View this lesson in a browser and print a "take-away" weekly copy. CLICK HERE (see link below)
Alcohol Today
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, alcohol has been implicated in almost 1.8 million deaths per year; this translates into 3.2 percent of total deaths worldwide. The amount of alcohol consumed is rising steadily. Binge drinking (the consumption of four to five successive drinks in males and three to four successive drinks in females) is growing alarmingly among adolescents and young adults. This trend shows no sign of abating. Alcohol has consequences through intoxication, drunkenness, dependence (addiction), and other chemical effects on the body.
What instruction, experience, and warnings are found in the Bible that warn us against alcohol? Judg. 13:2–8, Prov. 20:1, 23:31–35, Isa. 5:11, Eph. 5:18).
Interestingly, long before any scientific description of the negative effects of alcohol on the fetus (fetal alcohol syndrome), Samson’s mother was warned not to take alcohol during her pregnancy. Solomon also warns against the effects of alcohol, specifically wine and beer. From his observation and possibly even experience, he describes how alcohol changes and modifies behavior, usually leading to regrets. Isaiah graphically describes how inappropriately priests behave when intoxicated, confirming the warnings given by the other writers. Paul, too, has words of caution regarding alcohol.
The biblical descriptions of alcohol consumption mostly reveal inappropriate and undesirable behaviors and warn against these.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We can be sure that the use of alcohol is one of the devil’s greatest traps. How many millions of lives have been ruined over the centuries through use of this dangerous drug, which is poison to both the body and the mind. How much better for ourselves and our loved ones were we to avoid this dangerous trap completely, with no compromise at all.
Who does not know people whose lives have been hurt by alcohol, either through their own use or through the use of others. Why take a chance for yourself? What steps can you take to help ensure that you, or your loved ones, never start down this dangerous path, which promises nothing good but only sorrow and heartache?
| MONDAY | May 24 |
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, alcohol has been implicated in almost 1.8 million deaths per year; this translates into 3.2 percent of total deaths worldwide. The amount of alcohol consumed is rising steadily. Binge drinking (the consumption of four to five successive drinks in males and three to four successive drinks in females) is growing alarmingly among adolescents and young adults. This trend shows no sign of abating. Alcohol has consequences through intoxication, drunkenness, dependence (addiction), and other chemical effects on the body.
What instruction, experience, and warnings are found in the Bible that warn us against alcohol? Judg. 13:2–8, Prov. 20:1, 23:31–35, Isa. 5:11, Eph. 5:18).
Interestingly, long before any scientific description of the negative effects of alcohol on the fetus (fetal alcohol syndrome), Samson’s mother was warned not to take alcohol during her pregnancy. Solomon also warns against the effects of alcohol, specifically wine and beer. From his observation and possibly even experience, he describes how alcohol changes and modifies behavior, usually leading to regrets. Isaiah graphically describes how inappropriately priests behave when intoxicated, confirming the warnings given by the other writers. Paul, too, has words of caution regarding alcohol.
The biblical descriptions of alcohol consumption mostly reveal inappropriate and undesirable behaviors and warn against these.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We can be sure that the use of alcohol is one of the devil’s greatest traps. How many millions of lives have been ruined over the centuries through use of this dangerous drug, which is poison to both the body and the mind. How much better for ourselves and our loved ones were we to avoid this dangerous trap completely, with no compromise at all.
Who does not know people whose lives have been hurt by alcohol, either through their own use or through the use of others. Why take a chance for yourself? What steps can you take to help ensure that you, or your loved ones, never start down this dangerous path, which promises nothing good but only sorrow and heartache?
No comments:
Post a Comment