Why Settle For Gravel When You Can Have Diamonds? - Apples of Gold - January 27, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 27, 2009

“Why Settle For Gravel When You Can Have Diamonds?”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Absalom hated Amnon.

Amnon didn’t realize it, I guess, because when Absalom invited him over for dinner, he went. 

Absalom hated Amnon because he had attacked his sister.  And now it was time for revenge.

So Amnon went, and what do you know – free wine!

If Amnon had his guard up at all, it didn’t stay up long.  The wine did exactly what Absalom wanted. 

The more Amnon relaxed, the more in danger he became.

And as soon as his tipping reached the tipping point, they killed him.

So how many drinks did Amnon need before his judgment was impaired?

One.

Impairment begins with the first drink.

Because it is so common, and because the alcohol industry spends billions of dollars on advertising, we tend to forget that alcohol is a psychoactive drug.

Now here’s what I’ve noticed.  There are a lot of people who would never, ever use recreational drugs, but they do use alcohol.  Even some Christians.

To me this is like keeping a pet rattlesnake.  Even if you are very careful, everyone in the house is at risk. 

Have you ever read the book “John Adams” by David McCullough?  The Adams’ had alcohol in their home, and their son John Quincy Adams was still an amazing success. 

And their son Charles became a drunk and died at 30 of alcoholism. 

When I read that I thought, “If they could do it all over again, I wonder if they would decide that they could have lived without the alcohol after all?”

Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”

How many drinks until the leading astray begins?

The King James says alcohol is a deceiver.  It is “raging.”

Habakkuk 2:5 uses this phrase:  “…wine betrays him…”

A traitor.  A liar.  A mocker.  A brawler.  Who would allow this in their home? 

Have you seen the ads for medicine, with all the disclaimers?

Can you imagine the disclaimer for alcohol?

Yet many Christians drink. 

Now today I’m not going to dive into shoulds and shouldn’ts, what’s a sin and what isn’t.

Instead, here’s what I think.  I think that alcohol is a cheap substitute for being filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

It’s interesting that the Bible contrasts the two – alcohol and the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit…”

“But Doug, I don’t get drunk.”

Forget about the “don’t” right now.  Focus on the “do.”  “Be filled with the Spirit.”

Luke 1:15 talks about John the Baptist.  The angel said, “He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit…”

In Acts chapter 2 the disciples were filled with the Spirit.  And what were they accused of?  Drinking too much wine.  And Peter said no, they weren’t drunk.  It was actually the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all people.

It’s interesting, this contrast between the Holy Spirit and alcohol.

Here is what I think.  Some Christians drink because they hope to get something positive out of it.  However, far and away the better thing, the real thing, is to be filled with the Spirit. 

So I say throw out the bottle and pick up the Bible.

Get rid of the “spirits” and be filled with the Spirit.

Don’t be led astray by the cheap, pathetic substitute, the lying traitorous mocker.  It’s fool’s gold.  It’s settling for gravel when you could have diamonds.

Alcohol has risks for you and your children, maybe especially your children. 

But being filled with the Spirit of God is all positive, all rewards – real peace and love, wisdom and knowledge, joy and no regrets.

So if you think alcohol is okay, then stop settling for okay. 

Clear it out.  Make room for nothing but the best.

It’s time to draw near to God and be filled with His Holy Spirit.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

First Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober, vigilant, self-controlled and alert, because our enemy, the devil, is on the prowl, looking for someone to devour.  I often say this to Christians who say that one drink is okay:  One drink simply means you are one drink less sober.  You are one drink impaired, one drink less alert.  And if there really is a lion waiting to ambush you, how alert do you really need to be?

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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