It was lying on the side of the road on the corner to my house. A single beer can discarded as a piece of trash by a person who
had used its contents to fill a pleasure and then thrown out the window. I have seen hundreds of discarded cans and this one was no
different with the exception of what it represented at that moment. The appeal of its contents had caused a person to purchase it and
then consume the momentary feeling of pleasure. When the can was emptied, it had no use and was carelessly thrown out for someone
else to pick up. It
was empty. It had no use. It had lost its appeal. It was but for a moment. It
was worthless.
Man has always sought for the momentary pleasures to fill his void. Looking for the appeal of alcohol man seeks out these cans
of vipers poison and drinks his fill and while finding a sense of satisfaction for the moment realizes that it is only for a moment. His life
is like the can he threw away emptied, rejected, little use, shallow and unfulfilled. Lives have been destroyed because of
intoxicating drink. Families are torn apart daily by its presence in the home. Young people live with consequences of their actions
through the use of
alcohol for the rest of their lives. As Herman Melville wrote in Moby Dick, it
is truly a demon.
The wise man wrote in Proverbs 23:29-35, Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed
wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a
serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one
who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying, They have struck me, but I was not
hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?People of God have been
shown by the Lord that alcohol has no value in their lives and no purpose. The great tragedy of its use is the end result like a
discarded can on the
side of the road.
The appeal of momentary pleasure has driven many to the basement of alcohols deceit. There is no value in following a life of
drunkenness or even flirting with the dangers of drinking as many do in what they refer to as social drinking. That makes as much
sense as social fornication. The appeal of the Lord is for His people to be obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the
former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written,
Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:14-16). Peter quotes from Leviticus 11:44 where the appeal of God to the people is for them to
sanctify themselves before Him. One cannot
sanctify themselves with a beer in hand.
Someone will pick the beer can up and throw it away. It will be left to families to pick up the pieces of shattered lives. Many
who have found themselves in the slavery of alcohol will find their lives thrown on the side of the road as nothing more than an empty
life. Christ has the answer and it is found in His love, His mercy, His forgiveness and His strength to overcome. He is the way out of
sin, He is the only truth one can find about sin and He is the only one who can give life to empty lives (John 14:6). His path leads to the
Father and to
salvation. Dont throw your life away. Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians
5:18)
---Kent Heaton
I am an artist and I paint a picture of some trees, mountains and maybe a small pond. The painting will be a winter
painting and I want to put snowcaps on the mountains. I also want to have the sun barely peeking out of a small cloud. The
vegetation in the painting must be diverse as well. I want the trees to look unmistakably like oaks. I want the pond to be in the
middle with only a few trees to its left and many more trees to its right. If I want my painting to depict such a scene, I must be
meticulous
in my details.
It is unfortunate that the world doesn't view its responsibilities to God with such meticulous detail as the artist
mentioned above. Even some who claim to be Christians do not understand the necessity of observing even the smallest
details. Details such as instrumental music in worship, a woman's role in the assembly or a church kitchen -- are they really
that big of
a deal?
Before Jesus died and validated the New Covenant, He said concerning the Law of Moses, "Whoever then annuls one
of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but
whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19). Admittedly, the Jews under
the Mosaic Law made up Jesus' audience in this discourse, but perhaps He was instructing them to obey God's law because it
was God's law. Therefore, we can conclude that Jesus' statement is to be accepted no matter what covenant one may be under.
We should
pay particular attention to even the smallest details of His commands. If we
teach this, however, some will object.
Even in the time of Isaiah, he was preaching God's precepts to people, but they did not want to hear the details. The
ruling party of Judah was so wicked that they mocked Isaiah's preaching by saying, "To whom would he teach knowledge and
to whom would he interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just take from the breast?" (Isa. 28:9). In
other words, these corrupt leaders considered themselves above the detailed yet simplistic teaching of the prophet Isaiah. They
mocked him further, "For he says, 'Order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here and a little there'" (Isa. 28 :10).
The leaders weren't just mocking Isaiah, but also God, for the prophet was revealing God's Word. Isaiah said God would
indeed speak to them but not with words
of warning as He had spoken before, but with invasion (Isa. 28:11-13).
Isaiah's message became more powerful when he asserted that God's Word will be as simple yet detailed just as they
had mocked (Isa. 28:13). Judah's moral decay was evident by the rulers' attitude toward the Law of Moses. They had
considered the teaching of Isaiah and others as unnecessary
details with which they need not be bothered.
Jesus spoke of some who would claim to be His disciples, but He would tell them "I never knew you; depart form
Me" (Matt. 7:21-23). Jesus also said, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" (Lk. 6:46). These people,
at the very least, realize that Jesus is Lord and they are asserting their allegiance to Him. At the final judgment, Jesus will tell
others, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you" (Matt. 25:34). What is the
difference between the two groups? The former probably views the "small things" as inconsequential and even bothersome.
The latter group probably walks in the path of God's commandments great or small and they delight in it (Psa. 119:35). Do
you?
---Will
Dilbeck