Inside Out Living

"Wine produces mockers; liquor leads to brawls. Whoever is led astray by drink cannot be wise." - Proverbs 20:1

As I was reading Proverbs 20:1 this morning I got to thinking about the reasons why I don't include drinking wine (or any alcohol for that matter) with ministry or my personal life. The reasons are numerous why I choose not to drink, but here are the three main reasons that influence my thinking:

1) When I was younger my Dad shared with me a story about a time that he found his twin brother passed out in his bed, lying in his own vomit. My Dad told me how that sight influenced his own decisions about drinking and it greatly influenced my decisions as well. The idea of doing something that could lead to lying in my own vomit was repulsive to me.

2) I don't know if any of you have noticed but alcohol can be quite expensive. For me it would be exercising poor stewardship to ask my family to sacrifice so I can buy my alcohol.

3) Personally, I feel that underage drinking is a serious issue in America. I feel a need to model restraint on drinking alcohol to not only my own children, but also to the teens and children that I minister to.

Now, please notice that I am not saying that consuming alcohol is sinful, for scripture never says that. I am not attempting to be legalistic here, I am only sharing my personal convictions. Yes, I have tasted a few different alcoholic drinks in my time. Never have been drunk or "buzzed" though, which scriputre is clear that it is sinful to be controlled (i.e. impaired) by a foreign substance.

So for what it is worth, when I read Probers 20:1 it makes perfect sense to me and I ask myself what godly benefit ever comes from drinking alcohol.