New Thinking, New Living

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins”.  Mark 2:22.

The old wineskins were the Scribes and Pharisees and their traditions. Jewish tradition had earmarked seasons to fast for the promised rescue of Israel and for the coming Messiah. These old wineskins were motivating and inspiring in their season. The Messiah was now present and with him came a new teaching that would not fit into the old religious paradigms. Devotion to the ceremonial law was incompatible with the new covenant Jesus was inaugurating.

If we try to force the new into the old we will lose both. Jesus said it best: “to put new wine in old skins ruins both the skins and the wine”. New wine requires new skins. When last have you examined your wineskins? What do I mean by our wineskins? I mean our way of thinking - our thoughts about others, our attitude towards material things, our attitude towards our involvement in the work of God, our thinking about matters such as church growth, school, education and career. 

September begins a new Connexional year for Methodists in the Caribbean and the Americas and a new academic year for students, teachers, parents and Boards of Management. God is constantly doing something new and we need to be open and receptive and ready to grasp all the opportunities to rise to another level. Are you ready to go to the next level, spiritually, intellectually, educationally, economically, physically and emotionally?

To be ready to step up to your next level as a preacher, pastor, educator, parent, entrepreneur, artist, accountant etc. it is necessary to have a new way of thinking.  Whether you are young or old, weak or strong, believer or non-believer, God has more for you. God is not finished with you. I had to tell myself that and the Lord wants me to tell you. There is always a higher level for you but you must think differently. Do not dwell on the old wineskin which says “It’s not going to happen for you” or “You’re not going to have a great year” or “You’re never going to get well” or “You’ll never make it” or “You are stuck where you are”. Not True!!. That’s an old wineskin.

Rid yourself of the old way of thinking. This is a new season. What happened in the past is over and done. You may have been through some disappointments, you may have tried and failed, or things didn’t work out. They may have said ugly things about you. That’s okay! God is still on the throne. It’s time to get a new vision for your life. It’s time for new thinking. You can’t move forward with old mindsets. Let go of the old, trust God and embrace the new by faith and receive all God’s blessings in storage for you!

Thought:   Have you changed your wineskin?

Prayer Focus:      Pray for those going into new situations with old thinking.