New Wineskin

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” – Matthew 9:17

When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord

The Holy Spirit resides in us and indwells us

We are a new creation

The old has gone

The new has come

We have been made new

God has done this

Through the shedding of the blood of Christ on the cross

Jesus paid the punishment for our sins in full

When God sees us

He sees only 

The blood of Jesus

Covering our sins

We are now holy 

Like our Heavenly Father is holy

We are now righteous

Like Christ Jesus 

While we live and trod on this side of heaven

Before we are united with Christ on the other side

There are decisions and actions

We would do well to abide

When we want to live

Abundantly

Joyously

Fully

While in our corporal body

The key is to

Get rid of our old wineskin

And take on the new wineskin

We are to take off our old self

Our self-centeredness

Our proclivities to sin

Our fleshly desires

Our selfishness

And to take on Christ

Our body is now the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Where the Holy Spirit dwells

We are now Stewards of Christ’s temple

In our body

It is not just to say no to sin

Muster our self-discipline to do the right thing

Changing our coping mechanisms

Procuring a new perspective

Adopting a new paradigm

No amount of self-help can accomplish this

Rather

It is taking on the 

New wineskin

Be totally rid of the old

Taking on the brand new

Wineskin

Only Christ can accomplish this

For us

In us

Each time we see our old self crop up

We acknowledge its existence

We confess it as sin

We repent from it

We renounce it

We reject it

We replace it with its opposite

Loving God with abandon in place of self-conscious love

Christ-centeredness in place of self-centeredness

Seeking God’s will in place of our own desires

Total trust in God in place of fear and timidity

Caring for others in place of self-gain

Kingdom focus in place of self-focus

It is Christ

Only Christ

Total dependence on Christ

His mercy and grace

His truth and love

His life in us

Will turn

What’s fleshly into 

What’s Godly

Water into wine

Into our new wineskin

When God’s People Repent and Pray

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7: 13, 14).

God is Sovereign

He is In Charge

God knows the end from the beginning

For He is the

Author and Finisher of our

Faith

Calling

Life

As we face COVID-19

We can face it with panic and fear

We can face it with prudence and caution

We can face it with wisdom from above

Which is first of all

Pure

then Peace-loving

Considerate

Submissive

Full of mercy and good fruit

Impartial

Sincere

As King Solomon dedicated God’s temple

God gave him a promise

That in times of plagues and pestilences

IF

God’s people would

HUMBLE themselves

PRAY and SEEK God’s face

TURN FROM their wicked ways

THEN

God will

HEAR from heaven

FORGIVE their sin

HEAL their land

While God has not caused this pandemic

We know that

In all things God works for the good

of those who love Him

Who have been called according to His purpose

In addition to tackling this pandemic with practical precautions

Let us also tackle it spiritually

Let us humble ourselves

Turn our face toward God

Place our hope in God

Seek His Will and Kingdom

Let us repent

From our self-reliance

From our love of mammon

Let us repent

From having neglected the widows and orphans

From not having attended to the poor and needy

From not having spoken up in face of injustices

Let us repent

From our self-involvement and selfishness

From turning a blind eye to the fragile members of our society

For

God hates our independence from Him

He calls it SIN

God’s heart is grieved when He sees us neglect the poor and the needy

God calls us to undo injustices in our society

Over 2,000 Bible verses address these two things

For the neglect to help the poor and to undo injustice

Break His heart

Let us repent

From our sins of commission

From our sins of omission

Let us turn back to God

Seek First

His Kingdom

And His Righteousness

By being God’s

Hands and

Feet

To look beyond ourselves

And to attend to the needs of others

Especially in the midst of this pandemic

For God has placed us here

For such a time as this

For such a place as this

God is in control

Even in the midst of this pandemic

Let us

Boldly approach His Throne of Grace

With confidence

To receive mercy

And find grace

In our time of need


"Hope & Glory" by Tim Hughes