The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 23:19-21 (KJV):
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Proverbs 23:19-21 (AMP):
19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way (of the Lord).
20 Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them nor among gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses in Proverbs are the words of a father to his son, in regard to staying away from the wild crowd of drunkards and gluttons, in order to keep him from poverty. The book of Proverbs mentions the plight of drunkards and gluttons more than one time.  When we find multiple times a subject is mentioned in the Bible, it is because it has very serious implications.  Warnings in the Bible are repeated several times so that people might be spared the destruction that comes from violating them. Drunkenness and gluttony (lust and over-indulgence of food) are among those things.  Hell is another subject that has strong warnings attached to it, and drunkenness and lust can lead a person to end up in that place.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Jesus warns people about the possibility of going to hell if they continue in their sin; and for emphasis, He mentions three times in the following verses, that it is a terrible place hwere torment is continual and the fires of it are unquenchable.

Mark 9:43-48:
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

In this life, drunkenness may cause people to lose their livelihood, as they are too sick with "hangovers" the next day to show up for work, thus they come to poverty.  Over-sleeping (drowsiness), due to being groggy from drinking, over-eating and staying up late, will also rob a man of his labor and reduce him to rags. Although food and sleep are legitimate needs, the devil tempts men to over-indulge in these areas, and then they become sinful. In affluent societies, one of the major sins is the sin of gluttony.  Food becomes a god, as people do not deny themselves any thing they desire to eat. We are not teaching our people self-restraint, but rather, indulgence that leads to lustful living. The Lord wants to bless us with good things to eat, but eating with no restraint is destructive.  Our nation is currently suffering with obesity-related diseases, taking people's lives prematurely, instead of the long life promised us in the Bible. The Bible teaches moderation in all things.

Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

In today's study verses we are told the answer to getting in with the wrong crowd, and becoming an alcoholic and glutton, is to do something positive, and that is to direct your mind in the way of the Lord.  It is not enough to turn away from the wrong things, we must also seek the good things of God.  We must read our Bibles, pray and fellowship with God's people in order to overcome the temptations in the world.  That is where we will find our strength and wisdom.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for all of the good things You have given us to eat and drink. Lord, help me not to over-indulge in those things, causing them to become sinful. Help me to be a good witness by a moderate lifestyle. Lord, in a world with so many choices and temptations, empower me to choose the right things, and resist those things that are bad for me.  May my physical body bring glory to You, as well as my spiritual life. Remove all infirmities and strengthen me physically so that I might serve You better. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.