Intoxicated in the Spirit

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

INTOXICATED IN THE SPIRIT

Eph 5:15-20

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Because we are living on guard against being unwise and being very careful to live wisely and looking to live according to the will of God, we are to not be foolish. The next statement here has been taken out of context too often or made to sound different than what Paul said. We are told not to get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with the spirit. If we look into these Greek words we find that we should not be intoxicated by wine because it leads to an excess or a dissolute life. That is a lifestyle of being an alcoholic day in and day out, giving ourselves over to drunkenness, spending all our time and money, and even losing everything for the lust of another drink. This warning is not about taking a drink of wine, in fact, Jesus even used the wine and the wineskin as a parallel for the reborn life, being a new creature filled with new wine, the gospel. This is about an abandoned life because of being addicted to drunkenness. But the idea is not about drinking wine, Paul is making a comparison of either being filled with wine and being filled with the Spirit. If being drunk on wine means the wine controls how we behave, then being filled with the Spirit should also control how we behave. Our lives should reflect being filled with the Spirit showing life in excess of Godly pursuits. Being filled with the Spirit means all His fruit should be overflowing within us, living abundantly full of the fruit and having His influence manifesting whatever gift he desires us to use for the advancement of the kingdom and the benefit of the entire body of Christ. We must remember the fruit and the gifts are not for our help but for the common good. This is the Spirit-filled life as the Lord has shown us time and time again. Let us not just allow the Spirit to dwell within us but let us allow Him to fill us up completely to overflowing. In one sense, let us be drunk or intoxicated in the Spirit.