What Jesus Did! 'Don't Try to Limit the Newness from God' — Luke 5:36-38

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Merry Christmas!

We pray the Lord blesses you with the grace of Jesus' presence this Christmas!

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Then Jesus gave them this illustration: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn't even match the old garment.

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins."

— Luke 5:36-38 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus' point is clear. Don't try to limit the new life that God brings you in Christ. Don't try to contain it with your old religious categories and expectations. Don't try to dilute it with your old religious practices. Jesus brings something new. Celebrate it. Enjoy its blessings. Be challenged by its demands and rejoice in its promises. But don't ever try to simply attach it to what you had before. The call of Christ is new, fresh, and all-encompassing. Begin each day with fresh eyes and new ears with the expectation that the Lord will do something you have never seen or expected. You may not feel comfortable because your life won't be predictable. But, it will be marvelous!

Today's Prayer

Forgive me, dear Father, for limiting the awesome power you have brought me in Jesus. Open my mind, my heart, my eyes, and my ears so that I can imagine more fantastically, believe more completely, see more fully, and hear more richly all that you have done, are doing, and will do in my life in Jesus. It is in his name I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • 2 Corinthians 5:16-18
  • Ephesians 3:20-21
  • Philippians 2:13

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Illustration

Illustration of Luke 5:36-38 NLT — "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn't even match the old garment. "

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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