Today’s Reading: Genesis 12; Genesis 13; Genesis 14; Luke 5
Scripture: Genesis 12:1-2; Luke 5: 37-38
Genesis 12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
Luke 5:37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
Observation: Both these passages speak of change. God calls Abram to a new phase in his life. He has a destiny different from his past. He has made significant changes already, but they are nothing compared to those in his future. Even his name will be changed to reflect this fact. But to get there he has to move -- literally.
In the Luke passage, Jesus is speaking of spiritual newness comparing it to wine. To make new wine, new wineskins were a must. One could not have new wine without new wineskins.
Application: For there to be newness in our lives, we must embrace newness. As the saying goes, "nothing changes if nothing changes." So often people talk about taking it to "the next level." But to do that, we have to move, to change. Abram had to give up so much -- leaving his family and friends and taking on the hassle and risk of a move. But if he had not moved, he could never have become Abraham and entered into God's destiny for him. We have to provide a new wineskin -- that is a new context for God to pour change into our lives. It will involve sacrifice, discomfort, hassle, risk -- change is not fun. The results can be awesome, but getting there is tough. Am I willing to embrace true, significant, uncomfortable change in my life? I pray that I am.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I know that You know the destiny that You have for me. I don't want to miss it. Help me -- build me up so I am strong enough to accept whatever change is necessary in my life to receive the good future and blessing You have planned for me. Help me to see the things I need to give up, the things I need to leave, and the things I need to adopt in order to be fully within Your divine plan for me.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
So true. We are so stuck in our ways sometimes that I think it's gracious of God to put a restlessness in us --- a kind of holy dis-satisfaction with our lives so that we are open to and looking for a change.
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