including work contracts, except in very extenuating circumstances. And even then, we ought to let the promised person know why we’re unable to keep it. That’s only common courtesy. Oh sorry, I forgot that such an animal no longer exists in our godless, ‘doh-care’ society. In Deuteronomy 23, on the laws of human relations, Moses further expands on the keeping of vows. ‘When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack (delay) to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow (abstain from vowing), it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.’ (Deut.23:21-23) Again Friends, it’s simple courtesy and good manners. The latter doesn’t exist much today either. And whenever possible, we like to close with the definitive words of Jesus on our topic. Listen closely to Him now: ‘Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself (swear falsely), but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.’ (Matt.5:33) Ah mih people, those are words from the mouth of the Master, therefore they must be gospel truth! So let’s do right and follow them nuh, if as we claim, we’re truly His followers. Remember, the world’s watching us and judging Him by our actions. That means we have to have above reproach behaviour. Much LOVE!…So I will sing praise unto thy name for ever…that I may daily perform my vows… (Ps.61:8)