John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
This passage of scripture was the response given by Christ to the woman at the well, who had come to draw water out of Jacob's well, and who had there encountered Christ in what was to be a life-changing experience. Jesus used the figure of the well to represent the broken cisterns of this earth where members of the human family go to find satisfaction, happiness, and joy. These polluted cisterns offer a much inferior substitute to the joys that come with a deep and abiding relationship with Christ, and it was for this reason that He stated that whosoever drinks from earthen wells will thirst again. In contrast, the ones who have discovered the joys of serving Christ, and the pleasures that are to be found at His right hand, can never again thirst after those fleeting pleasures of this world, which only satisfy for the moment, but do not last for eternity.
One of the more popular drafts often sought by millions who drink at earth's broken cisterns is that of alcohol consumption, and the temporary feelings of earthly pleasure and fantasy which it supposedly brings. One of the results of drinking alcoholic beverages is that it immediately impairs a person's judgment, and continues its gravitational pull on our conscious mind the more we indulge in the practice. Another problem that often develops as a direct result is our dependence on it, and the consequent addictive and deleterious effects it produces on us internally. Both of these dire results are addressed in the Bible, with the hope that as rational thinking beings, we would reason from cause to effect, and avoid as far as possible, the temptation to be inebriated. Let's read:
Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
In our day the habit of drinking has become widespread across most cultures, and is now considered to be amongst the foremost of social activities that is expected to be indulged when friends and families get together for such events. However, for the Christian, the standards and practices of the world are to be no criteria for us to follow, for God has given us infinitely higher ideals to to live by, and if we do, we will indeed reap the benefits of walking in harmony with His wise and perfect instructions, thereby avoiding the many pitfalls and troubles which come upon those who choose to do otherwise. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which discourages the consumption of alcoholic beverages for any purpose, because the principles of temperance teach us to discard the use of that which is harmful, and to use judiciously that which is good. Let's read:
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!