Thursday, February 23, 2012

Vow


2/21/2012
Proverbs 31:5- “Lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive the oppressed of their rights.”

Interpretation: Why should kings and rulers not get drunk with wine? This scripture says lest they forget what the law decrees, and deprive the oppressed of their rights. Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” We no longer live under law; we live under grace. But a king forgetting the law and a Christian forgetting their grace can both equally deprive the oppressed of their rights. Say a king was to drink and forget a law that said a man should no longer hang for committing a certain crime, so in his stupor decreed the mans death anyways. He would be depriving that man of his right to live by the standard of the law. I remember one night as a freshman in college drinking with a group of friends, and we had just met some new people who lived in a different building. I was sitting with a person who I had gotten to know a little bit, and all of the sudden just started to feel convicted that I was drinking when I had the love of God and no one else seemed to. I looked at my friend and started telling him about God and about how real He is and how He died for our sins. While I don’t doubt that some seeds were planted, I was drunk and rambling. I had gotten drunk and forgotten about the grace that God had given me in my life, and in turn I was depriving my oppressed friend the right to hear about the truth and the love of God. Being drunk puts God on the back burner. It says, “I’m a believer, but not right now.” And forgetting that grace that God gave us, lapsing to serve God first and foremost in our everyday lives, even just deciding, “I’ve worked hard today, I deserve it,” is robbing God from a night that He could use us for His glory. It is choosing to treat our selves while keeping the oppressed locked in the chains of the enemy.

Application: I turn 21 in Costa Rica this year, and this is the year that all of my girl friends also turn 21. I will commit to not drinking alcohol for my whole year of being 21, to be a witness to my friends who do not know the Lord, and I will pray for each of them to understand that drinking is a life decision that leads them to emptiness. Anyone can hold me accountable, and every time I’m asked about it I will give God all the glory for my decision. 

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