Develop A Palate For The New

“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. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” – Luke 5:37–39

When Jesus speaks of new wine needing new wineskins, He goes on to say that when we taste the new, we will say, “the old is better,” or as some versions put it, “the old wine is easier, more comfortable” (Luke 5:39).

Wow… What an insightful analysis of human nature! Both new wine and new ways are sharp to the taste. New shoes pinch a little, unlike our old favourite pair. Newfound healthy foods are less delicious—ask many a child! So we must train ourselves to develop a mature, adventurous palate, one that can cope with the harsher, uncomfortable taste of a new day, knowing that we will adjust, grow, and the payoff will be worth it!

There are certain things I love to do because I’ve done them for so long they feel second nature; I am completely at home in their flow. They feel relaxing, easy, and I feel confident and at my best. I’ll be honest, I much prefer to feel competent, confident, and in control. I genuinely feel like a better person there.

But recently I have felt challenged to set sail on some new seas, get my learning hat on, and step out onto unfamiliar waters. I feel under-confident, unsure, a starter, an amateur, and a learner. How about you?

Immature me wants to back off from activities that scare me, and return to well-trodden, comfortable territory. I’d happily deceive myself that these feelings of amateurish incompetence were signs of God’s guidance to avoid the new! But adult me knows to tell my immature self that in order to embrace all God has for me, I need to remain a pioneering amateur.

To remember the feelings I had when I first preached, led worship, stepped out. Trembling voices, deep uncertainty in my own skills, and radical obedience are actually so attractive to God’s great grace—so I tell myself, “C’mon Cooper, don’t give up easily. Keep going until you start to enjoy the new!”

And maybe you need to give yourself a good talking to as well. Join me on the new seas of obedient adventure—it could get very exciting!

An extract for The Divine Reset & Beyond: Order Your Copy HERE.

Today I embrace that I am made new in Christ and ready to receive the new wine of His Spirit. “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. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins” (Luke 5:37–38).

I will not cling to the old or be bound by the past, for God is doing a new thing in me (Isaiah 43:19). I open my heart to His fresh work, His fresh fire, and His fresh anointing.

I declare that I will walk in renewal and transformation, not trying to mix the old with the new. I am a vessel purified, surrendered, and ready for His Spirit to flow through me.

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