When Traditions Clash with God’s New Way

Devotional

Day 1: Letting Go of “That’s Just the Way I’ve Always Done It”

God often invites us to release old habits, patterns, or mindsets—even those that seem harmless or familiar—so that we can receive something better from Him. Sometimes, the greatest barrier to God’s blessing is our own resistance to change, clinging to what feels safe or routine. The Lord may be knocking on the door of your life, offering a new way that is more aligned with who He created you to be, but embracing it requires courage to let go of the familiar. Consider what you might be holding onto simply because it’s comfortable, and ask God to help you open your heart to His new work in your life. [04:48]

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

Reflection: What is one habit, pattern, or mindset you’ve held onto simply because it’s familiar? Ask God to show you if it’s time to let it go and what He might be inviting you to receive in its place.

Day 2: Recognizing the Season—Feasting or Fasting?

There are moments in life when even good spiritual practices can become dissonant if they don’t match the season God has you in. Jesus challenged the Pharisees’ expectation of fasting by pointing out that His presence was a time for celebration, not mourning. Sometimes, we miss God’s blessing because we’re stuck in a pattern that was right for a previous season but is not what God is doing now. Discernment is needed to recognize when God is inviting you to joy, peace, or comfort, rather than clinging to sorrow, striving, or unrest. [14:39]

Mark 2:18-20 (ESV)
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”

Reflection: Where in your life might you be holding onto a practice or emotion that doesn’t fit the season God has you in right now? How can you align your response with what God is doing today?

Day 3: Embracing the New—New Wine in New Wineskins

God’s work in your life is not meant to be a patch on old patterns or a compartment in an already established framework; He desires to renew your whole life. Jesus’ analogy of new wine in new wineskins reminds us that trying to fit God’s new work into old ways will only lead to frustration and loss. Instead, God invites you to surrender your entire life, allowing Him to reshape your framework and fill you with His presence. This surrender is not about tweaking or adjusting, but about letting God be the one who orders and fills every part of your life. [26:20]

Mark 2:21-22 (ESV)
“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you’ve tried to simply “add God in” rather than letting Him renew you completely? What would it look like to let God reshape your framework today?

Day 4: Letting Go of the Performance Lie

Many of us fall into the trap of believing our value and worth depend on how well we perform, achieve, or measure up—even in spiritual practices. This “performance lie” leads to judgment, disappointment, and a constant striving that keeps us from receiving God’s grace. The truth is that your value was established at creation and settled at the cross; you are beloved and accepted by God, not because of what you do, but because of who He is and what He has done for you in Jesus. Let go of striving and embrace the freedom and blessing of God’s unconditional love. [20:40]

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Reflection: In what ways have you been measuring your worth by your performance or achievements? How can you intentionally rest in God’s grace and acceptance today?

Day 5: Surrendering All—Entrusting Your Whole Life to God

The invitation from Jesus is not to give Him just a part of your life, but to entrust all of yourself to Him. God cannot simply be another compartment or category; He must be the one who orders and fills every aspect of your life. When you surrender everything—your habits, your patterns, your dreams, your fears—you open yourself to the fullness of God’s blessing and the life He created you to live. Today, make a renewed commitment to hold nothing back, trusting that God’s way is truly better and that He has so much more for you than you could imagine. [29:39]

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Reflection: What is one area of your life you’ve been withholding from God? What step can you take today to surrender it fully and trust Him with your whole self?

Sermon Summary

Every year, we adjust our clocks for daylight savings time, a tradition that feels so entrenched that we rarely question it, even though it hasn’t always been this way. This simple act mirrors a deeper reality in our lives: we often cling to patterns, habits, and traditions simply because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Sometimes, these patterns are good and meaningful, but other times, they become barriers to the new and better things God wants to do in us. The challenge is to discern when a tradition or habit is serving us well, and when it’s time to let go and embrace something new that God is offering.

Jesus encountered this same resistance in his ministry. In the Gospel of Mark, we see him consistently colliding with the expectations and traditions of the religious leaders, especially the Pharisees. They were deeply committed to practices like fasting, which were good and meaningful in their context. Yet, when Jesus and his disciples didn’t follow these traditions in the expected way, it created tension. Jesus responded by using analogies—a wedding feast, new cloth on old garments, and new wine in old wineskins—to illustrate that sometimes, the old ways can’t contain the new life God is bringing. There are moments when the patterns that once served us well become obstacles to the blessing God wants to pour out.

