Romans 5:3-5:
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
The Gospel is and has always been about transformation. It has always been about the process through which God, finding a wretch like me, through His amazing grace, turns me into a son and heir.
In a conversation about fasting Jesus tells the pharisees that new wine is meant to be poured into new wineskins.
And there is a lot of sermons to be written about this phrase, and a lot of lessons to be learned – a wealth of wisdom to mine from this passage – but as I read it all I can think about is the pain in the process.
Everything from the wine to the wineskin is a process of trampling, crushing, pressing, waiting, fermenting – things that our fastfood, instant gratification culture have grown to hate. The grapes are grown with love, patience and vigorous pruning after which the grapes are plucked from their comfort and trampled, crushed, pressed. The barrels the wine gets fermented in is made of wood – a process of cutting, chopping and lashing together with bands of metal (which has gone through a process of melting, forging, forming and shaping) – and finally poured into the wineskins made from the skin of a lamb or a goat which had to offer up its life for the privilege of carrying this new wine.
As Christians we are always going through processes. We don’t realize it – because we want everything now!
No wonder Paul places such great emphasis on waiting, enduring and being patient.
It blows my mind that the wineskins are made from the skin of a lamb or a goat – and that this creature had to give his life for this process. An act of surrender.
Are we willing to give our lives to carry the new wine – the anointing – paid for by the suffering of Christ – to a hurting world?
Are we willing to give our lives to carry the new wine – our testimony – begotten by our pain, trials and tribulation – to a hurting world?
You might be in the process right now – but I want to urge you to seek God in the pruning, the pressing, in the crushing – in the pain of the process and surrender. Surrender to His loving hand and I can guarantee you that you will come out on the other side better than you could have ever imagined. Your breakthrough is just on the other side of this process. Your victory is just on the other side of this process – and even more so – someone else’s victory through your testimony is on the other side of this process.
After all, His ways are higher than our ways, His plans are better than our plans. He has plans for you – plans for good and not for evil. Plans for a hopeful and prosperous future.
Trust God in the process. Surrender to Him knowing that He is going to turn your test into a testimony, your misery into a ministry and your mess into a message. Trust God in the process and He will not only restore you but use you to restore others as they hear your testimony, look at your life and taste and see that the Lord is good.
Pray with me: Lord, I yield to Your loving hand, in the pressing and in the crushing. In the breaking of new ground. Lord, I realize that there might be pain in the process. The process might not always be pleasant, but I thank You Lord that Your plans for me are good and that if I trust You, wait on You and yield to You I will come out beautiful on the other side. Give me the strength to push forward and to wisdom to endure. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.