Thurs.’s Devo - The New Wine

Read: Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Provers 11:24-26 The leaders of the clan of Manaseh came to Moses with a petition. Since Moses had given the daughters of Zelophehad their father’s inheritance of land, if they married outside their tribe the land would move to that tribe. Moses went to the Lord and he said to tell the daughters that they must marry within their tribe to keep that from happening. So they all married their cousins on their father’s side and everyone was satisfied. *** It was only an eleven day journey from Mt. Sinai to the promised land but because of their rebellion, it took the Israelites 40 years. As they stood ready to cross over, Moses stood before the new generation of Israelites and told them their history and why their fathers could not cross and go into the land. *** It was important that they hear their history of who they were over and over. Moses had written everything down so that they would have an accurate account of their journey. *** How we go forward has to do with how much of our past we understand. We live in the past of what God has done to move into what God has in the future. Our past forms our faith. *** Yesterday, we read how Jesus called Levi to follow him. Levi was a rich tax collector. He had a banquet and invited all his rich tax collecting friends so they could meet Jesus. This really upset the Pharisees. When they questioned Jesus’ crowd he told them that it wasn’t the ones who thought they were righteous, but the ones who knew they were sinners and needed to repent that he was called. *** The Pharisees questioned why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast. Jesus said it was because they had the bridegroom with them. When his disciples ate a little grain from the field, the Pharisees accused them of harvesting crops on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them of what David did when he was hungry. He ate the food only the priests were to eat and gave some to his men. Jesus summed it up with, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath. *** Jesus healed the man’s withered hand on the Sabbath saying that the Sabbath was a day for doing good and saving life rather than destroying it. Jesus was trying to demonstrate what the Sabbath was suppose to look like but it didn’t fit their picture. *** Jesus explained that you don’t put a new patch on an old garment and you don’t put new wine into old wineskins. The Pharisees were the old garment and the old wineskin. Jesus was bringing a new fabric and new wine so the person who could receive it had to be new. They had to have a new mind and a new heart - they had to be born again. Lord, may we have renewed minds and hearts to receive the new thing that you are doing on the earth. We welcome your new garments and your new wine.