A fifty-five-year-old man was arrested in Buffalo, N. Y. sometime back for stealing a $270 case of liquor. He wouldn't have gotten caught except that as he ran away, he dropped his ill-gotten goods and shattered all the bottles. He still wouldn't have gotten caught except that, after leaving the scene, he returned with a straw to suck up the pool of booze. He was still on his knees when a police officer showed up. He tried to escape, but was caught and arrested. (1) Obviously he's not the smartest candle on the cake. 

St. Paul writes in our lesson for today, "Be very careful . . . how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery . . ."

"DO NOT GET DRUNK ON WINE . . ." There's some good practical advice.  You may have seen a list of fictitious warnings the FDA is considering adding to labels on beer and alcohol bottles: 

• WARNING:  consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like an idiot.
• WARNING:  consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell the same boring story over and over again until your friends want to smash your head in.
• WARNING:  consumption of alcohol may cause you to thay shings like thish. 

It may be that the most taboo subject in many pulpits today is that of alcohol abuse. Many of us remember the overzealousness of earlier pastors influenced by the prohibition movement, and we fear that we might turn people off if we use the same tactics today. And yet, a 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported the following grim statistics: 

• Each year 1,400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related injuries. 
• Each year 500,000 students are accidentally injured while under the influence of alcohol. 
• Each year more than 70,000 students are sexually assaulted or date-raped by people who have been drinking. 
• Each year 2.1 million students drive under the influence of alcohol. 
• Each year more than 150,000 students report a health problem related to drinking alcohol. 

"The consequences of excessive drinking are far too common on many college campuses nationwide," says one expert, "and efforts to reduce high-risk drinking and its related problems have largely failed." About 40 percent of students binge drink. Binge drinking is defined as consuming at least five drinks in a row for men and at least four in a row for women. About 20 percent of students say they have binged more than three times in the last two weeks.  That sounds like a pretty significant problem to me. 

Actually, Paul's warning about drunkenness is part of a broader teaching on smart living. Listen again to his words: "Be very careful . . . how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery . . ." 

HE'S SAYING TO US, FIRST OF ALL, USE YOUR HEAD. Don't do anything stupid. Hey, that's good advice regardless of our age, whether we are a student or not.  The King James Version of the Bible translates the opening verse of this passage, "See  . . . that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise . . ." 

A grand old preacher in London, Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, once gave an example  of walking circumspectly. He described a beautiful English flower garden that was surrounded by a high wall. A little cat is walking carefully among the many pieces of broken glass that are embedded in the cement on the top of that wall. The cat is surrounded by many dangers and many pieces of glass, but it never cuts itself. Why? It walks circumspectly. (2) 

There is a time when all of us need to walk circumspectly. It simply makes sense. The world is full of dangers. If we are not careful we can embarrass ourselves and our families. Even more important, we can bring pain to others as well as to ourselves. That not only applies to what we drink, but also how we conduct business in all of life. Paul is simply writing to us as a good friend who says to us, "Use your head. Don't put yourself in a situation that you will later regret." 

It happens, doesn't it? We put ourselves into a situation that later we would give anything if it had not happened. Some of you know what I'm talking about.  In an interview in USA Today last summer, professional boxer Mike Tyson spoke of his regrets. He confesses that he was a "brat" and a "prima donna," that he conducted himself poorly as a boxer and a man. Few of us would disagree.  He has squandered his fame and fortune.  What does the future hold for this man who was the former world heavyweight champion?  As Tyson says, "I believe I'll die alone . . . I'm really lost." (3) 

At one time Mike Tyson was sitting on top of the world. If anyone had dared grab him by the shoulders and say, "Mike, use your head . . . ," maybe it would have made a difference. I doubt it. He was arrogant, as most of us would be if we came from his surroundings, and yet he had accomplished so much. But what a shame, for anyone to have to look back with so much regret.

It's not rare for many people, from all walks of life, to look back with regret.  Dr. Dean Ornish is a nationally recognized physician who has authored numerous best-selling books on nutrition and health.  In his line of work, he has met many successful people who share a common regret: they have neglected their families.  Ornish says his own father never made that mistake. He says his father passed over more exciting, lucrative jobs in order to spend time with his kids.  He even left the office early occasionally if his children needed him.  Ornish credits his father with teaching him that the world is "a loving place, rather than a hostile, dangerous place." (4) 

My guess is that there are some parents in this room who look back at the time when their children were small with regret. All I can say to young parents is, "Use your head . . ." Think about your priorities before it is too late. I understand that you're under a lot of pressure, but someday you will realize how quickly the years get away from us.  Is there any age in life, any circumstance in life, when Paul's words would be inappropriate? "Be very careful . . . how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. INSTEAD, BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT."   Notice those last five words: "Be filled with the Spirit." He's told us to use our heads, NOW HE'S TELLING US TO OPEN OUR HEARTS. Open our hearts to God's Holy Spirit. 

