Sept 17, 2009
Does Change Threaten You?
“Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better’.” Luke 5:36-39
A stubborn allegiance to old habits and traditions can sometimes seriously hinder maturing faith. Every believer should pay attention to that, because new life in Christ inevitably leads to innovation and timely change. Fear of change is understandable, but too much fear may be a sign of sinful resistance or of clinging to the past only because it feels safe and familiar.
Jesus understood our human tendency toward predictability and the natural resistance to new things. He also knew that not all changes are good, and He never advocated change for the sake of change. But He warned against making tradition, particularly religious tradition, the standard by which all things should be tested (Luke 6:36-39). His parable of the wineskins pleads for at least the openness to consider something new. It affirms timely change in matters of growth and new life.
Are you resistant to the dynamics of change in your life, work, family, or church? If so, could you be resisting the very work of God or the on-going dynamic of life itself?
For the kingdom,
City Bible Church
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