2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 11

In Matthew 9, Jesus calls Matthew exactly where he is—seated at a tax booth, embedded in a broken system, not yet transformed. The call comes first. Grace initiates relationship before change ever begins. That’s the starting point of sanctification.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He follows Matthew’s call with a warning: new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins. Living wine expands. It stretches its container. Old skins aren’t bad; they’re just already formed by a previous life.

Sanctification works the same way. God’s grace is active, not passive. It reshapes desires, habits, and identities over time. We cannot expect the Spirit to fit neatly into old patterns of living. Holiness requires new capacity—a willingness to be re-formed.

Sanctification is not self-improvement. It is grace at work, stretching us so we can hold more of Christ.

As we start this new week, don’t ask God to simply fix something in your life.
Ask instead, What old container am I clinging to that can no longer hold the life You’re giving me?

Then, practice surrender in one specific place—an attitude, a habit, a schedule, or a relationship—making room for the Spirit to stretch you. Sanctification doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we willingly become new wineskins.