I came across a friend's post that expresses his family's reason for their conviction to stop drinking alcohol. The main reason for their decision was their realizing that as parents they need to live Christ in front of their children coupled with the concern that their actions could lead their children astray.
I don't believe that drinking or not drinking is the issue with leading our children astray. Jesus wasn't called a drunkard for no reason; He literally did drink and hang out with "the scum of the world". Sometimes placing some sort of dogma of "I shouldn't drink because it's not Christ." actually leads the children astray from what the heart of Christ actually is. Jesus wasn't about purifying the outside; He was always about purifying the inside.
My family grew up being told that we couldn't drink, couldn't dance, ... and now my sister is a boozing, lesbian, agnostic; she purposely went against the standards in our household because of the stringent laws... there should have been Freedom and Love.
Jesus always said that we should look on the inside before we focus on the outside. In face, we shouldn't focus on the outside at all, because if the inside is pure then the outside is pure. This was the problem with the Pharisees and the Jewish teaching; it focused constantly on the external (what I can see) instead of focusing on the internal.
If we truly want to show our kids Christ and who He really is, we need to focus on heart changes, not behavior changes. Focus on showing them Love and showing them what Love is. It is far better to teach children about Love because God is Love. It is better to teach our children that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. It is better to teach them to discern between what is Love and what is not Love than it is to teach them to discern between good and evil.
Discerning good from evil comes from maturity, after understanding what Love is. Being able to discern good from evil can make a person proud. But if a person understands what Love is, when he or she gets to the point of understanding good from evil, Love is not proud.
Christ chose to teach Freedom and Love and it seems the family unit today would be better off with that same standard. The Spirit of Freedom should be reigning today, but we are afraid to have Faith in Love.
Comments (3)
Good post - thanks for posting it! Bernie
I enjoyed the post -- I myself only drink the very occasional glass of wine, but it's nothing to do with personal salvation. I just enjoy the grape. :)
I think it comes down to this: Obey God's calling in your life, judge others by their fruit and not their actions, and obey the Lord of Love, not the Lord of Law.
very good post!! im not saying that because it gives me a license to drink (i dont even drink anyways) but our basis of our obedience to God is not based on obligation or duty (both of which are biblical but will eventually burn us out) but by love.
thanks for the great post!