I have often pondered, but sadly seldom put into place the philosophy/expression that "addiction/insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result."
We all do this to some degree . . . perhaps we want to regain our ab muscles - aka 6 packs- that are now hidden under a layer of ...um...increased body mass. But how many of us take that desire, and stop doing the things that helped us increase our body mass. . . eating wrong food, lack of exercise....perhaps a handful will do it, and the rest of us will just stop wearing bikinis or wear a shirt over when we are at the beach.
Sometimes we get stuck in a rut, and even though we want change, it doesn't happen because we aren't motivated enough to change. Sometimes we have been in the rut so long that it has become normal and we forget that their might be a different way out there.
I was reading in Mark 2 - using the New Living Translation - today. . . when it struck me, "Jesus came to shake this up a bit. He came to do things differently." I know that is not a new thought, but somehow it made more sense today that before. I have often pondered over the New wine in old wine skin teachings. . . somehow i have been more focused on the new wine part, and how it represents the Holy Spirit and the great excitement at desiring this new wine. i have been... But today I realized that it is about that but not ONLY about that.
Jesus brings this topic up after being asked why his disciples werent following the trend [fasting] of the day like all the other religious-power-that-be type were. [this included John the Baptist]. in essence they were saying, "Hey, why don't they get to suffer like the rest of us? why do they get to be different." it is in this context that Jesus brings up the old path on new cloth and the new wine in old wineskin expressions.
He is literally saying, "your old way of doing things hasn't worked, you can't bring that with you into my way of doing things." ok well, maybe i shouldn't have put quotation marks there. . . but that is how i intrepret it. It's like He is saying, there is more....you've been in this rut, and i want more for you but to enter it you need to do things in a new way with me, not in the old way. . . .forget the former things..... sound familiar??? even Isaiah hinted at this to come....
It carries on to question Jesus about the Sabbath rest because his disciples dared pluck grain while walking and eat it, which could be taken as "working" on the Sabbath. what I love here is that Jesus didn't just point out the need to do things in a new way. . . but He says something very interesting...and I am going to quote it from the New Living translation.
Mark 2:27
Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.
You see, sometimes in serving God we get caught up in the works, and it becomes to natural and so routine that we loose sight of its true meaning. It regards to the Sabbath, it didn't just become a routine, it actually almost became a burden to fulfill. The heart behind it was far from that. God wanted it to be something that blessed people and created rest for them because the people needed it. God doesn't truly need the Sabbath, and He can do without us upholding it. If we don't uphold the Sabbath it doesn't change who He is or what He does....it was made for us.
Sometimes, we get stuck in the rut of doing what we believe, and it becomes religion because we are so caught up in observing the law that we miss the heart of God, for us, that is behind it.
If you're stuck in a rut, or lost the joy in your walk with God. . . maybe its time to let go of the same old way of always doing something and embrace the new way Christ set out.
Coincidentally . . .and this is just a little by the by. ...in Genesis when God "Rested" on the 7th day. That word "REST" is the same word that is often translated "celebrate"....maybe its time we started feasting with our King again.
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