On my fifteen-minute drive down I-85 to work this morning, I was praying to God asking Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit and make ME a place where His Spirit would want to dwell. As I spoke these words out loud, I was reminded of John chapter 2 where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. I have been studying this chapter this week trying to pull some symbolism out the events taking place. What I was reminded of were the six water jars that were used to hold the water. The text is found in John 2:6-7 and says this, “6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. The first hint of symbolism found by my simple mind was the number six. The second was purpose of the jars and the third was what Jesus told the servants to do.
The number six, according to all of my resources, is the symbol for man, in the bible. That means us, me and you. We are not God, we are mere men, made of flesh, and we live in a broken world because of the sin of Adam. But, John 1:14 says, 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”Jesus came so that our flesh would become His Word! But, how does that manifest? Hold on.
Secondly, the jars were used for ceremonial washing. Ceremonial washing was a man made tradition and not part of the law. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” What Jesus DID come to abolish were man made traditions that the religious teachers held over the heads of the people. MOST of these traditions, the religious teachers could not even fulfill themselves yet the people were condemned for not fulfilling them!
Now, here’s where I think it gets good! In verse 14 Jesus tells the servants to “Fill the jars with water.” They didn’t take water that had been already used for traditional washing and turn it to wine. They used new water and “filled them to the brim.” Here the water symbolizes of course baptism with water and baptism in the spirit, exactly what I was praying this morning. But, the most intriguing part of this is what came to me as I was praying this morning. The jars had to be EMPTY to be FILLED!
When we are emptied of fleshly desires, focused on what the God says and not what man says, then we make place for His Spirit to dwell and His Word to be made flesh within us. How do I become EMPTIED, to be FILLED? Matthew 6 gives us some great starting places, “When you pray”(6:5), “when you fast”(6:16), and “when you give “(6:2) Thank you Jesus for giving me the keys to the kingdom and revelation that will empty this flesh so your Word will manifest in me!
For Donald Hobbs
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Cam Newton and the "SCC"
Cam Newton and the SCC?
As a Christian I know I could learn a thing or two from Cam Newton and his actions throughout his football career this year and in the midst of all the unwanted turmoil. I know some of you Alabama fans aren’t going to like this but that’s okay. And others of you are going to say that he may still be guilty but guilt or innocence is not the issue here, it is his actions. As a football player playing for Auburn University he is governed by the rules of the SEC (Southeastern Conference), and if he steps outside those boundaries he can be declared ineligible to play. But, Cam has displayed on and off the field a Christian boundary that I call the S.C.C. Self-control, Courage, and Commitment.
SELF-CONTROL is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and although it is listed last if you can make it first, all of the others will come much easier. (Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control) All of these fruits come to those who fellowship with God but the Spirit expects us to start somewhere as James 4:8 suggest, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” By practicing self-control and with the help of the Holy Spirit, all of the other fruits become gifts to others. Our Heisman Trophy winner is not being proclaimed as a Savior here or some super-disciple, just a man that has practiced self-control in a very adverse situation. Needless to say, the fruits from his actions have been a gift to others!
COURAGE has definitely been displayed in Cam’s action time and time again on the playing field by leading his team to victory despite what the scoreboard read. In his personal life, when all the cards looked to be stacked against him and there was nothing that he could do about it, he remained courageous. These circumstances remind me of Joshua, as he was about to lead the Israelites into the promise land just after Moses death. God said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go! I know I could use some of that Cam/Joshua courage every day of my life!
COMMITMENT is something we witness little of in today’s society. There are marriages splitting up left and right with no thought of reconciliation. There are people jumping from church to church. There are those of us proclaiming to live in accordance to God’s word, talking the talk but not walking the walk! All of the unfaithfulness arises in times of turmoil. How are my commitments? Am I living up to what I promised to do in my marriage, job, church, and my walk with Christ? I’m afraid not! Luke 14:28 says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost of whether he has enough to complete it. I think we can all take a hard look at Cam Newton as an example and see where he counted the cost before entering in and has stayed committed.
As I said previously, I am not glorifying Mr. Newton in the category with Christ but he has certainly set some boundaries in his life that comply with the S.C.C.! Self-Control, Courage, and Commitment, if he’s following these in his life, most likely he won’t have any problems with the SEC.
BY Donald Hobbs TO and FOR Donald Hobbs
As a Christian I know I could learn a thing or two from Cam Newton and his actions throughout his football career this year and in the midst of all the unwanted turmoil. I know some of you Alabama fans aren’t going to like this but that’s okay. And others of you are going to say that he may still be guilty but guilt or innocence is not the issue here, it is his actions. As a football player playing for Auburn University he is governed by the rules of the SEC (Southeastern Conference), and if he steps outside those boundaries he can be declared ineligible to play. But, Cam has displayed on and off the field a Christian boundary that I call the S.C.C. Self-control, Courage, and Commitment.
SELF-CONTROL is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and although it is listed last if you can make it first, all of the others will come much easier. (Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control) All of these fruits come to those who fellowship with God but the Spirit expects us to start somewhere as James 4:8 suggest, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” By practicing self-control and with the help of the Holy Spirit, all of the other fruits become gifts to others. Our Heisman Trophy winner is not being proclaimed as a Savior here or some super-disciple, just a man that has practiced self-control in a very adverse situation. Needless to say, the fruits from his actions have been a gift to others!
COURAGE has definitely been displayed in Cam’s action time and time again on the playing field by leading his team to victory despite what the scoreboard read. In his personal life, when all the cards looked to be stacked against him and there was nothing that he could do about it, he remained courageous. These circumstances remind me of Joshua, as he was about to lead the Israelites into the promise land just after Moses death. God said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go! I know I could use some of that Cam/Joshua courage every day of my life!
COMMITMENT is something we witness little of in today’s society. There are marriages splitting up left and right with no thought of reconciliation. There are people jumping from church to church. There are those of us proclaiming to live in accordance to God’s word, talking the talk but not walking the walk! All of the unfaithfulness arises in times of turmoil. How are my commitments? Am I living up to what I promised to do in my marriage, job, church, and my walk with Christ? I’m afraid not! Luke 14:28 says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost of whether he has enough to complete it. I think we can all take a hard look at Cam Newton as an example and see where he counted the cost before entering in and has stayed committed.
As I said previously, I am not glorifying Mr. Newton in the category with Christ but he has certainly set some boundaries in his life that comply with the S.C.C.! Self-Control, Courage, and Commitment, if he’s following these in his life, most likely he won’t have any problems with the SEC.
BY Donald Hobbs TO and FOR Donald Hobbs
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