"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1)

Tortured children. Abused wives. Threats and murder. Unfinished jobs. Shattered lives. Broken vows. Rampant STDs. Abounding hurt. The results of drunkenness are all around us. Don’t be deceived by the ad campaigns. It isn’t all happy times. It's not all "Dilly Dilly." Impairment of the senses leads to unchecked evil. The dangers of alcohol abuse are all around us.

Even in the ancient times of the Proverbs, the danger of alcohol abuse was evident. This proverb, in particular, covered both the grape and grain forms of alcohol when it mentioned wine and the strong drink. Get drunk off them, and mockery flows in the form of brawling and the wayward path, for alcohol abuse can make you aggressive and unruly.

Paul said it this way: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The boldness that comes from intoxication in any form leads to error, but the boldness that comes from the Spirit is righteous. You might think you feel more comfortable, more yourself, a few beers in, but the Spirit can make you into the truest you. In Christ, you are most truly yourself when you are filled with Him.

So, just as Solomon taught his son in ancient times, we remind ourselves of the same today. Drunkenness leads to error and hurt, and we want to heal, not hurt, so we refrain from crossing into intoxication. Gospel love demands it.