"You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of
men." - Mark 7:8
In 1900, the Bayer Company introduced the first aspirin in water-soluble
tablets. This was the first medication to be sold in this form and the product
cut operating costs in half. In 1914, Bayer began placing cotton in their
bottles to minimize breakage of the tablets during shipment from the
manufacturing plant to the store shelf. Then in the mid-1980s, Bayer began
coating its aspirin tablets with a Toleraid microcoating. This coating helped
keep the tablet intact and less susceptible to breakage. It wasn't until January
1999, after four and a half years of testing and discussions that Bayer decided
to get rid of the cotton wad in some of its aspirin formulas. An eighty-five
year old tradition ended, some fifteen years after it had become obsolete. "We
concluded there really wasn't any reason to keep the cotton except tradition,"
said Chris Allen, Bayer's vice president of technical operations. "Besides, it's
hard to get out." But some customers actually missed the cotton balls. Nadine
Kibanda of New York City said: "I like them. They remind me of my childhood."
Ms. Kibanda, 35 years old, didn't mind prying cotton out of pill bottles. "It's
very familiar" she remarked.
Longstanding traditions in the church sometimes can create more hardship than
help. Are you hanging on to traditions and letting go of God's commands? Today
in prayer, ask the Lord for discernment to recognize a worthless tradition and
do not be afraid to let it go so you may grow in faith.
"Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of
the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering we
are where and when we are and that it is we who have to decide. Traditionalism
supposes that nothing should ever be done for the first time, so all that is
needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony
of this homogenized tradition." - Jaroslav Pelikan
God's Word: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and
deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
of this world rather than on Christ." - Colossians 2:8
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN MARK
pkennedy@devotional.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.