The truth of the matter is that it doesn't help us much to tell us to use our heads. Most of us know what we ought to do. We know the smart thing, the wise thing, the intelligent thing, and yet we continually choose the stupid thing, the hurtful thing, the destructive thing. The problem is not with our heads, but with our hearts. We relate to Paul when he writes in Romans 7: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing . . . I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin...What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (18-24) 

We've all been there! We've all willed one thing, but done something else. No intelligent person would willingly destroy his or her own body. No one consciously decides to bring pain to his or her spouse and children. None of us would deliberately go out and hurt another human being. Not deliberately. But the problem is that we do not deliberate, we do not look where our actions may lead us, we do not think through the consequences of our behavior. A brain transplant might help, but since that's not possible, we need to apply for a new heart. Not a physical heart, but a spiritual heart; a heart that has been invaded by the Spirit of God, a heart that is motivated to seek after the things of God. 

Let me tell you of someone who knows about the Spirit of God invading a life. This story is told by Michael Card in his book, Immanuel.  It is about Joseph, a tall, slender Massai warrior. Some time ago he met a man along a dusty African road who told him the story of Christ. Joseph became a believer and rejoiced in the "Jesus story."  Joseph  became a fiery witness, to the point that he later made the long journey from Africa to Amsterdam for an Evangelism conference with Billy Graham. His greatest hope was to meet Graham in person.  A staff member named Robert was so struck by Joseph's story that he made it possible for Joseph to tell his conversion experience to Dr. Graham. You need to hear Joseph's story in his own words: "After I met Jesus, I was so excited that I just knew everyone in my village would be happy to meet him also. So I went door-to-door telling everyone I met about the cross of Jesus and the salvation it offered.  To my amazement my people not only didn't care, they became hostile.  The men held me to the ground while the women began beating me with barbed wire. I was dragged from the village and left to die in the bush."  Joseph somehow managed to crawl to a water hole, and there, after two days of passing in and out of consciousness, found he had the strength to get up. He was puzzled about the hostile reception from family and friends whom he had known all his life. "I decided that I must have left something important out of the story I told them about Jesus. So I practiced it over and over, then limped back to tell them the good news. I went again, from hut-to-hut telling about Jesus who died for us so we might find forgiveness and know the living God. Again they held me down and I was beaten, opening anew the former wounds. They dragged me unconscious outside the camp and I was left for dead. I woke up two days later, scarred and bruised, but still alive. For the third time I went back into my home village and started to witness.  But they were waiting for me. I was set upon, thrown to the ground and as the beatings began I passed out. When I awakened this time I was in my own bed. The folks who had been whipping on me had now become my nurses. Everyone in my village had become a believer in Christ."  After telling Billy Graham his story, Joseph lifted his colorful African shirt and showed his scars.  Afterward, Billy said to his staff, "I'm not worthy to untie his shoes, and he wanted to meet me?" (5) 

Because most of us have been brought up in the church, we may not realize that there is more to faith than simply going through our normal religious routines, as important as they are. Christ has promised us a comforter, an encourager, someone who will fill us with new excitement about our lives so that we may more easily translate our good intentions into positive actions. Paul tells us to use our head. He tells us to open our hearts to God's Spirit so that we will have power for the living of our lives. 

FINALLY HE SAYS, "GIVE THANKS TO GOD." He writes, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Maxie Dunnam once told a story about a Cuban Christian by the name of Huber Matos. Huber Matos was a Christian teacher and journalist. In 1959 he and many others were imprisoned for the stand that they took as Christians. In a letter to his wife and children that was smuggled out of the prison he wrote this, "I know that I will die in prison. I am sad not to see you again, but I am at peace." Then Huber Matos added these beautiful words: "They have swords but we have songs." What a magnificent testimony. Truly this Christian saint had a grateful heart. 

"They have swords, but we have songs." That sums it up, doesn't it? Use your head. Do the smart thing for yourself and others. But also open your hearts. It is the Spirit of God that gives us the power to live up to our good intentions. And give thanks to God in all things. Lift up your heads. Lift up your hearts. Sing God's praise.

1. Sent by Tony Bollback @Sermon Fodder

2. Pastor David Legge, http://www.preachtheword.com/sermon/eph23.shtml.

3. USA Today with John Sacraceno, cited in The Week, June 24, 2005, p. 8.

4. Dean Ornish, M.D. in "Tops of the Pops," AARP Magazine, May/June 2005, p. 84.

5. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc.), pp. 172-174. Cited at http://ulcseminary.org