And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. Mark 2:22.
We need to be constantly filling the mind with Christ, and emptying it of selfishness and sin. When Christ came into the world, the leaders of the Jews were so permeated with Phariseeism that they could not receive His teachings. Jesus compared them to the shriveled wineskins which were not fit to receive the new wine from the vintage. He had to find new bottles into which to put the new wine of His kingdom. This was why He turned away from the Pharisees, and chose the lowly fishermen of Galilee.
Jesus was the greatest teacher the world ever knew, and He chose men whom He could educate, and who would take the words from His lips, and send them down along the line to our time. So, by His Spirit and His Word, He would educate you for His work. Just as surely as you empty your mind of vanity and frivolity, the vacuum will be supplied with that which God is waiting to give you—His Holy Spirit. Then out of the good treasure of the heart you will bring forth good things, rich gems of thought, and others will catch the words, and will begin to glorify God. Then you will not have the mind centered upon self. You will not be making a show of self; you will not be acting self; but your thoughts and affections will dwell upon Christ, and you will reflect upon others that which has shone upon you from the Sun of righteousness.
Christ has said: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Have you exhausted the fountain?—No; for it is inexhaustible. Just as soon as you feel your need, you may drink, and drink again. The fountain is always full. And when you have once drunk of that fountain, you will not be seeking to quench your thirst from the broken cisterns of this world; you will not be studying how you can find the most pleasure, amusement, fun, and frolic. No; because you have been drinking from the stream which makes glad the city of God. Then your joy will be full; for Christ will be in you, the hope of glory.—The Review and Herald, March 15, 1892.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 21
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Prayer Requests
—-Friend facing possible amputation. Please pray God’s will. Mel
—-Please pray for our family and our church family.
—-Prayers for my Brother! He and one of the older three boys tested positive for Covid, so he can’t go see his baby in NICU, but also they are having to monitor Liam in NICU more carefully in case my brother gave it to him. I feel so bad for my brother, it’s bad enough to be sick, but to possibly make the newborn babies (and potentially any other babies in NICU) sick with Covid…..So prayers for my brother and his little boy Nikolai, Prayers for mom Danielle as she will likely test positive as well, prayers for baby Liam and the other NICU babies (IDK if they are all isolated r not, but let’s jsut give them some prayers too) and then prayers for hte family as they can’t see him (but they will try to go every few days to drop off breast milk for Liam). Jennifer
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in North Carolina, the church we attended had a camp-out one weekend. It was the first time they had done so, and I hoped it would not be the last. We had a really nice time singing together and worshipping our Great Creator out in His Creation. Our pastor, John Earnhardt, took all the children on a nature walk and they had a fun time seeing the animals that he caught.
Ronnie Jay was about seven or eight at the time and always got up at dawn no matter how early that was. One morning Pastor Earnhardt got up about the same time as he also was in the habit of rising early. The pastor was his hero anyway, so this time when he got to be all alone with him was very special. He and Ronnie Jay talked for a while and then he showed our son how to play baseball. Ronnie Jay was thrilled!
When we awakened, we smiled at the two of them playing happily together. Through the years Ronnie Jay remembered this incident with fondness. One day he wrote the pastor and told him how much that morning together had meant to him. This pleased Pastor Earnhardt very much. He sent Ronnie Jay a nice letter, a brochure from the evangelistic meetings he was holding, and a postcard from the area he was in at the time. Years later, when Pastor Earnhardt held evangelistic meetings in our city, he and Ronnie Jay spent some time together. The pastor’s eyes just sparkled as he looked at our boy who was now a grown man.
Just as our son and the pastor had special fellowship, so our Heavenly Father longs to have a special fellowship with us. He desires above all things to have close communion with us, not just once or twice, but every moment of every day. He loves us “with an everlasting love.” Jer 31:3 In God’s Word is revealed His great love for us. That great chapter in Isaiah foretells Jesus’ loving sacrifice for us. “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isa 52:13-53:12
Think of it! God made this great sacrifice for us, so He could bring us into right relationship with Himself. What love! What sacrifice! “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Cor 1:9 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. May we give ourselves to Him completely, develop the habit of holding sweet communion with Him as we go about our daily duties, and truly love our Great Redeemer more than anything else.
Rose