Topic: Luke 5:38 [John Hagee Devotional 28 December 2019]

…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus

A certain satisfaction exists in closing the chapter on one year and turning a page to the new. Our ever-creating God has extraordinary plans for each of us in the coming 366 days!

Jesus once shared a parable with the religious leaders. He pointed out that no one pours new wine into old wineskins; the wine would spill out, and the wineskins would be ruined. New wine requires new wineskins.

Wineskins were goatskins sewn around the edges to create a watertight vessel. As new wine ferments, it emits gasses that cause the wineskin to expand. An old, rigid wineskin cannot withstand this process and will burst.

Jesus’ new teaching was so different from their old ways of thinking that it required a changed heart and a transformed mind. The new wine of the Holy Spirit could not be contained in their archaic system of laws.

As you anticipate what God has for you in 2020, prepare your heart: Is there anything rigid in me that would prevent the work God will do? Where am I resistant to His touch? Am I pliable to His direction?

Open yourself to His possibilities in 2020. Listen for the fresh truths He will whisper. Expand your boundaries for the opportunities He will bring. Get ready! God has great aspirations for you in the coming year.

Blessing:

Heavenly Father, create in me a clean heart, tender towards You. Renew a right spirit within me, open and obedient to Your plans. Tear down anything that rises in opposition to You. Fill me to overflowing with the new wine of the Holy Spirit. I anticipate Your goodness. In Jesus’ name…amen.

Today’s Bible Reading:

Old Testament

Zechariah 12:1-13:9

New Testament

Revelation 19:1-21

Psalms & Proverbs

Psalm 147:1-20

Proverbs 31:1-7