Drunk On Him

DEVOTION
1 TIMOTHY
DRUNK ON HIM
1 Tim 3:3-4
3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

There has been and still is so much controversy over this first statement, not given to wine. So many believers have taken that so far to the extreme it has become as if they are under the law. I cannot follow that course of life as I have been free from the law. Now do I think I ought to get drunk and be a brawler, a man under the control of wine and becoming a loud mouth man, inciting arguments and physical violence? No, absolutely not! That is the whole of the idea here for the man given the calling of being responsible for the spiritual growth and well being of others. I am going to go out on a limb here, for anyone who reads this besides myself, I believe there is a massive difference between having a few glasses of wine and having so much that I become drunk, violent, and quarrelsome because of the great volume of wine consumed. I believe it is not the wine, but the effects of too much which certainly could cause some personalities to become abusive both verbally and physically. Abstinence has become the law in many causes among believers because of the negative connotation of being a drunkard. It is almost a point of spiritual pride to claim my lips have never touched wine. Yet it appears to me this is not the standard set out here by God. I think I would much rather met God’s standard than man’s law. I am especially amazed how some believers can make such a huge deal over wine when they completely ignore the not being a lover of money thing. I do not love wine or money, yet I have both. I have some wine and I have some money, but I love neither one. Neither controls my life. I do not place any value on either. The only item of value is my relationship with my God. If that is in order I surely will not became violent or quarrelsome because of the consumption of an abundance of wine, but I will remain a gentleman. If that relationship with my Lord is in order I also will not become consumed with the love for money. I will not place so much value on money that I attempt to accumulate as much as I can for some future time I am not even guaranteed I will have. I think sometimes it is so easy to take my eyes off of God when money is at hand. Sure I have worked all my life to support my family. Sure I have had to have some quality of money to buy those things to sustain life here on earth. But my source is not this money but God for all I am and all I have. I am drunk on him.