wine is a mocker: One Year Bible Reading for September 23

 Today we read from these verses in the One Year Bible:

Isaiah 41:17-43:13
Ephesians 2:1-22
Psalm 67:1-7
Proverbs 23:29-35

Let's look at the Proverb. It says:

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaints?

    Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
    who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
    and your mind will imagine confusing things.
34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
    lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
    They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
    so I can find another drink?”

Now, since I'm Catholic, I have no problem with drinking alcohol. However, I've been blessed with a very low tolerance for it. If I drink half a glass of wine, I go straight to sleep. "How is that BLESSED?" you might ask? Well, see the verses above. I'm immune to that problem. But I also save a TON of money on drinks. 

In all seriousness, though, it's important to know that having a little alcohol from time to time is not only not a bad thing, it's actually good for you. But taking the wisdom from the verses above, we see that wine (and other drinks) can ruin our lives if we drink too much and become addicted. Even drinking too much just one night can be disastrous if we don't make wise choices and take an Uber instead of driving.

God, thanks for teaching us that a little wine is good, and a ton of it is not wise.