Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
WHATEVER!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
Stress, anxiety and depression are modern day assassins! They are silent killers that cause more problems that you can shake a stick at. But, there comes a point in your life when you need something that will bring you instant relief. For instance, if you have a headache an aspirin can bring you relief. If you have a stomach ache Patois can bring you relief. But, if you have issues, circumstances, tribulations, problems, and heartache that human hands cannot fix or repair and you want instant relief here's what you do. Throw your head back, look towards heaven, and just say WHATEVER!!!
In fact, someone of you reading this devotional right now is stressed to the max. Your entire family leans on you. You have to hold everything up for everybody and keep a smile on your face so that they will think that everything is okay. You have to buy it, cook it, clean it, help it, direct it, pray for it, pay for it, teach it, hold it, mold it, and store it. And there are times when you don't know if you are going or coming. Let me help right quick. Throw your head back, look towards heaven and just say WHATEVER!!!
There are those who are sharing this moment with me right now that struggle with issues of anxiety and depression. People look at you and they have no idea what a struggle it is for you just to be present. In fact, you are living on the edge of quiet desperation. Today is problematic and tomorrow seems too filled with trouble to be worth it. Let me bring you to a point of spiritual healing and restoration right quick. Throw your head back, look towards heaven, and just day WHATEVER!!!
The Apostle Paul knew how to deal with stressful moments and tempestuous times. Here's what he tells the sincere devout believers of Philippi to do. He says, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7, KJV).
Stress, anxiety and depression are modern day assassins! They are silent killers that cause more problems that you can shake a stick at. But, there comes a point in your life when you need something that will bring you instant relief. For instance, if you have a headache an aspirin can bring you relief. If you have a stomach ache Patois can bring you relief. But, if you have issues, circumstances, tribulations, problems, and heartache that human hands cannot fix or repair and you want instant relief here's what you do. Throw your head back, look towards heaven, and just say WHATEVER!!!
In fact, someone of you reading this devotional right now is stressed to the max. Your entire family leans on you. You have to hold everything up for everybody and keep a smile on your face so that they will think that everything is okay. You have to buy it, cook it, clean it, help it, direct it, pray for it, pay for it, teach it, hold it, mold it, and store it. And there are times when you don't know if you are going or coming. Let me help right quick. Throw your head back, look towards heaven and just say WHATEVER!!!
There are those who are sharing this moment with me right now that struggle with issues of anxiety and depression. People look at you and they have no idea what a struggle it is for you just to be present. In fact, you are living on the edge of quiet desperation. Today is problematic and tomorrow seems too filled with trouble to be worth it. Let me bring you to a point of spiritual healing and restoration right quick. Throw your head back, look towards heaven, and just day WHATEVER!!!
The Apostle Paul knew how to deal with stressful moments and tempestuous times. Here's what he tells the sincere devout believers of Philippi to do. He says, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7, KJV).
In other words, you have to learn how to say God I have tried all that I can try, I have prayed all that I could possibly pray, and I have done all that I know how to do, the rest is yours so as far as I am concerned....WHATEVER!!!! So how do we spiritually get to the place where we too can say, WHATEVER?
First of all, you must encounter a release. Here's a personal question for you. Do you worry too much? If your answer was yes I want you to do me a favor. Let it go! Put it down! Quit tripping! Let God have it! Paul says it like this, "Be careful for nothing..." It could better be translated like this, stop worrying about right now and I mean it. Remember this; the beginning of faith is the end of worry. But, the beginning of worry is the end of faith! When one stops the other starts! They cannot coexists! Put it down and let the Lord of heaven have it. He's stronger than you are and He's better at carrying loads than you will ever be! Drop it and just say WHATEVER!
