EXPRESSIONS
Alcohol Lessens Control Of Health Offering
Lethalness (A.L.C.O.H.O.L)
Ramesh C. Reddy
Managing Editor
Hi
everyone :)
May you
come to know the awesome mercies of the Lord and His everlasting grace for He
has redeemed you and you are His precious in His sight and all the commandments
He gives are for our own good because we are never out of His
love or reach! Amen!
Quiet
Times (Psalm 83, Proverbs 23, and Matthew 23)
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who
has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot
eyes?” (Proverbs 23:29)
“Those who linger over wine, who
go to sample bowels of mixed wine.” (Proverbs 23:30)
“Do not gaze at wine when it is
red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly” (Proverbs 23:31)
“In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.” (Proverbs 23:32)
“Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the
high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m
not hurt! They beat me up, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can
find another drink?” (Proverbs 23:33-35)
I found it interesting that the word “WHO” was used in
this passage 7 times. Six of the times a question is asked and the 7th
time an answer is provided.
I realized that the 6 questions have significance even
to this day as the questions are asked:
1. Who has woe?
2. Who has sorrow?
3. Who has strife?
4. Who has complaints?
5. Who has needless bruises?
6. Who has bloodshot eyes?
I found the answer in v. 30:
“Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowels of mixed wine.”
It is those people that have woe, sorrow, strife,
complaints, needless bruises, and bloodshot eyes.
I asked myself where can these 6 things be present and
what came to mind is where the BOTTLE exists, these things can be present. A bar
scene or a household where drinking is out of control came to my mind.
I saw the first 4 being intangible effects of alcohol
and the last 2 being tangible effects of alcohol on a person who lingers over
wine and goes to sample bowels of mixed wine. I believe this type of wine is
wine that is alcoholic in nature.
I saw the solution to avoid these situations in v. 31:
“Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in
the cup, when it goes down smoothly” (Proverbs 23:31)
This commandment is not with reason as I saw tons of
other reasons to avoid those situations. Verse 32 provides the beginning reason
by making the statement, “In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.”
What stuck out in my mind is the phrase,
“In the end” because it made me think that for the
moment no matter how much drinking we do nothing may seem to be happening but
than before we realize it, enough venom enters our body to slowly destroy it and
soon that poison can take over as Scelorosis of the Liver or immediate poison
that could cause death because our metabolism could not handle it. These are
only some of the consequences.
It made me really excited to see the symptoms mentioned
in Scripture ahead of any psychology textbooks. The textbooks mention what God
has already revealed in His Word.
I wanted to examine those symptoms and looked at
v.s33-35: “Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind
imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying
on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat
me up, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”
(Proverbs 23:33-35)
- Your eyes will see strange things.
- Your mind imagine confusing things.
- You will be like one sleeping on the high seas.
- You will be like one lying on top of the rigging.
- “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!”
- They beat me up, but I don’t feel it.
- When will I wake up so I can find another drink?
One of my majors has been psychology and so reading
these verses in the Bible made me so excited after I learned similar things in
psychology. God’s Word already reveals the symptoms of getting drunk on alcohol.
I thought to myself what terminology can describe these
situations for each one and couple of things came to my mind.
- Eyes seeing strange things made me think of the term
HALLUCINATIONS.
- Mind imagining confusing made me think of a type of
HALLUCINATION.
- Being like one sleeping on the high seas made me
think of the concept of ‘GETTING HIGH’
- Being like one lying on top of the rigging made me
think of the concept of a type of ‘GETTING HIGH’
- Being hit and thinking you are not hurt made me think
of a BLACKOUT’
- Taking it a step further rather than being hit but
beat up, and not feeling it made me think of ‘BLACKOUT’ too.
- Not knowing when a drunk person will wake up and
wanting another drink bought 3 concepts to mind: First, a HANGOVER, Second, a
WITHDRAWL, and finally, ADDICTION.
As I have studied this passage, it made me think of so
many students who are excited just to come to college to party and have a good
time.
I ask
you now dear friends, what do you do with alcohol?
