PART 31 : DRINKING

Ephesians 5: 18–20 Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. (The Message)

Comment:

Drinking is something all of us do…we need to, to survive. However, what we drink and how much we drink matters. Paul uses the experience of this natural rhythm of drinking to point to the ultimate source to drink from.

Paul starts by pointing out that we should limit the amount of alcohol we drink, as to much can ‘cheapen our lives’. I have a number of friends who are in recovery who would vouch for this. Alcohol in measured amounts is fine however when it is consumed to bring satisfaction it never will, it will ultimately bring destruction.

However there is one we are drink of without limit, who will always satisfy and with never lead to destruction…the Holy Spirit. Paul encourages us to not hold back but to have our thirst quenched our desires satisfied in and through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit desires to fill us, to overwhelm us. He longs for us to understand and experience the love of God…the peace of God…that through this understanding and experience that we would gain confidence in God.

The amazing thing is as we drink of the Spirit and experience the satisfaction He brings, it causes us to well up in song…to give voice to our hearts of the joy and satisfaction we know in God in everything.

The invitation is to drink!

PAUSE…drink of the Spirit…sing

Questions to ask yourself:

How will I drink of the Spirit today?

How will I give voice to my heart in songs to God today?