This isn’t just a story about ancient religious leaders; it’s about us. We all have frameworks for what the “good life” looks like, and we all have habits and mindsets that feel safe and familiar. But God’s invitation is to trust him enough to let go of what’s comfortable, to surrender not just a part, but all of ourselves to him. Sometimes, the hardest thing to release is our sense of identity—“that’s just the way I am.” Yet, the blessing and fullness God has for us are found on the other side of surrender. God doesn’t want to be an add-on to our lives; he wants to be the one who shapes and fills every part. As we come to the table of communion, we’re invited to respond to God’s total gift of himself by giving all of ourselves in return, trusting that his way leads to true life and blessing.

Key Takeaways

1. Traditions and habits, even good ones, can become barriers to God’s new work if we cling to them simply because they’re familiar. The call is to discern when it’s time to let go, so we don’t miss the blessing God wants to bring in this season. Sometimes, the greatest obstacle to God’s movement in our lives is our own resistance to change. [04:14]
2. Jesus invites us to recognize the season we’re in and to respond accordingly. Just as fasting is appropriate in times of longing but not in times of celebration, we need to be attentive to what God is doing now, so our actions and attitudes align with his movement rather than clash with it. [12:51]
3. The “performance lie”—the belief that our value is based on what we do or how well we do it—can keep us from receiving God’s grace. Our worth was established at creation and settled at the cross; we are invited to let go of striving and rest in the truth of God’s unconditional love. [20:40]
4. God’s new work cannot simply be patched onto our old frameworks or ways of living. Like new wine in old wineskins, the life Jesus offers requires a renewed heart and a willingness to let God reshape every part of us, not just the parts we’re comfortable surrendering. [27:36]
5. The invitation is to entrust all of ourselves to God, not just a portion. True blessing and transformation come when we hold nothing back, allowing God’s love, grace, and truth to fill and reorder every area of our lives. This wholehearted surrender is the path to the life we were made for. [29:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:29] - The Inertia of Tradition
[02:12] - “That’s Just the Way We’ve Always Done It”
[04:14] - God Knocking on Our Patterns
[05:24] - Jesus Collides with Expectations
[07:11] - Responding to Jesus’ Invitation
[08:26] - The Pharisees and the Practice of Fasting
[10:51] - Questioning Jesus’ Practices
[12:51] - The Importance of Knowing the Season
[13:27] - The Wedding Analogy
[15:22] - Assessing Our Patterns
[17:04] - Missing God’s Peace and Comfort
[19:03] - The Performance Lie
[22:20] - When Tweaking Isn’t Enough
[24:01] - New Wine and Old Wineskins
[27:36] - Surrendering Our Frameworks
[29:39] - The Invitation to Give All
[30:57] - Communion Instructions
[31:58] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Mark 2:18-22 (ESV) — 18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Observation Questions

What were the Pharisees and John’s disciples doing that Jesus and his disciples were not? Why did this cause tension? ([10:51])
What three analogies does Jesus use in his response, and what is the main point of each? ([13:27] and [24:01])
According to the sermon, what was the purpose of fasting for the Pharisees and John’s disciples? ([08:57])
What happens when new wine is put into old wineskins, according to Jesus? ([24:01])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to use the analogies of a wedding, new cloth, and new wine to answer the question about fasting? What do these images communicate about God’s work? ([13:27] and [24:01])
The sermon mentions that good traditions can become barriers to God’s new work. How can we tell when a tradition or habit is no longer serving its purpose? ([04:14])
The “performance lie” was described as believing our value comes from what we do. How does this mindset affect our relationship with God and others? ([20:40])
What does it mean that “God’s new work cannot simply be patched onto our old frameworks or ways of living”? How is this different from just making small changes? ([27:36])