Secondly, you must make a request. One of the tricks of the enemy is to get you to put your burdens down because they are killing you and then pick them back up because you think that you can help God out by carrying them. If you want to live a stress free life you must get to the point where you not only release it but prayerfully let God have for good. Here's what the passage says, "...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God..." The term prayer used here means to make a list and give it to God. Here's a good devotional question for you today. What's on your list? Who's on your list? Where is your list? Do not give your list to your friends, family and fellow neighbors. Give it to God in prayer and just say, WHATEVER!
And, lastly, you must plan to be restored. Life's worries can knock you off of your feet and take the breathe out of you. But, once you have given it to God you have to be restored and move on. Here's how Paul says it, "...and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The term keep is so rich here. It is the Greek word “froreho”. It means to keep bad stuff out and keep good things in. It means to build a gate around something. Here's what it means to you. Once you release it and make a request to God, He literally restores you by building a fence all around you. In short, God's got your back! Are you shouting yet? If you aren't you should be! And, when He has your back you can just say, God's got me covered so, WHATEVER!
For every stressed out saint that's been forced to deal with issues of anxiety, worry, trouble and heartache your healing lies in just this one little word. Say it, internalize it, believe it and practice it and start right now! Here it is one more time, believe it as a fact and declare it in faith to be free, WHATEVER!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
NOT HALLOWEEN, BUT HALLELUJAH!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
You know that you live in a country that is pressed by demons and needs to be delivered when the devil has his own holiday. To put it bluntly, Halloween is about demonism pure and simple. It is a night in which the belief of ghosts, witches, evil spirits, superstitions, wickedness and dead people are literally celebrated. But, where did all of this madness get its start?
Consider this historical synopsis before you let your kids do any trick or treating this year. "Halloween can be traced back more than 2,000 years to a Celtic festival known as “Samhain” (pronounced SAH-wen) that was celebrated at the end of the summer harvest season. The ancient Celts lived in Northern Europe, especially Ireland, Britain and France. (The "C" in Celtic is pronounced with a "K" sound.) The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead roamed the towns and villages on the night of Oct. 31. Because the Celts were superstitious, they feared that these spirits could create havoc by damaging crops, creating sickness and even taking over the bodies of the living. To ward off danger, the Celts lighted huge bonfires and dressed in animal hides to frighten away the evil spirits. “Samhain” was a pagan (nonreligious) celebration. As Christianity became dominant in Europe, the Catholic Church decided it didn't like people celebrating a non-Christian holiday. Around the year 800, the Church moved a spring holiday, All Saints' Day, to Nov. 1. "Hallows" is another word for "saints," so the night before All Saints' Day became known as All Hallows' Eve. From there, it was just a hop, skip and a jump of the tongue for All Hallows' Eve to become Halloween" (Bennett, pg. 13, Washington Post, 2009).
You know that you live in a country that is pressed by demons and needs to be delivered when the devil has his own holiday. To put it bluntly, Halloween is about demonism pure and simple. It is a night in which the belief of ghosts, witches, evil spirits, superstitions, wickedness and dead people are literally celebrated. But, where did all of this madness get its start?
Consider this historical synopsis before you let your kids do any trick or treating this year. "Halloween can be traced back more than 2,000 years to a Celtic festival known as “Samhain” (pronounced SAH-wen) that was celebrated at the end of the summer harvest season. The ancient Celts lived in Northern Europe, especially Ireland, Britain and France. (The "C" in Celtic is pronounced with a "K" sound.) The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead roamed the towns and villages on the night of Oct. 31. Because the Celts were superstitious, they feared that these spirits could create havoc by damaging crops, creating sickness and even taking over the bodies of the living. To ward off danger, the Celts lighted huge bonfires and dressed in animal hides to frighten away the evil spirits. “Samhain” was a pagan (nonreligious) celebration. As Christianity became dominant in Europe, the Catholic Church decided it didn't like people celebrating a non-Christian holiday. Around the year 800, the Church moved a spring holiday, All Saints' Day, to Nov. 1. "Hallows" is another word for "saints," so the night before All Saints' Day became known as All Hallows' Eve. From there, it was just a hop, skip and a jump of the tongue for All Hallows' Eve to become Halloween" (Bennett, pg. 13, Washington Post, 2009).
