A Pastor Must Not Be Sloshed

# 85 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 3:2 A bishop (pastor) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, Next on the list of qualifications for those who would serve in the office of pastor is he must not be “given to wine.” The phrase in the Greek is restated as “one who is not staying near wine.” He is not to engage in tippling. (That is, to be a habitual drinker who drinks continuously,) And Strong's Concordance adds that he is not to be a toper (a drunkard.) Again we see some of the same behavior expected of pastors is the same as that expected for all followers of Christ. But tippling? Toper? Let's call it what it is, drunkenness! Drunkenness is a sin plain and simple. Eph 5:18 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” And on a much more serious note, 1Co 6:10 tells us that neither “thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. That's the bad news, but v11 tells us the Good News because it says, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” As followers of Christ, you are no longer identified by your sins. You may still struggle with them, but you have godly sorrow over them and continue to resist them, resting in the fact that they no longer identify you! The pastor who struggles with alcohol can take heart from all others who struggle with this sin, it is forgivable for sure, but until it is no longer an issue with the pastor, it disqualifies him from holding the office. A pastor must not be given to wine. A shepherd must always be unimpaired, ready to aid the individual sheep of the flock at any moment of the day or night, and face it, you can't do that if you are sloshed.