Application Questions

Can you think of a tradition, habit, or mindset in your life that you hold onto simply because “that’s the way you’ve always done it”? How might God be inviting you to let go of it? ([04:14])
The sermon talked about recognizing the “season” you are in. What season do you sense you are in right now—one of longing, celebration, grief, or something else? How might your spiritual practices need to shift to match what God is doing in your life? ([12:51])
Are there any areas where you find yourself resisting change, even when you sense God might be leading you in a new direction? What makes it hard to let go? ([27:36])
Have you ever tried to “patch” God onto your life instead of letting him reshape your whole life? What would it look like to let God reorder every area, not just the comfortable ones? ([28:58])
The “performance lie” says our worth is based on what we do. Where do you see this lie showing up in your life? What would it look like to rest in God’s unconditional love instead? ([20:40])
The sermon ended with an invitation to “entrust all of yourself to God.” Is there a part of your life you’ve been holding back? What would it take to surrender it? ([29:39])
As you think about coming to the communion table, what does it mean for you to respond to God’s total gift of himself by giving all of yourself in return? ([30:57])

Sermon Clips

Maybe God is bringing peace or offering peace. But all you're about right now is turmoil. Is rabble rousing. Is engaging in the fight. Again, there are times to fight. There are times to raise a stink. Absolutely. But perhaps right now God is looking to bring peace with you. Bring stillness. And if all you're doing is bringing turmoil with you wherever you go, and if you're unwilling to surrender it because of your sense of self-righteousness in whatever cause that may be, perhaps you might miss the peace that God wants to bring right now. [00:16:37] (42 seconds) #GraceNotPerformance

Maybe God wants to bring you comfort. But you find yourself engaging in numbing practices. Ignoring the pain. Ignoring the sadness. Ignoring the sorrow. And God is looking to meet you in grief. There are times when it doesn't feel appropriate to feel. We postpone feeling because for the moment we've got to get something done. Are you stuck in the get something done? When God is saying it's time to feel. Because I want to meet you there. Perhaps it's time to break that pattern today. [00:17:20] (41 seconds) #ValueInChrist

``Maybe there's grace and forgiveness at hand. And Jesus is offering. It to you. But you are stuck trying to prove yourself. Trying to make right whatever it is that you made wrong. Maybe you are saying to God just a little bit more. Just a little bit more and I'll have done enough. And Jesus is saying, I have done the work. It is finished. It's time to receive the blessing. [00:18:00] (31 seconds) #BelovedNotByWorks

If you're believing the lie of performance today, if that's a pattern of thought, if that's the pattern of emotion, if that's dictating a pattern of behavior in your life, the invitation is to let it go. Let go. Let the lie of performance and embrace the truth of God's grace in Jesus. [00:20:26] (24 seconds) #RenewYourFramework

The issue of your value was settled at the cross. It was established at creation. When you were made, you were made in the image of God with intrinsic value and worth. The question was settled at the cross when God gave his only begotten son for you. you and for me. God wouldn't do that for things that don't have value. He values us and it will be confirmed at the end of time. And we are gathered for eternity to enjoy the goodness and mercy of God forever in all of its fullness. Let go of the lie of performance and embrace the truth of God's grace for you in Jesus. [00:20:55] (48 seconds) #TrustGodForGoodLife

The Pharisees are so fixated on a religious practice that Jesus' disciples and Jesus aren't doing that they miss who the practice ultimately points to in your performing, in your achieving, in your trying, in your striving, and your doing. Don't miss the one who says you are beloved. You have value. You have worth. He has made you. He loves you. He has saved you and he has a purpose for you. Embrace him and embrace his truth today. [00:21:43] (37 seconds) #SurrenderAllToGod

You can't just add a splash of God into an already built life. You need to renew the whole thing. You need to let God be the container and the one that fills all of it. And that only happens when we surrender all of ourselves to him. Maybe that's the hardest, that's just the way I've done it, or that's just the way I am barrier to break in our lives. The idea that we have a sense of how we are to live life or how we have chosen to live life, the idea of surrendering that to God might be the hardest, that's just the way I've done it, but it's the one that makes the most difference. [00:28:54] (43 seconds)

As you come to the table today, on the one hand, what we have in these elements is the symbol of God giving all through Jesus. What is the appropriate response to a God who gives all is to say, in taking this, I am giving all of myself as well. So when you come today to the table, whether you've done it in the past or you feel you've had to do it a number of times because you keep taking something back, as you grab the elements, as you sit at your chair, make a renewed commitment to hold nothing back, no part of your life, and surrender all of it to God that you might receive the blessing he has for you today. [00:31:06] (41 seconds)

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