Second Baptist Baytown

Before you answer the question, look at the definition of Intoxication. The state of being intoxicated or drunk:

• A making or becoming drunk.

• A high excitement of mind; an elation which rises to enthusiasm, frenzy, or madness.

Our minds are automatically drawn to alcohol when the word “intoxication” comes up. But based on the definition a person can become intoxicated over many things. Take food for example (trust me…I would like to). Food can become intoxicating. You see, I am one who lives to eat. Consider work. When it is overdone, one can become a workaholic. I own that t-shirt as well.

We live in an perverse world which means we often think the worst. So the question is really two questions: On what are you intoxicated? Is it things of the world or of Jesus? As believers, we are to be little christs…and as we grow to reflect more of Him and less of us.

By being a workaholic, it effects our relationships with family, friends, etc. By taking in too much alcohol, a person becomes under the influence and it is reflected in our speech, talk, etc. The same is true of being filled with the Spirit. It becomes evident as we do life. When living life under the influence of Christ, it is reflected in our speech and our behavior and every part of our being.

In closing, when was the last time you were living the intoxicated like…Jesus? “Today is the day the Lord has made.” Live each day in and full of the Spirit.

Motorcycling has in some ways helped me live out the Christian life. And “No” I didn’t use this reasoning with Donna when purchasing a motorcycle(s). That is another story. The only time I have gone down was shortly after beginning to ride I made a road trip through Arkansas. Hwy 7 makes for an exciting ride. What beautiful scenery-tree lining the road and one curve after another with some curves being sharper and more difficult to navigate than others. So much to look at and so little time to take it all in...but I tried. I entered the curve riding my bike and came out of the curve with the bike riding me.

To navigate curves, the biker must look through the curve to where he wants to end up. You tend to go where you are looking or focused. The same is true in living out the Christian life. We face many distractions-some can be bad and some can be doing good things. We may be focused on a program and not the cross and Jesus. Hebrews 12:5 says “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that ensnares us, and let us run the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith....

Where is the Source of Your Stimulus Package?

At Married Life Live last weekend, Donna made mention of all the motorcycles I had purchased during our marriage and the roses she received with each purchase. I am reminded of the immediate injection of joy that accompanied each purchase. With each bike purchase or accessory purchase, I experienced another shot of joy. It can be euphoric…for a season. However my stimulus package soon subsides. In the case of motorcycles, my stimulus wore off but the payments continued.

Jesus said in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Jesus intent is for every Christian to have joy. Why then do so many of us struggle to have it? What circumstances or thoughts are we allowing to steal our joy?

We allow the worries of life to consume and rob us of joy. What is his remedy? What is “this” that he told his disciples in verse 11 that would result in joy? When Jesus spoke to his disciples about joy, He just told them to remain in his love. I think Jesus is saying, when we don’t have joy in our lives, it’s because we have left something out of the formula. We have not remembered the wealth of Jesus’ love, or we have not loved others extravagantly as He loves us. Jesus asks us to look past the surface of our “joylessness” and major on love. Remember…our self-imposed stimulus package will not last, but we will experience joy by loving God and loving others.