Coffee, Cup of Tea, or a Glass of Wine?

I have always liked coffee. Even when I was “almost an alcoholic” in my drinking days, I enjoyed coffee in the mornings, especially with bacon and eggs around a campfire in the California desert mountains.

Working and traveling in Africa, Latin America and Asia, I have been able to sample the best coffee, as well as the worst. Someone said, “Life is too short to waste it on a bad cup of coffee.” I agree.

Years ago, someone enrolled me in a coffee club, from which I receive some of the best, most expensive coffee from around the world. However, saying it is expensive is relative because it averages to only about 10¢ to 15¢ a cup. Wine averages around $1.00 to $2.50 per small glass.

However, the cost is not the reason I do not drink wine. When I came to faith in Christ, one of the first things I gave up was alcohol, mainly because of what it had done to me, the majority of my family members and many of my friends.

Someone mentioned to me, “Oh Doug, you should have a glass of wine, after all, Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach’s sake.” However, this verse shows that not all people in biblical times drank wine, or Paul would not have had to tell Timothy to drink wine for his sickness. Therefore, what they drank was not fermented to the extent wine is today.

Then, I read the following, It is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.(Proverbs 31:4-5, nasb)

Those of us in leadership in the church and missions need to be careful to drink something that might impair thinking and disable us from serving God and caring for His church and the needy in a thoughtful, clear manner, not clouded by fermented juice.

So, dear friends, if your conscience allows you to drink wine, fine, but don’t push it on or make it easily available to others. If your happy times depend upon the booze, then ask the Lord to deliver you from it so that your joy can be in Christ and in ministry to others for His name’s sake.