Read Galatians 5:13-21

ALSO IN SCRIPTURE
“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.” (Romans 6:12 NLT)

In his letter to the church in Galatia, the Apostle Paul is writing to a community that is divided over the issue of male circumcision: should new Gentile followers of Jesus be counted as a part of the Jewish covenant without being circumcised, or should they have to be circumcised just as all of the Jews are circumcised. Being that Christianity at the time wasn’t a religion, but a sect of Judaism, this was a VITALLY IMPORTANT question. While Paul is opposed to making Gentiles be circumcised, he also is against divisive behavior regardless of which side it is coming from. In response to this division, Paul describes to the Galatian church what he calls, “the works of the flesh.”

WORKS OF THE FLESH: Drunkenness. Oh come on Paul! Didn’t you go to college and let loose?!?! Okay, all jokes aside, there is plenty that could be said about drunkenness. There is, of course, the traditional understanding of drunkenness that plagues our country and our world. An entire book, and then some, could be written about Alcohol and Substance abuse in the United States alone. In 2013, 86.8% of people ages 18 or older said they drank alcohol at some point in their life, 70.7% drank within that year, and 56.4% drank within the month the study was being conducted, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The same study found that 24.6% of people the same age range said that they engaged in binge drinking within the past month, and 6.8% admitted to heavy drinking within the past month. What’s more, nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

I could go on about alcohol and substance abuse, and it would be a worthy endeavor. Many of us, myself included, have been drunk at some point in our lives and, no doubt, have stories to tell (thankfully we lived to tell them). With that said, there is another kind of drunkenness that affects many people that often get overlooked when reading about the dangers of drunkenness in the Bible or elsewhere. This kind of drunkenness stems from the selfish desire to have more and more of something to the point where the person is literally intoxicated by the mere thought, let alone the actual acquiring of what that person desires. Some are intoxicated with success, others with money, others still with status. The list is endless; we can virtually become addicted to, and “get drunk” on, anything.

Like an alcoholic for whom one drink is not enough, yet one is too many, we can easily get caught up in the things this world tells us to crave. We in the church can become intoxicated on success, on attendance, on position, on status, and a whole host of other things. I think power is at the root of most of the things we can “get drunk” on. For if we are successful, or if we are that big congregation other churches look to, or if we hold a high position, or if we have a good standing in the church and the community, we then have power over people who ARE NOT as high up as we see ourselves as being. Yes, power is the true intoxicant behind the drunkenness we find plaguing our church and our souls.

Paul’s warning is clear, those lost in drunkenness will not find themselves a part of the Kingdom of God. This is not because God has shut them out but because their own drunkenness has shut them out. Christ calls us away from the narcissistic need to have power. Remember, it was Christ who gave up his power. It was Christ who, on the cross, gave up his power and succumbed to his vulnerability; however, it was also Christ who, three days later, resurrected to life and to true power, that is the power of God. You, too, can resurrect. Give up your false power and be free to live!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
“Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” – Edward Abbey

PRAYER
Lord, steer me clear from the drunkenness that comes from seeking power. I trust in your power, which is enough for me. Amen.