And get this, trick or treating has its historical roots in the supreme night of demonic jubilation. It was on this night that people believed that the dead would leave their graves and try to find their way back home. In order to appease these evil spirits, town people would leave treats on their front porch (pie, candy, nuts, fruits, etc.) in high hopes that the evil spirits would take the treats and leave them peacefully. This is why we have been taught to dress up like dead folks to get candy from our neighbors and leave on Halloween night. This has nothing to do with Christ, the Bible, the Holy Ghost or the Christian faith at all!
In conjunction to this historical truth a solid word study can shed even more light on this horror of a supposed holiday. Hallo or Halle is the root for the term holy. This is why Jesus taught us to say "hallowed be thy name..." when He taught us the model prayer. This is to be done because the name of our God is holy and should be worshipped. Thus, Hallo in Halloween literally means holy or honored is due. And, “ween” literally means the wicked one. So when we celebrate Halloween we literally worship the wicked one. Now the last time I checked the Bible said, "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth" (Deut. 6:14-15, KJV). This means that if there is going to be any honor given, any worship presented our God is the one that it should be given to. This is why we shout HALLELUJAH! “Halle” means honor or praise and “lujah” means for jah. “Jah” is the root for the name of God which means the self existing holy one! Thus, when we shout Hallelujah we literally celebrate the God of glory in all of His majesty and splendor!
So listen when little visitors stop by your house on October 31st this year give them the treat of their lives. Share Jesus Christ with them! Stop by a Christian book store and buy some candy with Bible verses on them, get some nice Bible tracts that share our message of salvation of them, and make sure that you let everyone who comes near your door that for you, it's all about HALLELUJAH and not Halloween!!! Celebrate the one ghost that we believe in during this season and that is the Holy Ghost (the 3rd person of the Godhead). Celebrate our resurrected Savior Jesus Christ and truth of His Word! For He is worthy to be praised!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
In conjunction to this historical truth a solid word study can shed even more light on this horror of a supposed holiday. Hallo or Halle is the root for the term holy. This is why Jesus taught us to say "hallowed be thy name..." when He taught us the model prayer. This is to be done because the name of our God is holy and should be worshipped. Thus, Hallo in Halloween literally means holy or honored is due. And, “ween” literally means the wicked one. So when we celebrate Halloween we literally worship the wicked one. Now the last time I checked the Bible said, "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth" (Deut. 6:14-15, KJV). This means that if there is going to be any honor given, any worship presented our God is the one that it should be given to. This is why we shout HALLELUJAH! “Halle” means honor or praise and “lujah” means for jah. “Jah” is the root for the name of God which means the self existing holy one! Thus, when we shout Hallelujah we literally celebrate the God of glory in all of His majesty and splendor!
So listen when little visitors stop by your house on October 31st this year give them the treat of their lives. Share Jesus Christ with them! Stop by a Christian book store and buy some candy with Bible verses on them, get some nice Bible tracts that share our message of salvation of them, and make sure that you let everyone who comes near your door that for you, it's all about HALLELUJAH and not Halloween!!! Celebrate the one ghost that we believe in during this season and that is the Holy Ghost (the 3rd person of the Godhead). Celebrate our resurrected Savior Jesus Christ and truth of His Word! For He is worthy to be praised!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
YOUR SEASON IS CHANGING!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
I was born April 9, 1966 at about 4:28am. Yep, I woke my mother up early in the morning making my entrance into this place that we now live in. I'm now 43 years old and the older I get, the more life that I see and the more issues that I have to deal with I find myself saying some of the same things that I heard my parents say years ago. I find myself saying things like "stop running in my house", "put some shoes on your feet because I do not have time for you to catch a cold", "you're going to do it because I said so and that's whether you feel like it or not", "get off of the arm of that sofa right now", "yes you can go but you better be in before the street lights come on", and of course there is this one that says, "get a jacket before you leave because it is October and the weather changes with the drop of a dime."
