So, it’s my day to write a blog. I am excited because I have had so many “aha” moments since Sunday about “patches” and “wineskins” and I thought this would be an easy topic to write about. Then I look up the verses for today: I John 5:1-5 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His Child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
My excitement has been momentarily diffused because I have NO idea at first glance what this has to do with patches and wineskins. I think I better pray!
“My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I come to You now, and ask that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit in such a way that my eyes would be open, that my ears would be open, and that my heart would be open to understand what You want to teach me this day. Help me to not “run away” when Your Word is confusing. Help me to be patient and wait on You to reveal to me what You have in store for me this day. Amen.”
I John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His Child as well.”
Our church has been studying the Book of Matthew and the sad fact that many of the religious leaders of that day could not grasp that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. They were experts in their field of religiosity. They studied the Scriptures and knew the chapters, paragraphs, sentences, commas, and periods. They could debate, argue, and quote for hours. Yet, they just could not “see” that this was The One! He was The Ultimate Subject of all their debates. And since they were unable to believe this – they were unable to love Him as God’s Child – and ultimately they put Him to death.
“God, I am still stuck. I still do not know what to blog about. I spent hours writing – then deleting – then writing- and then deleting. I am racing down so many complicated trails. Please help me. I am only on the first verse. I will look at it again.”
The religious leaders had their own “old wineskins” - their own beliefs – their own ideas of how God would work – what the Messiah would be like. When Jesus Christ came in the flesh – right in front of their very eyes – their old, tough, unbendable, thick-skinned wineskins could not hold the New Wine. Their wineskins burst apart at the seams and they had nowhere to “put” Him. They got angry. They yelled at Him. They mocked Him. They spat upon Him. They whipped Him. They ............... were...................full....................of.....................Hate...................
“…and everyone who loves the Father loves His Child as well.”
“ I find myself crying. And whenever I read Scripture and start to cry – I stop – and ask myself why I am crying. I have learned to follow the hurt and tears because those are the times that God is really "talking" to me. Why am I crying?”
Because I am hurting for those leaders who did not see Jesus for Who He really was. They were so very smart. But they were not smart enough to figure out that He was the Son of God. He was right there. They missed Him. They did not love Him.
I ache for them.
I ache for God. I ache because He loved those stubborn leaders. He has loved His very stubborn people since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. He loves all of His people so very much that He sent His One and only Son… but sometimes His people do not love Him back. And that makes me cry.
I ache for Jesus Who tried so hard to open their eyes – to reveal to them Who He was. He was tender when He needed to be tender. He was tough when He needed to be tough. He healed hundreds of people. He even raised people from the dead! He yearned for them, loved them, and forgave them as He hung on the cross. He was the New Wine – yet they had no wineskins to put Him in.
I ache for people I know today who have nowhere to put this Jesus.
And I ache for myself – when Jesus is right in front of my very eyes – trying to pour Himself into my life – and I am stubbornly holding onto an old wineskin.
“Lord, please forgive me! Help me to throw out my old wineskins – my old beliefs – the ways I stubbornly refuse to see You when You are right in front of my eyes. Give me new wineskins! Oh, how I do not want to miss You. I love You!” Amen.
Well, I only Blogged about I John 5:1. I guess that leaves the other four verses for you all to Blog about!
Have a “new wineskin” day!
-dawn