Isaiah Chapter 28. Reliance!
Ephraim and Judah are self-reliant versus being reliant upon God. They consumed alcohol until they staggered and vomited. Their spiritual leaders did the same thing.
God speaks of the coming of the cornerstone which is Jesus. He will provide righteousness and justice. Reliance upon Him brings true hope and he will call many who will follow him and do his work. For God's plan for us is both wonderful and magnificent. To turn your heart away from the cornerstone, on whom we are to put our full reliance, is to bring God's wrath upon oneself.
There's too much in our world that captures our attention. Alcohol becomes a major tool for pleasure, relieving stress, calming nerves, taking one's mind off overwhelming issues, etc. This is the tool of reliance even for leaders including spiritual leaders. There's always words of justification. They convince self that their consumption is within the realm of “not getting drunk” while at the same time, convincing oneself that they convinced others of their justification when in reality they only fooled themselves.
They aren't the bum on the street who has lost everything. In fact they wear a suit and tie. How could someone who looks so good and who is so important have a reliance problem? In the meantime, those who are closest to him or her suffer from their problem that “does not exist.”
Let's be honest, we all have that one thing we rely on that we must be careful about. It may not be alcohol but it could be a number of other things. Money, government, drugs, relationship, jobs, or whatever!
CHALLENGE:
What do you rely on? What excuses do you make to justify it? Be honest. Be real. Deal with it head on. Don't play with it. Don't flirt with it. Get rid of it.