I'm now 43 years old. And I can remember being raised with two books on the coffee table at all times. There was an almanac and a Bible. You see, the almanac was the little book that told you when to plant, when to fish, when the full moon would occur, when to expect rainy times and when to reap. And, the Bible was the infallible Word of God. For the life of me, I did not understand what those two books had in common. But, after having times of tears, moments of madness, and times of testing and blessing I now understand it. You see, they both have to do with seasons! The almanac gave you agricultural seasons, but the Bible gave you spiritual seasons. The shouting news of the day is that no season comes to stay. Seasons always change!!!
Now for those of you reading this devotional this week and all is well in your life, your bills are paid, your health is fine, your kids are blessed, your job is stable, your mind is clear, your journey is great and you can see that it is your season of bliss and bounty you owe the Lord a shout of thanksgiving! Get one in right now while you are in this season because seasons change. But, for everyone else sharing this time with me who have had one hell of a year, who have had to cry more in 09 than you have had to cry in your whole life, to those that have had to bury loved ones, to those that have been laid off, hurt, wounded, and have had to really struggle the Word of the Lord for you right now is this, "Your Season Is Changing!!!!!"
How would you act if God sent you a message of hope to tell you that He knows that you have been in a drought, but the rain is on the way? What would you do if God sent you an email that said that He has seen your tears and you are about to enter a season of joy like none that you have ever known? This is the purpose of this missive! Consider this a message from the Lord that has found your heart to tell you what Paul told the churches in Galatia when He said, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:7-9, KJV). So what are the Biblical indicators that your season is changing?
First, you know that your season is changing when you are starting to see the ruins of your leftover crop. Okay, this section is not for the real holy people that can not admit it. But, all believers have some left over crop. It's the stuff that you planted before you met Jesus that still shows up in your life every now and then. It's where some of your old habits that you just knew that you gotten rid of years ago start rising in your life again. It happens to all of us from time to time. Paul puts it like this, don't think that God has walked away from His divine principle of sowing and reaping. He is not mocked. And some of the crop that you are seeing is the remains of a crop that you planted before you got saved. But, why does God allow your left over harvest to rise again? He permits it because He knows that your old crop and your new crop cannot grow at the same time! So He gives you some time to get the old one completely out of the way because what is about to come is greater than what has been!!! Are you shouting yet? Get this, your tomorrow looks much better that your yesterday did!
Secondly, you know that your season is about to change when your soul grows weary. Has it ever happened to you before? Have you ever reached a point in your life where you just wanted to throw up both hands and just say "I quit!" If you are here right now, please find the words of this devotional as your divine permission to shout right now! You're being tired and wanting to quit is a sign from God that your season is about to change! Here's what the text says, "...and be not weary in well doing..." The term weary is “ek-kak-eo” in the Greek and it is in the subjunctive mood. It means to be tired to the point of exhaustion but still have just enough in the tank for one more battle. But, please get this, there is a reason why God lets you wear down before He lets your harvest come and your season change. He permits it so that you will know that your season changed because of Him and not because of you! He does not want you to brag about your harvest and your season so He lets you get too weak to continue so that you will have to boast about Him and Him alone!
And lastly, you know that your season is about to change when you are prepared to give God a shout for the season that is yet to come. Seasons must change and here's why. The earth spins on her axis at an angel of 23.5 degrees. As she orbits the sun there are times when she receives more sun light and thus the results are spring and summer. And, there are times when she receives less light and thus we have fall and winter. Did you get it? You see, the more of the "SON" we get the more our seasons change!!!! Here's the greatest news of the day. God says, "..we shall reap..." There's the presence of a definite article here. This means that it can't NOT happen. If you have sown, you shall reap! God has a habit of taking His people from leaves to loaves, from nothing to something and from poverty to plenty! If you have been faithfully sowing you should stop right here and give the Lord a huge thank you for your season because it is about to change!
