New Wine
Skins
Luke 5:33-36
Then
they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make
prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”
34 And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom
fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will
come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in
those days.” 36 Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a
piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and
also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the
old.
Jesus is calling us to come to
Him. The Lord has something that will change our lives forever. His Spirit is
full of new mercies and gives us newness of life. Where can we go or turn to
find peace, rest, and freedom from all the weariness that have plagued our souls.
This new life and peace are found in the Spirit of God. So many still will not
come to Jesus, because they are comfortable being miserable with tradition.
The knock at the door is the
opportunity that many have been waiting for. We must open the door and invite
the Lord into our homes. He brings us good cheer and blessings. If we need
healing, we must ask and pray for it. Mark 5:34 And He said to
her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and
be healed of your affliction.” Sometimes, the Lord will heal us instantly
because of our faith. In this moment, we heard the knock and opened the door.
That is our faith being activated to receive something from God. He comes to
give us life more abundantly.
There is more to enjoy in life
that will help us to understand that we are being called to a new life that is
everlasting. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who is dwelling within us.
He comes to meet us where we are to help us believe in the Word of God. Many
may not believe but their heart is in the right posture to receive. That is the
move of God when we are not sure of what we believe, and He still wants us to
experience this new life. 1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to
Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because
I have refused
him. For the Lord does not see as man sees;
for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at
the heart.”
The Lord loves everyone of us
and have a plan to give us more. We are made in His image and likeness. There
is nothing that He doesn’t know about us. This journey called “life” is not our
destination. Christ is patiently giving all mankind time to seek the kingdom of
God and answer the call to accept and believe in Jesus. There is a final hour
when grace will no longer be extended the gates will not open and the door will
be shut. The power of God is working on us to live as examples of His
testimonies that are also written about the men and women in the Bible.
We are vessels of clay with
different hues, shapes, sizes, and depth. Yet, many of us have been broken,
bruised, chipped, torn, cracked, and discarded. We don’t feel useful nor
valuable let alone attractive in a sense. But news flash we are made in God’s
image and likeness. He is the Master Potter and knows perfectly well how to
reshape and mold us into something new that will reveal His light and glory in
us. We must reject accepting negative thoughts about ourselves and the past
hurts. God is in the business of doing new things and creating us new again. Isaiah
43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall
you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in
the desert.
The power of God is sovereign
through eternity into time and forever. Because God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent,
Omniscient and Omnibenevolence. He is thinking about us every second and has
His eye upon everyone of us. We are called to come to Jesus and ask Him about
our identity in Him so that we will stop feeling sorry for ourselves and
wasting precious time doing nothing.
Many people turn to
organizations, movements, social clubs, gangs, etc. Because they are in search
of finding their identity in the world. This becomes their life and everything
else in their lives becomes centered around it. They learn how to conform to
the mission and vision of the founders of these kinds of organizations.
Sometimes, it’s hard to leave and start someplace new or move on to other
adventures. And yet, inside them they still feel that there’s something more that
they should be doing in their lives. No matter how busy we become we will not
find internal peace or rest outside of the will of God in our lives. Matthew
11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.”
Jesus is calling us to come away
from seeking the applause and attention of men. He wants us to know and
experience Him, so that we will be living testimonies of the truth found in the
Word of God. We must know by now that external things will not fill us with
this new life that Christ speaks about. John 10:10 The thief does not
come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may
have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you.
Everyone will not seek the
kingdom of God nor accept the call of God on their lives. This is an
individual’s choice to choose Christ. He will not force us to decide if we do
not speak it out of our mouths. But our answer will be revealed in how we lived
our lives before we leave here. So many are called but few are chosen. Again,
that number is recorded in heaven and so are those names. 2 Corinthians
5:14-15 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus:
that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for
all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him
who died for them and rose again.
The Lord is pouring His grace, love, and
Holy Spirit upon us, but many are fighting God. They want to go their own way.
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not force Himself upon us. As we ponder
let us think why does the Lord want us to serve Him and choose His plan? When
we feel incline to follow our own way in life, we end up running out of answers
and mess up our lives. Many are hurting and living behind so much pain and fear
and for others they are serving mammon. Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers,
the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” 1 Peter
1:24-25 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the
glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower
falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
God sent His Son, Jesus to die for our
sins to save us from eternal death. John 3:16 For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life. However, we must still come to Jesus
and ask Him to be Lord of our lives, so that we will be a part of His spiritual
family. John 3:5-8 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I
said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and
where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
When we confess that we believe in Christ
that is when the door opens for us to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us by
transforming us from the old man into the born-again spirit filled man. We are
now new wine skins being used for God’s glory. He fills us with an infill of
His power and Spirit to be servants and ambassadors in Christ. 2 Corinthians
5:17-20 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has
reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has
committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we
implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
Gabriel
Prepare to receive the good news
No
matter what you are going through
There
is a message on the way
God has an angel on duty
Press
toward the mark
Many
prayers are heard
Don’t fret about the journey
The
Lord has your back
You
will receive His blessings
Keep the faith when you are weak
His
strength is made perfect
The
war has been defeated
Keep asking, seeking and knocking
Changes
are taking place in your life
Open
your heart and release your spirit
The Lord above has called Gabriel
You
are the one whom He wants to bless
Start
rejoicing and proclaim the victory
ã2004 “Naima’s
Inspirational Melodies”