Happy Friday! It is September 22, 2023. I am realizing how important it is to stay current with the Holy Spirit. What He did yesterday may be different from what He is doing today; same goal, different angle of approach. As the old motto of Youth for Christ used to be: “Staying anchored to the Rock, but be geared for the times.” Read on …
Today's Reading:
Daniel 9,10; Psalms 123; Luke 5
Scripture
“No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one… And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins … No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:36-39)
Observation
Jesus was being questioned about the activity and habits of His disciples (they weren’t fasting enough), about eating with tax-gatherers (he was dining with Levi), and about His authority to forgive sins (forgiving an invalid man). To answer their questions, Jesus gives a parable of patches and wineskins. If He were telling it today, it may have been more about shuttles and booster rockets.
Keep reading!
Application
It’s a parable, but it’s really a teaching on mindsets and biases that keep us from advancing. We hold onto the old. We are afraid of change, and at best, we are open to Jesus just “remodeling the past.” But He doesn’t just want to remodel; He wants to demo and reconstruct!
However, our thinking and tendency is to hang onto the old. “The old is good enough!” It worked for us “back then.” Nevertheless, that which worked for us in the past may not work for us in the future. It took us from point A to point B, but it won’t take us any further! And if we are not careful, we will be stuck at that remedial level for the rest of our lives!
Like booster rockets on a space shuttle, they will take it to a certain point, but if the shuttle doesn’t eject the booster at some point, the whole expedition will fail!
As much as I am thankful for booster rockets, I cannot hang onto them. They got me this far, but now I must go onward in our growth, quality of life, and maturity.
I must be willing to let them go because the new boosters cannot fire up until the old ones are out of the way.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, please keep me in step and current with You. What You have done in the past was for yesterday, and I honor that. However, I must be open to new ideas and ways of living and be willing to make changes. And that transformation begins in my mind as well as in my feet.
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