By Reverend J. Loren Russell
Ephesians 5:15-21 (v. 18) Amplified Bible
“15 Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], 16 making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him. 19 Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
I remember when I was a young man…, actually, I was a teenager, drinking with friends. I don’t remember how much they drank, but I would routinely drink until I was thoroughly inebriated. What started as a “buzz” became a drunken stupor. It was the cool thing to do, so we would drink regularly, sometimes resulting in us cussing and fighting each other.
It always fascinates me when I think back to my days of drinking and consuming other mind-altering substances, how committed I was to spending time and money to acquire the substances, taking the time to consume them, the time it took to be under their influence, and of course, the recovery time. I must admit, many of those episodes I cannot recall, even though each one consumed somewhere around eight to twelve hours, and who knows how much money, all in pursuit of a good time.
I finally came to my senses and recognized that I was wasting my most precious gifts on something that was literally robbing and killing me at the same time. The Apostle Paul understood that there were many people whose interests are in drunkenness. He admonishes his readers to be wise and seek to understand the will of God for their lives. He quickly tells them not to be drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit. (The capitalization of the word Spirit indicates the triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
What follows in his discourse is the results of being filled with the Spirit as opposed to being drunk with wine. Drunken stupors vs. speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; being helpful to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Paul was right! Being intoxicated with wine leads to hangovers, early morning dry mouth, lots of wasted time, wasted resources, misused talents, and squandered money. But when you’re intoxicated with the Spirit of God, you sing songs of praise to God from the heart, you give thanks to God the Father for all things, and, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you love others the way the Lord loves you.
If you are going to be intoxicated, get drunk in the Word of God. The experience is amazing, and the rewards are eternal.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church and is the spiritual leader of the Evangelical Church of God, both in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JLR Company/J Loren R Consulting, LLC for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096) and is the producer and host of “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on Facebook Live. Be sure to ‘Friend’ the Matters of Faith YouTube Channel. Email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smashwords.com/books/view/993177.
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