NEW WINE

Jesus spoke of the problem of trying to put new wine in old wine skins. That is was impossible because the old skins wouldn’t hold the new wine.

In part I think this was a reference to the change he was bringing to man’s understanding of our relationship with God. The old wine skins being those traditions and attitudes that prevailed at the time, which were no really approved of God, but popular with man.

And the problem is that for some they simple want God on their own terms. They easily embrace some style of worship and fellowship that fits that view, but never ask the central question in prayer of want does God want. Naturally if the Holy Spirit was ever involved he has long since been grieved away by their selfishness.

Thus is the core of what often is an invisible barrier to our real spiritual growth. Our lives are like clay, which God sees as a vessel he molds. It is shaped at first by our parents or childhood. Then as adults we go continue to let it be molded in different ways, but often it still maintains in part that first form we took as a child.

The problem is that as humans and sinners what is the clay of our lives is corrupt and will never be perfect. There are different elements added to the mix that affect our actions and choices.

When we come to Christ the Holy Spirit begins that process of reshaped our clay. And in the process pouring the new “wine” of God’s will into your wine skins. Sometimes though we taste that wine and then look for our own winery to get a refill. So we end up at some house of worship where we sip upon its teaching and decide it tastes good enough.

God can lead us through such quests to satisfy our spiritual thirst. But what if he has a different vintage in mind that the one our palate decides tastes great?

New wine is also something that was fermented by God in his vineyards. They may be in stock in some local spiritual winery or he may prefer to simply offer them at a stand somewhere less travel. (God isn’t concerned over the number of sales as much as the quality of his patrons. Basically he sees our heart and knows what will really touch our souls as wine instead of what is popular.)

The big question I suppose is do we seek God’s form of new wine by looking for the label on a given bottle of traditions? Do we honestly seek his way of change and want the sweet, pure flavor of his grace and love or do we prefer to be able to boast we got the wine at some given spiritual “brewery.”

Being a Christian ultimately is about Christ and our relationship with him. It isn’t about whatever spiritual “wine” we think will impress or the taste we think is best.

And whether we are willing to let God fill our wine skins of souls with a new wine is often dependent on whether we will let him prepare the skin according to his purpose. Sometimes that can be the best taste and hardest one to swallow.