Wineskins

Hello again! If you notice the date on my last post, it was quite a while ago. A lot has changed since then! Little did I know that we would need to “grab hold” of a new way of living so soon. Jesus taught us that we need new wineskins to understand the new way of living under the new covenant. 

Mark 2:22  (NIV)

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

I researched wineskins while I was writing my book. Here is an excerpt from chapter 10 that will help you understand a little bit more about them.”There was a time I could not get away from thinking about new wineskins. It consumed my thoughts. In Bible times they didn’t have barrels and bottles to store wine in. They used actual animal skins that were prepared to hold the wine.  I researched what that parable meant. This is what I learned: New wine is in the process of fermenting. That means gases are being released and, in that state, it’s sort of effervescent. The old wineskin is rigid and brittle. It cannot handle the constant movement and change of the new wine. If you put new wine inside an old wineskin, it will burst. It cannot contain it, and the new wine is lost. However, a new wineskin is flexible and can handle the movement, the life, of the new wine. Of course, we know Jesus is not just talking about wine. He is talking about our mindset. In this passage, He was telling the religious leaders of the day that the new way of life He was bringing would not fit in the old mindset. It was the new covenant that could not be contained by the old.”

Anchored in Freedom, pgs. 89-90

The problem was, people didn’t want to let go of their old ways because they thought their ways were “right” for every season. Old ways are comfortable, we are good at old ways, they are proven and safe. The same problem exists today. But what if “that way” was right in the old season but not right for the new one? It is absolutely true that there are some things that will never change and they never should. Things like moral standards that will never be different. On the other hand, there is so much that will change as we continue to walk with the Lord. Jesus wants us to have an everyday relationship with Him so that if there is something new… we know it!  He wants us to be able to follow Him in obedience even when it requires something new from us. If we aren’t willing to change, we run the risk of missing out on the new wine that He has for us. 

We are having to learn how to accomplish the things God has for us in a brand-new way. We are having to learn how to reach out to people without actually reaching out to them! We are all having to learn how to eat at home more and how to worship in our living room without the help of others around us! That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I bet there are lots of things you are learning right now. I know I am. This slowing down has caused me to evaluate things I would’ve never slow down enough to notice before. It’s been a difficult, but a very good journey so far. There is so much redemption in what the Lord is doing even in the midst of what seems to be a chaotic time. (Check out our media page for a video titled “It’s Both” about this very topic.) The Lord will help you change the things that need to change AND show you the places that need to REMAIN uncompromised.

When it comes to wineskins, don’t be an old one!

Don’t let the new wine be wasted. Become flexible and willing to deal with the “life” of the new wine. It may feel uncomfortable at first but you will learn how to do things in a new way. The current season in our world is no surprise to the Lord and He has provision for every second of it. He knows you, He knows your life, He knows His plans for you and He is the most faithful Father there is! While we may need a new wineskin to live a new way for a while, some things that never change should bring us comfort.

Things like: God is always good, He is a good Father, He loves you perfectly, He has a plan and a purpose to prosper you, our hope is in Him and we will not be tossed to and fro, no man can hinder the plans of the Lord. Those things, those unchanging truths, should always bring us hope and stability.

While there is so much in life that you may not be able to change right now, don’t let your mindset be one of them! Have the mind of Christ. (Phil. 2:5) Let Jesus show you how to walk through this new way of living and see it through His eyes. What may seem burdensome to you may just be His new way of helping you see things.  Did you notice that Anchored in Freedom is 222 pages long? The WHOLE book is about learning to have a new wineskin! You are not alone my friend. We are all in this together with the most loving Father who will help us THROUGH!