Jul | 28 | Always Sweetness

Key Word:-GOODNESS

Title:- Always Sweetness

Psalm 104:14,15 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man,

Well it finally happened. At a communion service, a church from the now conservative Southern Baptist Convention, offered two cups to the congregation- one alcoholic, the other one just juice. This emerging church plant of the 21st Century believed itself to be more Biblical in offering an alcoholic alternative at communion time? In Engand, my part of the world, this is not even an issue, but in Kentucky, which has been called the ‘Buckle on the Bible Belt’ this no doubt, was quite a step. Good grief, the press recently reported that in one Anglican church in Holland, the woman priest even gave communion to a dog!

Believe me when I tell you my family has been more than burned regarding the deep problems that arise from drunkenness. However, culturally and more important, Biblically, I find no basis for alcoholic prohibition on any front, unless you are a Nazarene of course.

Rather, I do find many warnings and commands against drunkenness, for drunkenness friends is a trigger cocked and loaded, on a cold metal weapon pressed deep inside the open mouth of our very self.

Now, the more I consider the reason for drunkenness, and consistent drunkenness at that, the more I am drawn to the pain of desperate people that need to anaesthetize themselves against the hurt they carry and for a while, no matter what, must forget, must relieve the pain. Brad Paisley and Alison Crouch sum it up so well in their song ‘Whiskey Lullaby’:-

The rumors flew but nobody know how much she blamed herself
For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath
She finally drank her pain away a little at a time
But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind
Until the night
She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away his memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees
We found her with her face down in the pillow
Clinging to his picture for dear life
We laid her next to him beneath the willow
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby

Anesthetic drunkenness is a big problem, especially amongst women and especially amongst women at home by themselves. The problem is big enough for me to say to some who even read these words today, “Dear friend if you are caught in this numbing cycle, Jesus your healer can heal your pain, can remove the darkest stain, can restore from little to more, much, much more.” You see, much like the majority of things, sex, money and alcohol aren’t the problem. What you do with them is!

So, if you are today caught in a drunken trap, then you need to begin to find a deeper desire to replace the destructive one that you have in your heart and hands right now and that deeper desire my friend, would be Jesus. Alcoholism is a very serious issue not dealt with by magic mantras, but by you and the power of God Almighty. As a beginning and an end to the finding of this greater desire, may I suggest that you get on your knees today, my brother, my sister, and uncork His grace and hold Him to your lips and drink deeply of His help. Every time the bottle calls, turn to your Father and say the following words…….

Listen :-:- Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth —
For your love is better than wine. Song of Solomon 1:2

Pray :- Lord, forgive me when I have taken a bottle rather than the blessing of Your sweetness to my lips. Forgive me when I have sought another numbing solution to the product of my bad choices and the hurts of this fallen world and then pushed those hurts even further, even so deep into my soul, only to leave them rotting like compacted faeces at the centre of my being. I stink Lord and I hurt. Jesus, today I ask you to kiss me with the kisses of Your mouth and breath healing to my spirit. Give me better desires today O Lord and an enema of love for the relief of my hurting and bloated self protection. Jesus I take Your name to my lips today, please let me find you to be, always sweetness to my soul. Amen.