The Mind of Christ

What's in your jar?

2010-12-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

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

Cam Newton and the "SCC"

2010-12-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

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

No Need To Worry

2010-04-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

The FAST pace in which MOST of us live today, it is so easy to get caught up in our daily battles with the future concerning work, finances, relationships, even CHURCH! When our daily battles about the future dominate our thoughts and our actions, we develop a harmful and occasionally embarrassing virus that causes growths that hender the steps of our walk with God! They are called WORRY WARTS! And they keep us from living the ABUNDANT LIFE that Jesus said we could have in John 10:10! Here are SEVEN reasons Jesus gave us NOT to WORRY!

"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:25 says that the same God that created you can be trusted with the details of your life

In Matthew 6:26 Jesus says, "look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly father feeds them. And aren't you more valuable to him than they are?" Worrying about the future hampers you efforts for today!

Worrying is more HARMFUL than it is helpful. Jesus confirms this by saying in Matthew 6:27, "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"

Jesus continues in Matthew 6:28-29 to say, "And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lillies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Soloman in all his glory was not dressed as beautiful as they are." When we DEPEND on God alone, He never ignores us!

Worrying shows a complete lack of faith and understanding of God!
Matthew 6:31,32 "So don't worry about these things saying, 'What will eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly father already knows all your needs."

"Seek the Kingdom of God, above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 Worrying keeps us from the REAL CHALLENGES God wants us to persue!

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34. Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry!

So free yourself from focusing on your daily battles with the FUTURE that causes WORRY and slow down enough to spend time in prayer and in God's Word lest you forget the promises of GOD!

Jesus loves YOU!

Why DOES God allow GOOD people to suffer?

2010-01-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

Job 38:4-6

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-

Toward the end of Job, this Scripture is God's rebuke to Job's friends on their attempts to explain why good people suffer. God makes it plain that we don't even have the frame of reference for those questions. Our role is to watch our own hearts before God and come before Him with humility, knowing that some things are reserved for God and God alone.

Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

What's keeping you from your promise? Exodus 4:24

2010-01-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Exodus 4:24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.

WHY was God going to kill Moses?

God was going to kill Moses because of sin. The sin of Moses in Exodus 4:24-26 is not stated explicitly, but the surrounding events give substantial clues as to the nature of Moses’ transgression. God had instructed his messenger to warn Pharaoh to free Israel, or risk losing his firstborn son (Exodus 4:21-24). Moses had been specially groomed by God for eighty years for this mission, and now the time for action had come.

Moses was to lead his people out of Egypt and to be an example to Pharaoh’s house, to the nation of Egypt, and to all the nations that heard of those happenings (Exodus 18:10-11; Joshua 2:10-11). Accordingly, Moses’ personal life had to be in order before he could direct the spiritual lives of the Hebrew people. It seems that Moses had neglected to administer the sacred rite of circumcision, the act that symbolized the Almighty’s covenant with His chosen people.

Perhaps this was the result of pressure from his surrogate Midianite tribe. It is also possible that he was persuaded by Zipporah not to circumcise his son, since she apparently found the practice revolting (4:25). This would explain her violent outburst; she felt that she had saved her husband from death by shedding the blood of her son. Whatever the cause, Moses’ outstanding sin made him unfit to serve as a spiritual leader, and the situation had to be rectified before he could carry out his mission effectively. Indeed, as soon as Zipporah performed the act, the Lord “let him go.” In summary, God was going to kill Moses because Moses was supposed to teach the Israelites God's Law, yet Moses was not obeying God's Law himself.

And what about you? Has God been grooming you all your life for you to be the next great leader? Is there an area of disobedience that needs to be examined? Our ignorance or oversight may be keeping you or me from our promise. Time to check ourselves and do as David did and ask the Lord to search our hearts and reveal to us unknown disobedience.

