“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