You may have been through some disappointments, you may have tried and failed or things didn't work out. That's okay. We serve a God of restoration. It's time to get a new vision for your life. It's time to open yourself to a new way of thinking so that you can move forward and receive all the blessings God has in store for you!

Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Jude 17, 20b-25

Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6

M ark 11:27-33 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, (28) and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" (29) Jesus said to them, "I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. (30) Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me." (31) And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will say, `Why then did you not believe him?' (32) But shall we say, `From men'?" – they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was a real prophet. (33) So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Meditation by Don Schwager

Do you accept the authority of God’s word and submit to it with trust and obedience? Many religious leaders took offense at Jesus because they could not accept his authority. After Jesus had dramatically cleansed the temple of the traders and money-changers the Jewish leaders question Jesus to trap him. If he says his authority is divine they will charge him with blasphemy. If he has done this on his own authority they might well arrest him as a mad zealot before he could do more damage. Jesus, seeing through their trap, poses a question to them and makes their answer a condition for his answer. Did they accept the work of John the Baptist as divine or human? If they accepted John’s work as divine, they would be compelled to accept Jesus as the Messiah. They dodged the question because they were unwilling to face the truth. They did not accept the Baptist and they would not accept Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus told his disciples that “the truth will make you free” (John 8:31). Do you know the joy and freedom of living according to God's word of truth?

 “Lord Jesus, your word is life and truth. Instruct my heart that I may grow in the knowledge of your truth and live according to your word”.

Supplementary Reading

A New Way of Thinking

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. – Mark 2:22

A re you ready for increase? Are you ready to go to the next level spiritually, physically and emotionally? In today's verse, Jesus is basically saying that you can't go to a new level with an old way of thinking.

I've found that many people hear the truth that God has more in store for them, and something resonates on the inside. Their spirit comes into agreement with God. But often times, their natural minds will try to talk them out it. Thoughts come like, "It's not going to happen for you. You're not going to have a great year. You know what the economy is like." Or, "You're never going to get well. You saw what the medical report said." "You're never going to get married. You've been single so long."

Friend, those are the old wineskins that you have to get rid of. This is a new season. What's happened in the past is over and done. You may have been through some disappointments, you may have tried and failed or things didn't work out. That's okay. We serve a God of restoration. It's time to get a new vision for your life. It's time to open yourself to a new way of thinking so that you can move forward and receive all the blessings God has in store for you!

Father in heaven, today I choose to get rid of old wineskins. I choose to release old thinking, old habits, and anything that would keep me from Your best. Strengthen me by Your Spirit so that I can live my life in a way that pleases You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.—Joel & Victoria Osteen

For archive of previous Daily Meditation postings, please visit http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/

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GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.