Daily Devotional
Betty Miller shares her daily
devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
The Wisdom
of God
Verses for the Day:
29 Who hath woe?
who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds
without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the
cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse
things.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he
that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten
me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Proverbs 23:29-35 (AMP):
29
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who
has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness and dimness of
eyes?
30 Those who tarry long at the wine, those who go to seek and try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the wineglass, when
it goes down smoothly.
32 At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
33 Under the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things
[and loose women] and your mind will utter things turned the wrong way [untrue,
incorrect, and petulant].
34 Yes, you will be [as unsteady] as he who lies down in the midst of the sea,
and [as open to disaster] as he who lies upon the top of a mast.
35 You will say, They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me [as with a
hammer], but I did not feel it! When shall I awake? I will crave and seek more
wine again [and escape reality].
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses in Proverbs
paint a picture of what addiction to alcohol will produce in one's life. The
questions are asked, "Who has woe, sorrow, strife, complaining, wounds, and
redness and dimness of eyes? " Anyone who has seen an alcoholic the morning
after they have been on a binge, will definitely agree that all these things are
present. Drunks with hang-overs are usually moaning and complaining about
how they feel. Since alcohol is a form of poison, the body is trying to recover
from ingesting it. It truly bites its victim like a serpent, and has a
sting like an adder. Those who are alcoholics have been tarrying over
their wine and mixed drinks too long.
In verse 31,
we are told not to even look at wine, as that is where the temptation starts
with the "lust of the eyes."
1 John 2:15-16:
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Alcoholism is a
sin, not a sickness; however, it is a sin that produces sickness, as do some
other sins. Alcoholism is an addiction to a drug, and is the same sin as the sin
of drug addiction. The addiction to alcohol and drugs has its roots in
lust, rebellion, irresponsibility, escapism and over-indulgence (which is
excess). The Bible calls these things sin. The cure for sin is
repentance and turning one's life over to Christ and obeying Him. When we call
alcoholism a sickness, we do an injustice to those seeking deliverance.
They must see and recognize their sin and seek God's way to be free of it. Their sickness
will leave when they depart from their sin. Certainly we need to be
compassionate toward those who struggle with alcoholism, but they do not need our human sympathy.
Only God's compassion and mercy will permanently free them.
We praise God for
all of the rehabilitation programs available for alcoholics and drug addicts, as
they have helped many people. However, some of the programs that help
alcoholics, will also tell them they will always be an alcoholic. Certainly
these programs help many people, but a permanent cure can only be found through
the power of God. When God sets us free, we are free indeed. The alcoholic
that comes to Christ will not be an alcoholic for life, as God tells us that
when we are "born again," we become new creatures in Him. Old things are
passed away and all things are made new.
2 Corinthians
5:17:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.
Verses 33-35
in today's study tell us that under the influence of alcohol, men will see,
hear, say, and do strange things. The mind is so affected that everything is
distorted. These scriptures give us an illustration, comparing the drunk
man to that of one who lies down in the midst of the ocean (one's head literally
swims when they are drunk) and are as open to disaster as if they were on top of
the ship's mast. When they wake up the next day, they will feel as if they had
been struck with a hammer, yet they do not remember who hit them. Even with all
of the pain they experience because of the alcohol, they will return to it
again, as they crave more of it. That is the nature of sin, the more you
indulge, the more you want of it until a person is finally destroyed by it.
There is a way out and that is through the Lord,
Jesus Christ. If we come to Him with our whole heart, He will hear us and
deliver us.
Romans
7:15-25a:
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I
hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to
will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I
do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
So many people are caught up in the evil of alcoholism today, I want to pray for
them. Lord, deliver those who are in bondage to alcohol. Father, forgive
them, and touch them with Your Hand of mercy and grace. Lord, go deep in their
souls and heal the wounds and remove the desire for this addiction. Let
them feel Your love and set them free from the dependency of alcohol. May
they depend on You to overcome the things that have brought them to this place.
Cause their family and friends to be merciful to them and help them in the right
way. May they experience Your touch this very moment. I ask this in
the powerful name of Jesus! Amen.
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