Fresh Wine For Fresh Hearts
New wine in a fresh vessel, the glad life of Jesus preserved in you.
Devotional Credit: eManna, Witness Lee
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The picture is simple and beautiful. Jesus speaks of new wine that belongs in fresh wineskins. The wine is His own life, lively and cheering. The skin is the person who receives Him. When His life fills a willing heart, it does not sit still. It energizes, gladdens, and moves us toward joyful communion with Him. I am grateful for how Witness Lee draws out this picture with warmth and clarity.
If we try to pour this living wine into the rigid containers of old habits, self-effort, or rule-keeping, things crack. We leak joy. We grow tired. The point is not to improve the old container. The point is to receive Jesus as our life in a new way, trusting Him within. He is not merely an example to admire. He is our indwelling King who loves to be our garment outwardly and our wine inwardly.
This is not hype or a momentary rush. The life of Jesus is steady and real. His life cheers us with holy gladness, not shallow thrills. He invites us to enjoy Him as Bridegroom, to step into His feast with a heart clothed in Him and filled by Him. Where He is welcomed, peace rises, courage returns, and love flows.
So today we come as fellow travelers, not experts, learning the same lesson together. The Lord is not asking us to squeeze more out of ourselves. He is inviting us to make room for Him, to trust His presence in us, and to walk through the day as fresh wineskins, supple and responsive to His leading. Thank you, Witness Lee, for stirring this reminder to enjoy Jesus as our gladness.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I live in you because you belong to Jesus. I joined you to Him so that His life would be your life. You were crucified with Him, and now you live in Him, not by your own supply, but by His faithfulness at work in you. I made you a new creation. I sealed you for the day of redemption. I dwell in your spirit, and I bring the life of the Son into your everyday moments.
I do not patch up the old. I clothe you with a new garment in the Beloved. I pour a new wine that gladdens your heart with a joy that is strong and steady. Yield to Me, and you will find that obedience rises from love, not from strain. When you set your mind on the things above, where the risen Christ is, your desires align with Him. As you abide, fruit comes in season, because the life comes from Him.
I am your inner companion in every room you enter. When pressure mounts, I do not ask you to push harder. I invite you to receive. Be filled, again and again. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Let His word dwell in you richly. As you present yourself to Me, I work in you to will and to do what delights the Father. You are not an old skin. You are made new in Jesus.
So walk with Me today. Offer your words, your tone, your time. I will animate them with the life of the Son. Where there has been heaviness, I give gladness. Where there has been fear, I give courage. Where there has been striving, I give rest. I am not far. I am within. And I delight to make Jesus known through you.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of pouring a lively, sparkling drink into a brittle paper cup. The cup buckles, and the fizz leaks everywhere. Now pour that same drink into a clean glass tumbler. It holds, and you can enjoy every sip. In the same way, the indwelling Spirit fills a heart that is yielded and responsive, not stiff with self-management. He expresses the life of Jesus through a trusting vessel, and the joy is preserved.
A simple practice for today. When you are about to answer a tense email at work, pause your typing and turn your attention to the Lord within. Whisper, Lord, I trust You to live Your life in me and through me as I answer, giving Your patience, Your clarity, and Your tone. Then write with a calm pace, confident that Jesus is expressing His life through you.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that Your life is my life in this very moment. Thank You that I am not an old container being patched up, but a new creation in Jesus, clothed in Him and filled by Your Spirit. I receive Your gladness as my strength. I affirm that Your peace rules my heart, and Your word dwells in me richly. I rejoice that You work in me to will and to do what pleases the Father. Today I walk as a fresh wineskin, supple to Your leading, ready to enjoy You and to bless others as You express Your life through me. Amen.
Scripture References For The Voice Of The Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Matthew 9:16-17. Matthew 22:2. John 2:1-11. John 7:37-39. John 15:1-5. Romans 6:1-14. Romans 8:9-11. 2 Corinthians 5:17. Galatians 2:20. Ephesians 1:13-14. Ephesians 5:18-21. Philippians 2:13. Colossians 1:27. Colossians 3:1-4. Colossians 3:15-16. 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Isaiah 61:10. Nehemiah 8:10. Psalm 104:15. Judges 9:13.