Christians, followers of Christ, believers, children of God… We know who we are. We are born again, saved, redeemed, reconciled to God, forgiven, predestined for Heaven, and the recipients of eternal life. Not only that, we have “Heaven on Earth” as the Holy Spirit lives within us. He is all we need. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
We are very capable of telling others how much our relationship with God means to us and that He is our “very present help in times of trouble.” They may be slaves of the world but our treasures are in Heaven. Their hope is in material gain or power but our hope is in Him who carries us through every trial and tribulation.
Until God isn’t enough.
And that seems to be the case more and more. I have a lot of friends (hundreds on Facebook alone) and many, if not most, are card carrying Christians. Yet, in increasing quantities, the testimony I read in posts is this: When life gets you down, when the stress of the work day has piled high, when you need to unload and catch a moment of peace… (this is where the title comes into play) …you don’t go to God in prayer or sit in a quiet place reading His Word. No, in times like this, God clearly isn’t enough, or at least He isn’t preferred. So don’t bend your knees, just bend your elbow. Don’t find a encouraging word in the Bible, just follow an enticing recipe that uses enough alcohol. Hallelujah?
I know the Bible says don't get drunk but it doesn't prohibit drinking a little wine. I know Jesus performed His first public miracle by turning water into wine. But nowhere does it even slightly suggest that we should use alcohol or any other substance to relieve our stress, calm our fears, forget our worries, or anything else He wants to in us.
But perhaps that’s just me. You're sure Jesus understands and is perfectly okay with it, right? So, I’ll let Him have the last word.
"So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:16)
