Moment of Meditation: Not a Drunkard (1 Timothy 3:3)

[A pastor must be] no drunkard.
(1 Timothy 3:3)

Not a Drunkard

Do you want a drunk pastor? Me neither. Drunkenness lowers inhibitions. Drunkenness loosens the tongue. The last thing anyone wants in a pastor is a loose tongue.

A loose tongue causes all kinds of problems. The pastor is supposed to be the one person you can trust with all your deepest secrets. The pastor must keep his tongue tight about what he is bound not to discuss. Drunkenness clouds a person's judgment. Cloudy judgment makes for bad choices.

A pastor is most vulnerable to the bad choices that he makes. Not because he made them. Because he has a congregation that's affected by everything that he does. He's the public embodiment of the congregation. The example for all as Jesus is his example. Amen.