At 43 years old I sound like the folks that raised me. I find myself waking in the morning and saying "thank you Jesus for another day!" I find myself saying "He's brought me from a mighty long way!" I find myself saying "God will make a way somehow!" And, I find myself saying "Yes, weeping may endure for a little while, but if you hold on...if you don't give out...if you don't give up...your season is going to change and joy will come in the morning!" Celebrate the changing of your season and know that God has ordained it to be so!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
I was born April 9, 1966 at about 4:28am. Yep, I woke my mother up early in the morning making my entrance into this place that we now live in. I'm now 43 years old and the older I get, the more life that I see and the more issues that I have to deal with I find myself saying some of the same things that I heard my parents say years ago. I find myself saying things like "stop running in my house", "put some shoes on your feet because I do not have time for you to catch a cold", "you're going to do it because I said so and that's whether you feel like it or not", "get off of the arm of that sofa right now", "yes you can go but you better be in before the street lights come on", and of course there is this one that says, "get a jacket before you leave because it is October and the weather changes with the drop of a dime."
I'm now 43 years old. And I can remember being raised with two books on the coffee table at all times. There was an almanac and a Bible. You see, the almanac was the little book that told you when to plant, when to fish, when the full moon would occur, when to expect rainy times and when to reap. And, the Bible was the infallible Word of God. For the life of me, I did not understand what those two books had in common. But, after having times of tears, moments of madness, and times of testing and blessing I now understand it. You see, they both have to do with seasons! The almanac gave you agricultural seasons, but the Bible gave you spiritual seasons. The shouting news of the day is that no season comes to stay. Seasons always change!!!
Now for those of you reading this devotional this week and all is well in your life, your bills are paid, your health is fine, your kids are blessed, your job is stable, your mind is clear, your journey is great and you can see that it is your season of bliss and bounty you owe the Lord a shout of thanksgiving! Get one in right now while you are in this season because seasons change. But, for everyone else sharing this time with me who have had one hell of a year, who have had to cry more in 09 than you have had to cry in your whole life, to those that have had to bury loved ones, to those that have been laid off, hurt, wounded, and have had to really struggle the Word of the Lord for you right now is this, "Your Season Is Changing!!!!!"
How would you act if God sent you a message of hope to tell you that He knows that you have been in a drought, but the rain is on the way? What would you do if God sent you an email that said that He has seen your tears and you are about to enter a season of joy like none that you have ever known? This is the purpose of this missive! Consider this a message from the Lord that has found your heart to tell you what Paul told the churches in Galatia when He said, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:7-9, KJV). So what are the Biblical indicators that your season is changing?
First, you know that your season is changing when you are starting to see the ruins of your leftover crop. Okay, this section is not for the real holy people that can not admit it. But, all believers have some left over crop. It's the stuff that you planted before you met Jesus that still shows up in your life every now and then. It's where some of your old habits that you just knew that you gotten rid of years ago start rising in your life again. It happens to all of us from time to time. Paul puts it like this, don't think that God has walked away from His divine principle of sowing and reaping. He is not mocked. And some of the crop that you are seeing is the remains of a crop that you planted before you got saved. But, why does God allow your left over harvest to rise again? He permits it because He knows that your old crop and your new crop cannot grow at the same time! So He gives you some time to get the old one completely out of the way because what is about to come is greater than what has been!!! Are you shouting yet? Get this, your tomorrow looks much better that your yesterday did!
Secondly, you know that your season is about to change when your soul grows weary. Has it ever happened to you before? Have you ever reached a point in your life where you just wanted to throw up both hands and just say "I quit!" If you are here right now, please find the words of this devotional as your divine permission to shout right now! You're being tired and wanting to quit is a sign from God that your season is about to change! Here's what the text says, "...and be not weary in well doing..." The term weary is “ek-kak-eo” in the Greek and it is in the subjunctive mood. It means to be tired to the point of exhaustion but still have just enough in the tank for one more battle. But, please get this, there is a reason why God lets you wear down before He lets your harvest come and your season change. He permits it so that you will know that your season changed because of Him and not because of you! He does not want you to brag about your harvest and your season so He lets you get too weak to continue so that you will have to boast about Him and Him alone!
