Luke 5:36-39 There are some situations where mixing the old with the new works just fine. It works fine to take old asphalt that has been ground and mix it with the new road material. It also works fine to recycle paper and blend the old with the new. Back in Jesus time, before the days of pre-shrunk fabrics and glass containers, there were some things that all but the most illiterate knew better than to put together. Anyone who would patch an old garment with a new piece of material or store this year' s wine in last year' s wineskins did not have both oars in the water. Most of us really don't have a problem with things in our natural, physical lives, but in our Spiritual lives it seems to be quite a different matter. It seems that we continually try to put godly principles into the old life style and way of thinking and wonder why it never seems to work. II Cor. 5:17 tells us: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come." The real problem is learning how to live these new lives that we have received in Christ. I feel that a key to getting a handle on the problem can be found in John 15:1ff. We know that we have a vital relationship with God as we bear fruit. We bear fruit as we remain in vital relationship with Jesus. He is the vine, we are the branch. As long as the branch stays attached, it can draw nourishment from the vine. In the same way we draw our nourishment from Christ. It also tells us that the Father is the gardener. It is the gardener's function to keep the branches trimmed of dead and non-productive parts, so that there will be even more fruit. Often, we find ourselves being trimmed and think that God is punishing us and we tend to draw away. The secret is that when we find ourselves being cut and broken, to draw nearer to Christ, let the dead pieces go - even the ones that have always been special to us.

New Wine in New Wineskins