The New Is Living In You (2025-01-03)

Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Let’s spend today examining living based on our relationship in Christ.

Today’s scripture, Luke 5:33-38 (NLT) shares…
[33] One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?” [34] Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. [35] But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” [36] Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. [37] “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. [38] New wine must be stored in new wineskins.

Consider…
Every year many churches, including mine, begin the year with a fast, typically 21 days. Today’s post will not address fasting, except for examining it’s purpose.

According to the bibleproject.com, fasting is a way of fully surrendering your body over to God, trusting that God will come and meet you in your place of need.

That definition highlights the goal of fasting is to have God meet us.

In today’s scripture we read religious people questioned why Jesus’ disciples weren’t following the tradition of fasting and prayer. Yet, considering the definition we just read, why would Jesus’ disciples need to do something to have God meet them when they walked with Him daily.

It’s my observation that we should prioritize a daily walk with Jesus.

Please understand, I know and believe that fasting is a good God honoring thing to do, I’m just saying it should be in addition to, rather than in place of spending regular time with God.

Thus I picked today’s scripture because I have often heard the, “no one puts new wine into old wineskins” quoted in the context of changing our ways. But as I read the context before the quote, I realized Jesus was really emphasizing the importance of being in His presence replaces the religious efforts to seek it.

This reminds me of the Mary and Martha story about a visit from Jesus. Recall, Martha was busy preparing for Jesus and questioned why He didn’t chastise Mary for lazily sitting at His feet. But look at Jesus’ response in Luke 10:41-42 (NLT)…
[41] But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! [42] There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Similar to today’s scripture, Jesus emphasized being in His presence is the most important thing.

This makes me wonder, are there religious rituals today that distract us from being in the presence of God?

Both today’s scripture and the one we just read make sense for those who lived in Jesus’ day, but how are they pertinent to believers today? Well I am glad you wondered about that too.

The Holy Spirit responded to our curiosity with Romans 8:10-14 (NLT), which says…
[10] And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. [11] The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. [12] Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

I think many of us miss the significance of the relationship transformation between God and mankind…

…God transitioned from making and breathing life into us briefly to living in us eternally. That means, if God’s Spirit is living in us eternally, we don’t need to set aside moments to seek Him temporarily. Indeed we just need to listen to the Spirit of God within and follow Him.

The Holy Spirit of course repeated Galatians 5:16 (NLT) to emphasize the point…
[16] So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

The Holy Spirit is also emphasizing that God doesn’t want a ‘religious-ritual-ship’ (my word), He wants a relationship. I know that because Paul explained in Galatians 2:19-21 (NLT)…
[19] For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. [20] My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [21] I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

The LORD just showed me we can get so caught up trying to seek His face that we miss embracing His grace.

I believe God is telling us to stop trying to impress Him and simply surrender to Him. That’s what Jesus did. I base that belief on Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT), which explains…
[5] You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. [6] Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

What do you need to give up for God, not just during a fast? How do you need to humble yourself in obedience?

The Holy Spirit is leading me to share James 4:6-10 (NLT) to make a point about the importance of humility.
It says…
[6] And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [7] So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. [9] Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

The LORD showed me in these verses, humility is about prioritizing Him over ourselves. That’s a new insight for me because I always associated humility with lowering myself, but instead it’s about prioritizing Him!

You see when God tells us to let His Spirit lead us, He’s saying prioritize eternally pleasing Him over the temporary pleasure of sin. That’s what humble surrender looks like.

But the verses also say that God gives grace to the humble. That’s important too, because it acknowledges that even though we prioritize Him, we will still sin. I believe it’s because of God’s grace that 1 John 1:8-9 (NLT) tells us…
[8] If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. [9] But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Please don’t think it’s heresy when I suggest God is telling us to stop proudly obsessing about being right and humbly allow His grace to make us right.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT) supports my assertion when it says…
[8] God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [9] Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. [10] For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

The Holy Spirit is stressing the importance of us embracing grace, and doing good because of it rather than for it.

I don’t know why, but the Holy Spirit also directed me to share Colossians 2:20-23 (NLT)…
[20] You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, [21] “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? [22] Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. [23] These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit is saying stop being a rule follower and just focus on being a Christ follower!

I think that’s a good place to stop. Follow Christ, not just His rules. And that requires us to obey Jesus’ mandate in to remain in Him, as stated in John 15:4-5, 9-11 (NLT)…
[4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. [5] “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
[9] “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. [10] When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. [11] I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

I encourage you today to be intentional about remaining in Christ and letting Him live through you.

Bonus thought, the Holy Spirit just gave me the picture of a ventriloquist. Typically the dummy looks like the ventriloquist, but regardless of whether it does or doesn’t, it only mouth’s what it’s master speaks. As a matter of fact their speech and movement are completely controlled by their master. Oh that we would be look-alike dummies for Jesus Christ!!!

Today’s song is…
What Is This?

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)

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