And lastly, you know that your season is about to change when you are prepared to give God a shout for the season that is yet to come. Seasons must change and here's why. The earth spins on her axis at an angel of 23.5 degrees. As she orbits the sun there are times when she receives more sun light and thus the results are spring and summer. And, there are times when she receives less light and thus we have fall and winter. Did you get it? You see, the more of the "SON" we get the more our seasons change!!!! Here's the greatest news of the day. God says, "..we shall reap..." There's the presence of a definite article here. This means that it can't NOT happen. If you have sown, you shall reap! God has a habit of taking His people from leaves to loaves, from nothing to something and from poverty to plenty! If you have been faithfully sowing you should stop right here and give the Lord a huge thank you for your season because it is about to change!
At 43 years old I sound like the folks that raised me. I find myself waking in the morning and saying "thank you Jesus for another day!" I find myself saying "He's brought me from a mighty long way!" I find myself saying "God will make a way somehow!" And, I find myself saying "Yes, weeping may endure for a little while, but if you hold on...if you don't give out...if you don't give up...your season is going to change and joy will come in the morning!" Celebrate the changing of your season and know that God has ordained it to be so!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
DON'T LET IT GET THE BEST OF YOU!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
I have never seen it on this order before. Christians that outwardly look great and fine, but inwardly struggling with issues of depression. George Barna, one of the greatest church researchers in the world remarks that more Christians privately admit to personal bouts with depression than do our secular counterparts. We worry more and trust less, we panic easier when things go wrong and pray less, and we make an attempt to fix things ourselves instead of turning them over to God and letting Him work it out. We divorce quicker, we give up easier, we fall faster and we boast about a God that is able and awesome. The end result is a person who believes in Jesus Christ, goes to church on a regular basis, and is depressed.
The crux, core and centre of this devotional are really just to make one statement clear the devil is a liar! No matter what happens to you as a believer in Jesus Christ never let life get the best of you!!! Life happens, but If you are wounded you have access to the greatest healer in the world, if you are tired, our God has declared that you can rest in Him, if you are in darkness He is the light, if you are financially strapped He is still Jehovah Jireh and He will provide, if you are sick He is still the great physician and if you are under attack He is still the God of war who fights everyone of your battles for you! Hear this again, don't let it get the best of you!
One day Jesus had a conversation with one of His favorite disciples by the name of Peter. He knew that what was ahead of him was not easy and He did not want him to fall into depression, give up, and throw in the towel. So Jesus says to him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (St. Luke 22:21-32, KJV).
I have never seen it on this order before. Christians that outwardly look great and fine, but inwardly struggling with issues of depression. George Barna, one of the greatest church researchers in the world remarks that more Christians privately admit to personal bouts with depression than do our secular counterparts. We worry more and trust less, we panic easier when things go wrong and pray less, and we make an attempt to fix things ourselves instead of turning them over to God and letting Him work it out. We divorce quicker, we give up easier, we fall faster and we boast about a God that is able and awesome. The end result is a person who believes in Jesus Christ, goes to church on a regular basis, and is depressed.
The crux, core and centre of this devotional are really just to make one statement clear the devil is a liar! No matter what happens to you as a believer in Jesus Christ never let life get the best of you!!! Life happens, but If you are wounded you have access to the greatest healer in the world, if you are tired, our God has declared that you can rest in Him, if you are in darkness He is the light, if you are financially strapped He is still Jehovah Jireh and He will provide, if you are sick He is still the great physician and if you are under attack He is still the God of war who fights everyone of your battles for you! Hear this again, don't let it get the best of you!
