"He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate - bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts"
Psalm 104:14, 15 (NIV)
The LORD is the one who created the grape. Some people imagine that it was man’s evil imagination that produces alcohol, but these verses bring truth and reveal that God had a good purpose in mind when He created the grape. The purpose was gladness in our hearts.
Welch’s grape juice is good, but it doesn’t affect our emotional state - whereas alcohol does affect our emotional state. Alcohol is part of God’s good purpose for humans; it is one of the many blessings He bestows upon all humans. I just chuckled to myself as I imagined a Baptist choir singing, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one” and hearing someone shout out: “Thank you God for the glass of wine I had last night!” There would be turmoil in that church for sure.
There is good reason for so many Christians to teach abstinence. This blessing that God created for the good of our emotional state, has been turned to evil through drunkenness. Humans do it with bread as well; we eat too much! The Bible is full of verses that condemn drunkenness, and in Jeremiah 13:13 drunkenness is an act of judgment by God on a rebellious nation. Drinking to excess always leads to other sin, always brings pain and broken relationships and will ultimately bring disaster upon the families and nations of those who embrace it.
In Ephesians 5:18, Paul contrasts drunkenness with being filled with the Spirit and urges us to be filled with the Spirit. Now, there is a way to have your emotions changed for the good! Feeling down, maybe feeling like you need a shot of good cheer? Read the Word. Pray. Seek God’s face. Confess your sins. Sing a song. Listen to songs that lift God up. Get as close as you possibly can to the Creator and Lover of your soul and be filled His Holy Spirit. These lyrics from a song called “Turn Around” have been going around my mind as I have been writing this blog:`
Some turn to a bottle,
Some turn to a drug,
Some turn to another's arms,
But it seems like it's never enough,
May we consciously and deliberately put energy and effort into seeking God and having Him fill us with His Spirit this day. Only He will be enough.
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