Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 NLT
My personal experience with drunkenness is very limited, as you might imagine. I’m the daughter of a pastor and a career pastor myself. While I haven’t experienced the effects of too much wine personally, I have observed it many times and been part of a team of health-care personnel trying to intervene. I know the way drunkenness affects reactions, speech, attitudes, perspective, memory, and emotions. Drunkenness takes control of all of those, and the person is no longer “driving the car.” They are out of control and if that goes on long enough, the individual’s entire life will be controlled and consumed by alcohol.
This is the picture Paul had in mind when he told his friends to make certain to avoid drunkenness. He knew that losing control with alcohol would easily ruin life and relationships. But he didn’t stop there. He told us what to do instead because every life is controlled by something or someone. Paul urges us to choose to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of any other substance or person.
We don’t drink the Holy Spirit as we do alcohol, but just as we make an intentional choice to drink, our filling by the Holy Spirit also requires the intentional personal choice to surrender to the influence and control of the Spirit. Just as deciding to not ever be controlled by alcohol requires more than one single choice – a person has to continually restate and rechoose that commitment. Being filled with the Spirit requires a continuous, daily, and voluntary commitment to God’s control.
When I do that, I will discover that this choice impacts everything. Reactions, perspectives, attitudes, speech, and emotions are all dramatically affected by the filling of the Spirit. Even the way we manage our memories is better controlled when the Holy Spirit controls us. Paul says we will develop a singing heart that overflows with gratitude. We will give thanks for everything and develop a willingness to submit to others because of our mutual love for each other and for God our Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
- Everyone is controlled by someone or something. Does my life give witness that I am drunk on ego, self-centered and prideful, or that I am filled with the Spirit of God?