One day Jesus had a conversation with one of His favorite disciples by the name of Peter. He knew that what was ahead of him was not easy and He did not want him to fall into depression, give up, and throw in the towel. So Jesus says to him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (St. Luke 22:21-32, KJV).
In other words, Peter when it happens, when trouble comes (and it will), when you have issues (and you shall), when you have things that fall apart on you, hold your head up, roll your shoulders back, remember this pep talk and don't let it get the best of you!!! But, what does Jesus give Peter that works for us that will help us never to fall into a mode of depression?
First of all He gave him a portrait of the persecutors plans. It's hard to get hit by a bus if you know that it is coming your way. Jesus says, "Simon, Simon, satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat..." This is so deep here. Notice Jesus says that satan desires to have you. The word desire is “exiteo”. It means that he wants to get his hands around your neck. The "you" is plural so it translates like this, "the devil wants to choke the life out of all of you all." Jesus gives Peter the devils agenda. He wants to sift him as wheat. In short, the devil wants his life in pieces. Can I ask, have you ever found yourself falling to pieces? If you said yes know that it is the work of the enemy, but I have some shouting news for you. There is a house of healing and restoration whose admission fee is life's broken pieces. Yes, get to the Potters house as fast as you can! Our God takes broken pieces and makes for Himself a masterpiece. Remember this, when life seems to be getting the best of you, God is better at handling your brokenness than you are! Give it to HIM!!!
Secondly, He gave him the prayers of the great high priest. Please hear this, you don't want everyone praying for you. Why? Some people get a joy out of seeing you down and out, broken and hurt, wounded and distraught. But, the great news of the day is this, Jesus wants to see you blessed and not cursed, healed and not sick, above and not beneath! Jesus tells Peter that satan wants to sift him, but here's the shouting news of the text. He says, "...but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not..." Notice that Jesus does not pray for him never to have trouble, heartache or failure. He does not pray that the devil leave him alone or that everything work out fine for him. Jesus prays that his faith does not fail. In other words, God's prayer for you is this, when the dust settles and the rain stops, and the flood gates close, and the storm ceases I want to see you with your Bible in your hand and smile on face looking towards heaven saying, "any way you bless me Lord I will be satisfied!!!" Remember this, when life seems to be getting the best of you, God's prayer for you is this, keep on fighting in the faith and never give up!
And lastly, He gave him the purpose for his pain. People who struggle with depression often ask God why so much pain. Have you ever asked the Lord why before? Here's the answer. So that after you are back up on your feet again you can strengthen others who have been knocked down. Jesus put it like this to Peter, "strengthen the brethren." Strengthen is the term “steridzo” in the Greek. We borrow our term steroid from it. It means to make strong from the inside out. Wow! Are you shouting yet? If you have ever had to cry you should be! The Lord tells Peter the reason I let you go through tough times is because when you get up you are stronger than you were before you went down. And I need your strength! I need you to help people that are down and out, wounded and hurt, tossed and confused. In other words, you can't help them until I have helped you. You can't help me find water unless you've been to the fountain yourself. And, you can't help others until God has helped you! Remember this when life seems to be getting the best of you, God let you get knocked down so that when you get up you'd be strong enough to help someone else!
