Clothed in Christ, Stirred by His Life

This morning, I sat with the words of Jesus: “No one puts new wine into old wineskins…” (Matt. 9:17). And the vine’s quiet defiance in Judges echoed back: “Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man?” (Judges 9:13).
I feel the tension between the old and the new—between systems that crack under pressure and the life of Christ that bubbles with holy joy. His life is not tame. It stirs me. It excites me. It refuses to be contained by brittle expectations or inherited forms.
I think of Grace Counseling Online. I’m not building a ministry to manage people—I’m cultivating a vineyard that cheers both God and man. The new wine is Christ Himself: vibrant, alive, and poured into me not to be stored, but shared. His life within me is not quiet. It sings. It energizes. It makes me laugh when I should be weary. It makes me bold when I feel small.
I’m not called to abandon this wine for the sake of control or conformity. Like the vine in Judges, I say no to the throne if it means losing the joy. I say no to performance if it means losing presence. I say yes to the feast.
Christ is my Bridegroom. He clothes me in new garments—grace, humility, courage—and fills me with new wine. To serve others, I must first be stirred. To counsel with compassion, I must first be intoxicated with His life.
So today, I ask:
Let me be a new wineskin.
Let me be a vine that refuses to rule, but chooses to rejoice.
Let me be a vessel of joy—cheering God and man with the life of Christ within me.