Alcohol and the Christian

Should a Christian drink alcohol?

A question I and many Christians have pondered. What really is the position on drinking alcohol?

Those that love the bottle quote scriptures:

• Jesus turned water to wine. This means he approved of alcohol, right? Some argue it wasn’t alcoholic wine 🙂
• 1 Timothy 5:23 – “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” But this talked about using wine for medicinal purposes and notice the word “little” in the sentence?

Those that argue against have a lot to quote from, and with no ambiguity. Just a few:

• Prov. 23:20-1, Prov. 20:1, Prov. 21:17, Prov. 31:4-6, Prov. 23:31-5
• Is. 5:11-12 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
• Is. 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink

But what’s been my personal experience?

I have loved wine. Coming back from a stressful day at work, socializing with friends, relaxing at home with my husband… a glass of red wine was just the thing that completed a perfect picture. But something just kept nagging at me. And I prayed and asked the Lord about it. I was led to a scripture that did not even mention alcohol, but idols. Perplexed, I read it again. And then it dawned on me::

When I drank even just a glass, I could not read my Bible with focus. And prayer was just a thought that passed. With alcohol in my system, I could not focus on God and I did not praise Him. This is the reason for my being – to praise Him (Revelation 4:11). Anything you do that takes away from the worship of God is an idol. Clear. I stopped drinking. Not an easy feat, but by His grace, all things are possible.

And by the way, this applies to all things that replace God in your life, or those things that keep you from worshiping God.
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June Anasiudu

Snapshots from a Life author June Anasiudu writes funny, fun, and thought-provoking life lessons gleaned directly over the years, or from others' lives. The objective being to bring laughter, learning, and healing. Her stories, mostly true-life, aim to help her readers quiet the everyday chaos in their lives so they can relax and learn to focus on being the superhumans they were created to be, weeding out the unimportant frivolities in life.

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