13 December | Youth
«Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.» Proverbs 20:1
A young man left Europe and went to study at a university in the south of the United States, a region known as “the Bible Belt.” Arriving there, and noticing the contrast between that small town and the bohemian metropolis where he was from, he commented sadly: “There are more churches here than bars! Even though I am a Christian, this is not the lifestyle I want for myself!”
Now think with me: Does it make sense to profess a religion that does not alter the habits and lifestyle in any way? Does faith need to have influence in everyday life or not? They say that out of every four social drinkers, one will become an alcoholic. Combining that boy's logic with the power of statistical probability, it would not be difficult to find a “Christian alcoholic” out there. Sad, is it not?
Jesus did not drink beer, nor did he ever try any alcoholic beverage. According to the Bible, wine, champagne, cider, liquor and the like are on the list of things that, when consumed, turn a person into a fool (Prov 20:1; 23:20-21, 29-35). Samuele Bacchiocchi demonstrated, through an interesting study (Wine in the Bible), that wines today, since they contain alcohol, do not compare in any way to the “wine” that Jesus drank, for example, at the last supper, which was grape juice without fermentation. Even in this “small detail,” Jesus Christ, as our “big Brother,” is still the great reference!
Consecrating oneself to God completely, including what we eat and drink, and everything else in our lives, is not fanaticism, but coherence: a virtue that is increasingly scarce in the 21 century. Today, in certain aspects, it is more difficult to follow Jesus than it was decades ago when bakeries sold nothing but bread. Still, He expects us to renounce to anything that might compromise our powers of discernment or our mental and moral balance.
Today is a good day to think about what has “inebriated” you; what reduces the natural sensitivity that God gave you for spiritual things. Is it wine? Beer? Gambling? Internet? A secret addiction perhaps? There is nothing that God cannot do for us when we trust Him with what we have and are. Do not give up. God wants to give you victory. That is what you want, isn’t it?