Over the years, you might think you’ve made a difference or accomplished great things, but in the grand scheme of life, it’s just a small particle. When you consider the bigger picture, most efforts become insignificant. The effort comes with that sense of pride in the achievement. Pride lives in us all until it is gone completely. Pride came in the fall! In Ecclesiastes, the writer says everything is vanity under the sun. He wasn’t wrong!
Recently I said to a friend it is hard to be Godly or holy. She replied I will never be Godly; I will only reach goodly. We laughed as I said on your tombstone will read, “Here lies Julie the goodly”. Many folks won’t reach Godly they will only go along to be goodly.
The soul’s first breach resulted in entering the old wineskin. Give me the chance to describe the symbolism of the old wineskin. By extending beyond our own selves, we fail to attain the glory of God and instead regress into what is known as the old wineskin. “Reaching out” of oneself signifies the moment when our thoughts manifest into actions.
Let’s consider this from another point of view. The act of Jesus sitting on the ‘well’ and engaging in conversation with the woman who had five husbands led her to recognize him as the Son of God or the living water. It became evident to her that she should seek living water from Jesus, not from the well he was sitting on. The general population tends to search for meaning and fulfillment in sources beyond themselves. Many individuals desire community, friendship, or someone who will listen and accept them. For many more, achievements are what they aim for.
Someone recently asked me: what motivates me to write? My answer about why I write has many dimensions. I received feedback from another person stating that my writing seems like I’m having a conversation with myself. He is right! My writing serves as a tool to understand and explore the depths of the human soul, including my own soul. When a thought arises from the internal ‘well’, you reflect and investigate it. Achieving personal growth or holiness is accomplished in this way. I’ve discovered that when I extend beyond my own self, I’m delving into the damaged part of my soul. The old wineskin!
Despite our connection with Jesus, we often seek answers from external sources like Google or advisors, instead of turning inward to the Holy Spirit. Google’s progress with the human mind in the fallen realm has limitations. The information we receive from Google or advisers still needs to be run by the internal ‘well of Christ’. When we extend beyond our own selves, we unknowingly embrace the false Christ in the fabricated world.
By leaving the ‘will of God’ or the ‘well of God’, mankind caused the first of many breaches within their own soul. The breach must be healed and sealed, directing us towards the eternal “well” within ourselves, which is the “Kingdom of God” and the “Holy Spirit”. Our overcoming happens little by little, but this breach in the soul could be the last one before uniting with Christ’s resurrection. As we continue in our journey with Christ and these writings are shared , we need to examine whether that statement is true.
Resurrection is the link that transcends the soul’s fracture. Our hope, faith, and strength have been directed towards the resurrection and glorification of Christ through a fully alive human. It is only in this very moment that we can confidently declare, “We are the resurrection of Christ”.
This marks the initial first stage of becoming the glorified body here on earth. The NEW WINESKIN emerges. You can’t pour NEW WINE into an old wineskin (Mark2:22).
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