Peace

Galatians 5:16

2010-01-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

How many times have we made New Year resolutions only to find ourselves discouraged by the 2nd week (maybe even the 2nd day!). Every New Year we intend to stop this or lose that - so much so that we resign ourselves each year to making a list with the assumption that we won't keep it. But the apostle Paul gives us an important hint in what it takes to truly change: we don't make a decision to keep away from the desires of our sinful nature, we make a decision to live by the Spirit! We need to focus our gaze on where we want to go instead of looking at what we want to avoid. Let's start this New Year by taking our gaze off of our weaknesses and refocus it on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When we do, we find that He can change us more than our resolutions!

HARDSHIP does not mean failure!

2009-11-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

Luke 7:20-23

When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

How could John the Baptist even ask that question? John proclaimed Jesus Christ before Jesus ever showed up. John was the one who baptized Jesus and saw the heavenly dove descend. Yet even with all of that, our souls are fickle. John's association with Jesus had brought much hardship and his death was immanent. John wondered if he made the biggest mistake in his life. But hardship does not mean failure. There is a blessing reserved for those who can stay true to Jesus even when the blessing seems far from them.

Commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, Grace NYC

I Want To Stop But Don't Know How

2009-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

In today's society there are so many that are bound by drugs, alcohol, destructive thought patterns, and abusive relationships. Maybe you or some good people that you know are addicted to pornography, have gambling problems and the like? The tragedy is that you can't stop on your own and unless you find help, your attachment to the dark side will only grow larger. Only because because of twenty-nine years of relationship problems, drug and alcohol abuse does this writer knows that practicing sin is an endless and growing cycle of destructive behavior that ruins lives and destroys families. It is through the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and REPENTANCE of your sins, the MEDITATION of God's word, and the allowance of CHRISTIAN people to hold you ACCOUNTABLE that erects the necessary boundaries you need to become free of the merry-go-round of sin.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT-The first step towards freedom from any sin is realizing your need for God, being able to admit you have a problem, and recognizing that you can't quit on your own. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:5. Take an inventory of your life and write down what needs to change! You can't get help from anyone if you can't admit you need help!

REPENTANCE-To repent means you TURN from wrong and turn towards GOD. It also means to have a genuine change of heart that gives you a new prospective. New prospectives come from God. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Call upon the name of the Lord.

MEDITATION of God's WORD-This is so important! The only way to get your focus off of yourself, off of your sin, and on something GOOD is to read, hear, and speak God's word. It is the antidote to your stronghold. It is medicine that you can't overdose on. Even if you don't understand what you are reading, keep reading! The word of GOD will change your thoughts, your thoughts dictate your words, and your words influence your ACTIONS! Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Reading the bible will change the way you think!

CHRISTIAN ACCOUNTABILITY-It is essential to have a mature Christian in your life to hold you accountable! Hopefully, at this point, you will be in a good bible based church and can ask the pastor or leader to help you with this. NEVER ask someone that is suffering from the same affliction as you to hold you accountable. Find someone who can mentor you and pray down heaven for you no matter the circumstance! Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17.

Acknowledgement and repentance of your sins, meditation of the bible, and Christian accountability will provide fertile ground by which to separate yourself from sin and grow towards God's purpose and destiny for your life. BUT, all of this is null and void if you haven't ask Jesus Christ into your heart! "Why" you ask? It's because sin separates you from GOD and because He loves you so much, He reconciled Himself to you by allowing His only Son to die. Jesus died a cruel death on the cross, and after the third day of death, God raised Him up from the dead and He is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. God sent Jesus to save you and not to condemn you. If you have felt a tugging at your heart while reading this, you can ask Jesus to come into your heart, and the Holy Spirit will begin to help you today!

Pray this prayer with me: "God, I know I've messed up and not kept your word for my life. Jesus, come into my heart. Holy Spirit, I ask you to live in me and help me from this day forth. Jesus died and rose again, by confessing that with my mouth, believing it in my heart, I have eternal life, and I am now saved."

