Tag Archives: abundant life

Try something new (Luke 5:34-39) September 28, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 114-116

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 5:34-39
Jesus: Imagine there’s a wedding going on. Is that the time to tell the guests to ignore the bridegroom and fast? Sure, there’s a time for fasting—when the bridegroom has been taken away. Look, nobody tears up a new garment to make a patch for an old garment. If he did, the new patch would shrink and rip the old, and the old garment would be worse off than before. And nobody takes freshly squeezed juice and puts it into old, stiff wineskins. If he did, the fresh wine would make the old skins burst open, and both the wine and the wineskins would be ruined. New demands new—new wine for new wineskins. Anyway, those who’ve never tasted the new wine won’t know what they’re missing; they’ll always say, “The old wine is good enough for me!”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We get really comfortable with old things, don’t we? We keep that old, worn out pair of shoes because they feel so good. We hang on to that thread bare pair of jeans because they have shaped themselves to our bodies over time and we just can’t part with them. Or that recliner that doesn’t look so good anymore, but it sure fits well when you sit in it after a long day. All the cushions are broken in just right and you can nap in it so well. You can’t let it go no matter how rugged it looks now.

We do it with our health, too. The lab tests tell us we need to change our eating habits to avoid diabetes or heart disease in the future, but do we change? No. We are too comfortable with our old eating patterns and just keep eating the same stuff, refusing to exercise, doing the same bad things we did before. We know a healthier life style would be better for us, but we’re comfortable with what we know, so we just don’t change.

Sometimes we do the same thing with old habits in our religious life. That’s the problem Jesus addressed with the Pharisees that day in Galilee. We get comfortable with the way things have always been and just don’t want to change whether the change is for our good or not. We do the same things. Read the same words, sing the same songs, go through the same rituals, and we let them slip by us because they’re comfortable.

Jesus had a new message for those who would listen to Him. He brought a new covenant to all people. The days of animal sacrifices for the atonement of sins were over because He would be the perfect sacrifice for all of us. The misuse of power through the priesthood and the misunderstand of their role was over as each individual could have a personal relationship with the God of the universe through His Son, Jesus, the Messiah, and Savior of all humankind.

He had something new for all of us. New life. More abundant life. Everlasting life. But unless we let Him change us, we will never experience it. Unless we are willing to give up the old life and let Him live in us, we will just stay comfortable in the world we live in and lose the way to His kingdom and His promises. We must be willing to try something new to enjoy what He has in store for us. And it’s not always comfortable.

This new life, new covenant, new path takes courage, though. It takes giving up yourself. It takes doing what we often find difficult. Letting go of the comfortable and taking on things that the world will tell us don’t make sense. But if you never take your first step, you’d never learn to walk. If you never got on a bicycle for the first time, you’d never know the excitement of riding faster than you can run. If you never got behind the wheel of a car for the first time, you’d never learn to drive. You get the idea. Everything you do starts with the first time you do it.

The same is true with following Jesus. It takes that first acknowledgement that He is God’s only Son and died for you. Then every moment of every day, acknowledging that truth is still alive and real in your heart. It’s first giving Him Lordship of your life, then every moment keeping Him in that place of Lordship, saying yes to His commands whenever He gives you something to do. It is something new. But if you never try this new life, you’ll never know what you’re missing.

So are you ready to try something new? Are you ready to enjoy the new life Jesus can give you? Are you ready to experience what millions have enjoyed through the centuries since He died for you? You can. But you must take that first step. Say yes to Him. Let Him be Lord of your life. You won’t be sorry you took that first step.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Experience God, you won’t turn back! (Hebrews 6:12), July 9, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Hebrews 6:1-12

Set – Micah 4; Hebrews 6

Go! – Micah 1-4; Hebrews 6

Hebrews 6:1-12
1 So let’s push on toward a more perfect understanding and move beyond just the basic teachings of the Anointed One. There’s no reason to rehash the fundamentals: repenting from what you loved in your old dead lives, believing in God as our Creator and Redeemer, 2 teaching about baptism, setting aside those called to service through the ritual laying on of hands, the coming resurrection of those who have died, and God’s final judgment of all people for all time. 3 No, we will move on toward perfection, if God wills it.
4-6 It is impossible to restore the changed heart of the one who has fallen from faith—who has already been enlightened, has tasted the gift of new life from God, has shared in the power of the Holy Spirit, and has known the goodness of God’s revelation and the powers of the coming age. If such a person falls away, it’s as though that one were crucifying the Son of God all over again and holding Him up to ridicule. 7 You see, God blesses the ground that drinks of the rain and then produces a bountiful crop for those who cultivate it. 8 But land that produces nothing but thorns and brambles? That land is worthless and in danger of being cursed, burned to the bare earth.
9 But listen, my friends—we don’t mean to discourage you completely with such talk. We are convinced that you are made for better things, the things of salvation, 10 because God is not unjust or unfair. He won’t overlook the work you have done or the love you have carried to each other in His name while doing His work, as you are still doing. 11 We want you all to continue working until the end so that you’ll realize the certainty that comes with hope 12 and not grow lazy. We want you to walk in the footsteps of the faithful who came before you, from whom you can learn to be steadfast in pursuing the promises of God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Paul’s words seem strange to many today. Many believe you can pop in and out of walking with Me at will. Just do want you want and it will be okay. You can come and go as you please. Salvation really doesn’t work that way. When you come to Me, I will give you the stength to stand up to the temptations you face. I want you to turn from the evil paths you followed and live for Me. I don’t want you to wallow in the sinful ways of your past.

When you turn back to your old patterns of sin, you deny My power in your life and the path I’ve laid before you. You deny the power of the cross and the sacrifice I made for you. You crucify Me again. I have so much more for you than just simply forgiving your sins. I want you to truly live. Once you taste the life I have in store for you, you won’t want to turn back.

That’s why Paul can say what he does in these verses. If you really taste the life I have for you, you won’t want to turn back. Those who really experience the full life in Me never want to return to their old life of sin. It’s like the difference between living in a sewer drain and living in a well furnished house.

The comparison is so extreme, there really is no comparison between the two.

Some, however, never really repent of their sins. You cry a few tears, feel sorry you are caught in the trap of guilt for doing wrong, assage you conscience by telling Me you’re sorry, but get up and continue to do the same thing again. That is not repentance. Repentance is turning away from sin. Repentance is doing an about face. It is turning toward Me and away from the life you were living before heading in the direction I want you to go. And that’s the problem with the watered-down religion many hear today. Just cry and few tears and everything is okay. Say you’re sorry and move on.

Not enough. I didn’t die on the cross for you to do whatever you want to do. I died for your redemption. Redemption means I bought you with My blood. I own you. But I give you a choice as to whether you will let Me own you. You can choose to walk away without experiencing My forgiveness and My abundant life. Or you can allow Me to direct your path.

If you allow Me to direct your path, if you become a slave to My word, if you follow the directions I give you, I don’t think you’ll want to leave. You’ll enjoy the abundant living I promised. You’ll experience the incredible joy that comes from My spirit living in you that the world around you will never understand. You’ll amaze those around you with the new life that springs from you each moment because of My spirit that pours through your actions and your words. You’ll live life through Me.

Really experience Me, you won’t turn back! 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.