Happy Hour
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Proverbs 23:29
When will I wake up so I can look for another drink? (v.35).
Paul Sneddon took the corner too fast. Crashing
through a wooden barrier, he flipped his Ford
Laser. When he realized there was no way out of
the wreck, he popped open a brew and drank it down
while waiting to be rescued. Later, he admitted that at the
time of the accident, he “had been drinking for 4 days
straight.”
The driver’s inebriated state caused the crash, and yet
he declared happy hour at the scene of the accident! The
situation reminded me of this proverb: “A fool repeats his
foolishness” (Proverbs 26:11).
So, how do we avoid the foolish behavior associated
with alcohol? Solomon issued this warning: “Don’t gaze
at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the
cup, how smoothly it goes down” (23:31). Drinking
may be enticing, but “in the end [alcohol] bites like a
poisonous snake” (v.32).
Because of its deceptive nature, we can get into trouble
with booze before we realize what’s happening. One sip
usually leads to several, which can lead to drunkenness.
The Bible cautions us, “Don’t be drunk with wine,
because that will ruin your life” (Ephesians 5:18).
When we open the door to drunkenness, we risk letting
it become a lifestyle. At first, getting smashed is rare;
then it’s a once-in-a-while thing. Then it can become so
frequent that every happy hour ends with hugging the commode. It’s possible to
become like the carouser in Proverbs who falls asleep wondering, “When will I
wake up so I can look for another drink?” (23:35).
Happy hour, hangover, sober, gotta find a drink—God doesn’t want us to
live in the bondage of this cycle. He’s given us sufficient warning, but we’ve got
to do our part and keep our distance from alcohol’s devastating effect.
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt
more›
Read 2 Peter 2:19 to
see why Christians should
avoid getting tangled up
in sin that enslaves.
next›
If alcohol is not a
temptation for you, what
else tempts you to enter
into a sinful cycle? What
can you do to avoid
foolish and addictive
behavior?
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