Titus 2:3-5 Study: Not Given To Much Wine

Titus 2:3-5 

"The older women likewise, that they be

reverent in behavior, 

not slanderous,

not given to much wine,

teachers of good things --

that they admonish the young women

to love their husbands, 

to love their children,

to be discreet,

chaste,

homemakers,

good,

obedient to their own husbands,

that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

Not Given to Much Wine:
Amplified Version: "slaves to drink"
NASB: "enslaved to much wine"
NIV: "not addicted to much wine"
NLT: "be heavy drinkers"

The Word Given in this verse in the Greek means: 

1) to make a slave of, reduce to bondage

2) metaph. give myself wholly to one's needs and service, make myself a bondman to him

1 Corinthians 8:8-13

"But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the wrose. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."

You may not be a pastor's wife.
You may not be an elder's wife. 
However we know that our lives are on display for all to see.

Matthew 5:16

"Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father in heaven."

Let's say your neighbor knows you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Now your neighbor becomes a believer in Jesus Christ and is freed from her addiction to alcohol. Her conscience toward drinking alcohol would be weak (in other words she would feel guilty for going back to that, or dabbling with it). 

You, on the other hand, have never had a past with alcohol as far as abusing it or being dependent on it; so you decide to meet a friend for a martini at a restaurant/bar. Your neighbor walks in and sees you at the bar drinking. They are going to, naturally, look at you and think,

"She is able to drink and she has been walking with the Lord. It must be okay."

Now this person is really wresting with this. You have become a stumbling block to her!

You can put this into any terms really. What have you been delivered from?

* Secular Music?

* An Eating Disorder?

* Obsession with How You Look?

* Cussing?

* Pornography?

If you were to see another believer partaking in the very thing you were delivered from, how would you feel? 

Would it tempt you? 

Confuse you?

Do you feel that check in your conscience?

The Bible doesn't say we, as believers, are NOT to drink.

We are definitely not supposed to loose our senses or become addicted to alcohol.

Personally, the day I turn to a glass of wine instead of Jesus after a rough day is the day I  know something is wrong.

My pastor once said, 

If someone called him to jump start their car

or needed counsel

He never wanted to be in the position where he would have to turn them down because he drank alcohol and shouldn't drive or is not entirely in his right mind.

I think every believer needs to make this decision for themselves.

Sit down with your husband and listen to where he stands on the topic.

Pray about it.

Be open to the Lord's leading in this area.

Lord, 

I want Your Will for my life.

Please speak to me on this topic.

Show me things that my 

eyes may not be open to.

Help me to be obedient 

to the leading of Your Holy Spirit.

** Here is a sweet tip: Find some other cool drinks that you could use instead of alcohol. I LOVE to sip straight up cranberry juice from a wine glass while in the bathtub. It has great health benefits and still has that potent taste I love :)