New Wine

Luke 5:37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 

Leather skins were used widely in Biblical times for carrying liquids. Milk, water and especially wine were transported more safely because the skins would not break under rough treatment. Jars and glass were breakable and did not fare well on the road. 

When wine is new, a fermentation process puts a lot of pressure on the container. The container must be able to accommodate the build-up of gasses within. A new wineskin is soft, pliable and will stretch much more easily. Old leather tends to be fragile and brittle. It does not allow for changes and a lot of pressure. It will break easily. 

When we become new in Christ, we must become like new wine skins. We must become flexible, willing to change and mold-able. We become a new creation. Behold, all things become new. The old ways must pass away. We will need to become the vessel that the Lord has created us to be. We must be willing to give up on our stiff-necked ways and trust the Wine Maker to fill us as He sees fit. 

In Christ, we will be stretched and challenged as our new wine begins to become mature. We will be given a new set of values that don't meet the world's values. The world tells us, "Me first, then maybe you." Hosea 6:6 tells us God desires "mercy not sacrifice". The Lord asks us to go into all our world to preach the gospel. He asks us to be willing to place our wants and sometimes needs on the back burner in order to help those around us. Whether physical or spiritual needs, the Lord has given us all we need to help others. 
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I have met Christians that know the Lord as their savior yet they don't have the great joy of knowing His compassion and peace. I know some who are so in love with the Lord they can't wait to give that joy to others. The Lord uses all of us in one way or another. We can choose to be a willing, mold-able vessel or a stiff old wine skin. The great Wine Maker loves us regardless.