Filled with the Spirit
It wasn’t the first time I had done it and it wouldn’t be
the last time. Years ago, a group of friends and I visited our friend in
another state. We got off the plane and went straight to the liquor store. We
drank and partied all night. The next morning, tired, jet lagged and hung over,
I staggered into the kitchen where a friend of mine was pouring a glass of
orange juice. At least that is what I thought he poured. He asked me if I
wanted some. “Sure,” I replied. I took a big swig and recoiled. It was gin and
juice. Yes, for breakfast. Once I came to terms with the situation, what did I
do? I took another drink and continued on with another crazy weekend. “Woe to those who rise
early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may
inflame them! Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and
flute, and by wine; But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord, Nor do they consider the work of His hands (Isaiah 5:11-12).” When I
was drinking the only time the thought of the Lord would enter my mind is if my
actions had landed me in a tough situation; drinking and driving, dealing with
a hangover, etc. But, once things were back to normal, I put the Lord away. My
life was consumed with “the weekend.” It was all about drinking and partying.
There were times when I described my way of life as a marathon. I can remember
going to work early on a Friday morning and not getting home until late
Saturday morning or early afternoon.
Just in time to turn around and do it all over again. Do that for the
better part of a decade and it takes a toll on you mentally, physically and
spiritually. Yeah, I knew it was wrong, but when everybody else is doing it and
your life is relatively stable, what is the point in stopping, right? But,
thank God for it all. Somewhere in the midst of all the drinking and long
weekends, combined with other life events, I came to the end of myself. And
when I got to the breaking point I did the exact opposite of what people tell
you to do? I let go and fell right into the loving hands of Jesus Christ. Did
my life change over night? No. But, I changed.
As time passed and I grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, my
dependency on Him increased. I learned the true meaning of Ephesians 5:18, “And do
not get drunk with wine, for that
is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” I know there
are people out there who still struggle with the way of life I was delivered
from. You may even be a Christian, but feel ashamed to say so. I was saved for
three years before I stopped drinking. The Lord is not ashamed of you and He is
there to lead you out of that spiral of darkness. He is faithful, even when you
are not. Trust Him and watch what He will do through you in the process.
Building Character
A few years back, I went to the soccer game of my nephew. I
arrived a little late and spotted my brother. “What’s the score?” I said. My
brother replied, “They don’t keep score.” I guess this was supposed to teach
the kids about the “fun” of the game and not have “winners and losers.”My
nephew comes off the field and I ask him what the score is. He says, “We are
winning 5 to 0.” The kids knew who was winning and losing. Anybody paying
attention to the game knew who was winning and losing. We live in a time where
kids are being shortchanged from the lessons of life in an effort to shield
them from things like losing. All this does is contribute to them being
unprepared for life. And one thing we all know; life keeps score. Therefore,
when they experience a setback they have nothing to draw on in order to cope
with the circumstances. How does a person, especially a child, build character when they are not
allowed to experience the ups and downs of life? The fact is they will not. “And not only that, but we also glory in
tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and
perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4).” A child will grow
up never knowing how to handle winning or losing and will have no hope that
they will overcome what life throws their way. They will think that everything
will be set up for them to be as comfortable as possible. And when the trials
of life hit, they will crumble.
They will have to cope with life’s problems
with a child’s reasoning. They will handle the problems of a teenager like a
child. They will face the problems of an adult like a child and so on.
Eventually, they will cop out with things like drugs and alcohol and all manner
of sin that goes along with them. It is going through the ups and down of life
as a child, even those contained within a soccer game, which leads to them
building character. If they become Christians, this will also affect how they
view God. They will believe God to be a God who promises a life of comfort,
free of problems, where they are given everything they want from Him. When
reality hits and they are not prepared, they will turn away from God and to
whatever sin is available to them. “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a
child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish
things (1 Corinthians 13:11).” Children learn to be adults through experiencing
the ups and downs of life that builds character. Therefore, they will be able
to handle life’s problems like adults and not children. This is true in life and in our walk with
Jesus Christ. The Lord calls believers to maturity in order for us to handle
the trials of life and our faith. Let us not shortchange building Christian
character by remaining spiritual children the way we are shortchanging our
children from building character by sheltering them from the lessons of life.
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