Message in a Bottle

“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22)

It was a cup of coffee that spurred the question from a curious visitor in our home. He asked about the contents of a bottle on the coffee tray of stir sticks, sweeteners, and creamers. He was not being nosey, accusing, or insulting; he just needed confirmation about what he saw on the tray. The bottle in question held agave, not a famous brand of whiskey. After we all had a good laugh, I decided to find a new container for the sweetener. Why? It was my duty. What if our visitor had not asked about the bottle’s contents and left disappointed in his friends? What if the visitor was not someone who knew us well, left our home, and told others about the “whiskey” he saw? What if?

You may think, That’s his problem if he jumped to a conclusion. Well, you are correct but also wrong. The Bible teaches us not to judge others, but once I learned how others could easily misconstrue the container for a bottle of whiskey, I felt it needful to act. Whiskey is not evil, but its abuse is. And the Bible admonishes us to stay away from any form of evil—anything that could cause someone to stumble. That includes movies watched, the games we take part in, people associated with, beverages and food consumed, clothes worn, ungodly music, or gossip listened to and passed on to others.

As believers, we should avoid anything that sets a bad example or gives reason for someone to stumble or draw a wrong conclusion. God holds us accountable if we cause ourselves or others to stray in life. The apostle Paul wrote that if eating meat would cause someone to stumble, he would never eat meat again (1 Corinthians 8:13). That sounds extreme but setting examples as Christians by our words and actions is that important. So, our agave now has an unmistakable container.