Dear friends, the Lord loves
you so much and sets rules not to hurt you but to help you. At the spur of the
moment on Thursdays, Fridays, and the Weekends it may seem awesome to just hang
out with friends and party by drinking, drinking, and drinking. Nothing may seem
to happen but the venom of the alcohol can take its toll on the Spiritual,
Physical, Psychological, and Social dimension of your life slowly and then that
venom will poison you. I learned temporary pleasures whatever they maybe are
just not worth it if they conflict with the Word.
The Lord wants you to be
healthy and take care of yourself. Alcoholic beverages do not provide safety in
the long run. Think about the starting 6 questions of the passage including the
last 7 symptoms and effects of getting drunk on alcohol and see if anyone comes
to your mind where you know those things have occurred. For you will find if
they have not occurred in your life at the moment, they would have occurred in
someone’s life because God’s Word provides the Truth.
As
school is about to open soon, we will be put in compromising positions and we
need to ask ourselves if we want the vocabulary of HALLUCINATIONS, GETTING HIGH,
BLACKOUTS, HANGOVERS, WITHDRAWLS, AND ADDICTIONS to describe us?
I know the Lord Jesus does
not want this vocabulary to describe you or me. You when I study God’s Word, I
love learning messages of comfort and assurance. It would be nice if those were
the only messages I got out of God’s Word but than I won’t be growing because a
touchy feely Gospel does not help in the wrong run.
There are times what I learn
are hard for me to share because they are not popular topics to be addressed but
I am reminded that if the Lord teaches me something and whether it be an
encouraging word, an exhorting word, etc I should share it and so I have shared
this Quiet Time with you too.
Each day I read a Psalm,
Proverb, and Gospel chapter according to the day it is. For example, today I
read Psalm 83, Proverbs 23, and Matthew 23. The first few days when I began to
again share with you what I have been learning, I was comforted by assuring
passages and the love of the Lord. Slowly, as the days went by the Lord was
teaching me things that I need to implement in my life. Yesterday’s and today’s
Quiet Times have been one of those days but those passages still show the love
of God.
I did not learn that
drinking is a sin but getting drunk is a sin from this passage for it affects
not only us but those around us. Think to yourself the number of lives that have
been lost because of the BOTTLE. That is why I do not even touch the BOTTLE and
ask for God’s grace. If there is a beer I drink, I like to call it ROOT BEER.
Friend, if you have been part
of a household where alcohol rules, I wish I had the words to say to comfort you
but this I know, the Lord wants to comfort you and bring healing in those
situations. The Lord provides help in different ways and calls out to us,
Come to me all who are heavy laden and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Wear my yoke, for I am gentle and humble and give rest to
your souls. (Matthew 11:28-30)
If you are personally
struggling with addiction to alcohol, the Lord can intervene in your life too
and help you. Don't let the enemy deceive you into thinking that you have to be
clean and sober before you can come to Jesus. On the contrary, Jesus said, I
have come not for the righteous but for the sick.
This verse is so powerful
because in our weaknesses, the Lord can work and then His glory will be revealed
and shown. So friend, if you have not been close to the Lord because of the
bottle, don't let that stop you. Come to the Lord and ask for His help. He is
willing my friend, and He can bring healing.
May you come to know the love
of Jesus and know that whatever commandments and rules the Lord sets, they are
for our good and well-being and He loves us and accepts us as we are. Jesus
loves you so much. May you know His love and know alcohol lessens control of
health offering lethalness but Jesus everyday seeks us seriously!
Alcohol
Lessens Control Of Health Offering Lethalness! (A.L.C.O.H.O.L)/”What
do you do with Alcohol?”
Prayer:
Dear
Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your Word and how your Word addresses current
issues and current events of today too. Oh Lord, I pray that you will guide us
and lead us Lord. And Lord help us to avoid compromising situations and give us
the strength and willingness to endure through peer pressure and not give in but
only give in to you. If there is an addiction we want, we want to be addicted to
you Jesus! Please help us Lord and I pray for those who are struggling with
addiction to alcohol and those that try to find happiness and identity in the
bottle. Please Lord intervene in people’s lives that we know that have taken
that path. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you so much for the relevancy of
your Word for all of us as we study it and meditate on it. Also, I thank you
Jesus for dying for our sins and coming back to life to save us. In Your Name I
Pray Jesus! I thank you for your help and accepting us as we are. Amen!
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
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