This blog is a mere skeleton to freedom but it offers a start! Message me if you need help finding a church to go or have any questions about salvation.

God Bless you!

Donald Hobbs

www.wholeagainministries.org

A few thoughts on The Kingdom of Heaven

2009-10-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 4, 2009
A few thoughts on "Kingdom of Heaven"

"The Kingdom, it's all about the Kingdom," they say. It seems all the popular preachers are offering a new viewpoint on "The Kingdom of Heaven." Some say it's this and some say its that, so in my confusion I set out to form my own opinion of the consistence of "The Kingdom." Out of 352 references in the Bible to the word "kingdom", I came up with three thoughts about this subject: explanation, qualifications, and the keys to the Kingdom.

How do I explain the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Matthew 3:2 says, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." So, the Kingdom is about repentance and turning to God. Repent means to change the way you think. So a man thinks, so he is. If we turn TO God, then we must turn FROM something. We must turn from being SELF-CENTERED and SELF CONTROLLED and turn our lives over to Christ's direction and Christ's control.

Secondly, what are the qualifications of the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Refer to Matthew 5:3-12, "The Beatitudes," 1)We must first and foremost realize that we have a need for GOD. 2)We must mourn, period. 3)We must be "humble" which translates to "human" which translates to this: "be yourself and not a copycat of someone else" 4) Hunger and thirst for justice. 5) Be merciful to all. 6) Have a pure heart. 7) Work towards peace. 8) Proclaim who we are in Christ regardless of what other think even if we are persecuted.

Third is the "keys to the Kingdom." In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said,
" And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Through the power of forbidding and permitting, Jesus turned the power to forgive others over to US according to John 20:23, because He forgave us. Freely we have received, freely we shall give"

The "Kingdom of Heaven" is about being in right relationship with God through repentance and allowing His word to change our thinking. It's about being in right relationship with others by meeting the "qualifications" and using the keys to offer them hope. Do you need to "change the way you think and turn to God?" Are you headed to heaven? Are you qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven? Christians that are reading this, when is the last time you allowed God's word to be a mirror in your life? When is the last time you exercised the power of forgiveness in your own household? Who was the last person you told about God's love and lead them to Christ? Just a few thoughts, on the "Kingdom of Heaven."

In love with Christ.

Donald Hobbs

God ALWAYS uses death to bring LIFE

2009-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

We have recently experienced the death of our two month old grandchild and although it doesn't bring complete healing to this human heart, I can see glimpes of God's purposes through death. John 12:24. "I tell you the truth. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die. Then it grows and makes many seeds. But if it never dies, then it will always be only a single seed." God always fulfills promises and even brings salvation through death.

In the book of Genesis it wasn't until he death of Sarah that Abraham found the "Promise Land" that God told him of when he bought a plot of land to bury his wife. It was the death of Ruth's husband that catapulted her to her "Promise Land" by restoring her with her Boaz.

All of the stories found in the Old Testament cast a shadow forward and paint a picture for us to see the New Testament's ultimate death and resurrection of Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16. Salvation.

In my short four years of being saved I have seen people walk into their God given promise and purpose through financial blessings that have come through the death of a loved one. I have seen life restored to so many relationships, that would otherwise remain stagnant ,through the death of of a friend or family member. And is that not God's will for us all to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to be in right relationship with all we encounter in our lives? Is it not also God's will that we be in right relationship with Him, our creator, through the DEATH and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ? Now I am not minimizing the pain and hurt that comes from death to us mere mortals here on earth because death ALWAYS hurts. But, its when we view death through our spiritual eyes recognizing its purposes and seeing the good that God brings through what is normally viewed as evil that we can truly experience His peace and see that He IS in control and has purpose in what is happening around us at all times. In closing, I urge every Christian to take a step back and explore the possibilities of the "big picture" that surrounds the event of life called "death."

In love with Christ.

Donald Hobbs