‘‘‘…New Wine Must Be Put Into New Wineskins…’’’ Matthew 9:17 CEV
In Bible times animal skins were cured and made into wine containers. At first they were flexible and easy to work with, but over time they grew rigid and lost their ability to expand. That’s why Jesus said, ‘‘No one pours new wine into old wineskins. [It] would…burst the old skins…[and] the wine would be lost…New wine must be put into new wineskins…’’. ‘Likewise, God can’t put fresh ideas into fossilised minds, or change your situation till you’re ready to change your thinking.
God’s Word says: ‘‘‘…don’t keep going over old history…I’m about to do something brand-new…’’’ (Isaiah 43:18-19 TM). So if you’re asking Him to enlarge your vision, you first need to make room mentally. Isaiah said, ‘‘Clear lots of ground… Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!” (Isaiah 54:2 TM). Remember, dreams always come a size too big so you can grow into them, so don’t settle for mediocrity in your work, your relationships and your walk with God.
Mark Twain said, ‘Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the wind. Explore. Dream. Discover’. Maybe you come from a background of addiction, poverty, depression, abuse and low self-esteem. Well God can enable you to rise up and put an end to that old mind-set of defeat. He’s ready to fill you with ‘new wine’, but first you need to ditch those old wineskins!
Soul Food Reading: Gen 37-39; Luke 9:1-17; Ps 134; Prov 4:5-13
Excerpt from The Word For Today, United Christian Broadcasters (UCB); PO Box 255, Stoke-On-Trent, ST4 8YY, England. Free issues of the daily devotional are available for the UK and Republic of Ireland.
