Thursday, May 4

Be on your guard

Scripture: Luke 21

Luke 21:34 “But be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap.

Observation

Jesus was teaching about being ready for His return when He gave this warning. Be on guard, watch out for yourselves so that your hearts are not weighed down (Greek bareo—the root of our English word barometer which measures air pressure). What might weigh our hearts down? Dissipation (unbridled indulgence in a drinking party; drunken behavior without moral restraint) and drunkenness and the worries of this life. 

Those three things are listed in reverse. When the worries of life weigh us down, some people medicate their worry by drinking, and drunkenness can lead to bad behavior. 

Watch yourself! This is a slippery slope from worry to drunkenness to dissipation.

Application

This may have stood out to me today because I’m praying for a friend who is struggling with this. He is under a great deal of pressure and has self-medicated with alcohol, resulting in drunkenness and poor behavior. And it is costing him big time. 

I come from a long line of alcoholics, so I resolved as a teenager never to drink. I’ve never regretted that decision. The latest studies on alcohol confirm that the best and healthiest choice is to simply abstain. I’m glad I do. I have never missed it.

Rather than medicating your pain or worry with alcohol, consider this option:

Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, I love you. I am grateful that You spared me from the chaos of drunkenness that I grew up in. And I’m praying for my friend today whose life has been upended by his drinking. Help him find peace in prayer, not a bottle. 

More: 1 Samuel 7-8, Mark 4