I have noticed something about being near people that are depressed. Many of them chose to be that way. So it just stands to reason that if you could chose to be depressed you could chose not to be! Make your decision today. Say this to yourself as we conclude this moment together, "I chose not to worry! God is going to take care of me!" "I chose not to quit, my tomorrow is much brighter than my yesterday was!" "I chose not to stay down, God gave me the ability to get up and keep moving forward in the faith!" "I chose not to be depressed; God has given me His joy just to put a smile on my face!" And, "I refuse to let this get the best of me, so instead of complaining I will remain prayerful, thankful, peaceful, joyful, powerful and faithful in everything that I do!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
STUCK IN REVERSE!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
When I was a teenager in high school you just had to have certain things to be with the "in" crowd. If you were a girl you had to have some Chic jeans, a Polo shirt by Ralph Lauren, and some cute shoes. If you were a guy you had to have a Jheri Curl, some leather Nike's low top, and something to drive (Wow, am I telling my age here?) My parents provided their kids with the necessities, but if what they provided was not good enough for you, then you had to get a job and get them for yourself. Okay, as relates to the "in" crowd I had the Jheri Curl (Hahahahaha), I had the leather Nike low top sneakers, but I needed something to drive. So I worked at Burger King, cut yards, saved my money and bought a 1977 Chevy Luv pickup truck. Who cares that it was outdated, rusty, needed a paint job, and had a bad carburetor? It was mine!
Now my Chevy was a four in the floor. And, I drove all over our neighborhood, styling and profiling with no license and one cracked speaker in the back with only AM radio playing for me to boom with. I could handle the clutch with ease. But, I had this real problem with first gear. You see, first gear was right next to reverse. And often times when I thought that I was in first, I would actually be in reverse headed the wrong direction. Now this is not a devotional on my first little rusty truck, but I do see something here worth sharing. You see, forgiveness is an issue like that for many of us. Just when you think that you are going to put your life into first gear and drive on off and do well you get first and reverse mixed up and you end up going backwards instead of forwards. Have you ever been there before?
You know that you are stuck in reverse when you say, "yes I have forgiven them but just keep them out of my face because I just might snap." You know that you are stuck in reverse when you have been hurt by people and your response was to cut them out of your lives and say "since you've hurt me it's over for you and the horse you rode into town on." And, you know that you are stuck in reverse when you punish other people that have done you no harm at all for things that others have done that your new counterparts had nothing to do with. Forgiveness is a real struggle for many Christians and with it many of us end up stuck in reverse! This devotional is for people who can honestly say "it's hard for me to let it go." This devotional is for the person who has been abused, neglected, hurt, lied on, talked about, and cheated on. God never promised us that people would not hurt us. But, forgiveness is that tool that helps us move on with our lives and move from reverse to first without being stuck in reverse!
Jesus Christ is on the cross in Luke 22:34 and He makes a plea to His Father that heals, mends, and restores Him from the possible hatred that He could have had for those who beat Him ruthlessly. He says, "...Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
You see, Jesus knew that if He did not move on past the people beneath Him on the cross, He would never satisfy His Father that was above Him on the cross. So how do you move from reverse to first and move on with your life after people have hurt you?
Remember that you cannot move forward in reverse no matter how hard you try. There were times that I just knew that I was moving forward because I felt like I was in the right gear. But, as soon as I released the clutch I would spurt backwards. You see, being in reverse left me no options when it came to moving forward. The same is true with forgiveness. It does not come with any options. The liberating principle of forgiveness is this, in the eyes of God it is not a maybe, it is a must! Jesus is on the cross and He knows that if He does not forgive those that have harmed Him, He will do harm to Himself. So He says, "....forgive them..." Remember this, true forgiveness happens when you decide to let the person off the hook that has hurt you only to realize that the person that you have released is YOU!
Realize that first is much better than reverse. I noticed while stuck in reverse one day that there was only one gear designed for moving backwards and four gears given to move forwards. The moral here for us is simple. My old truck was designed to spend more time moving forward than it did going backwards. Here's a good devotional question for you today, "haven't you been in reverse long enough?"
The reason Jesus forgives these horrible people is because He refuses to let them keep Him in the wrong gear! He is in first. He is headed to the next level and a new dimension! He is heaven bound and nothing is going to stop that! Not even hurtful evil people that have tried to destroy Him. The word forgiveness is aphemi. It means to let it go; to release. Take a moment and think of all of the people that have hurt you that you struggle to forgive and make a decision that they are not worth you missing what's ahead of you hurting over what is behind you!
Recognize that you reverse leads nowhere, but first leads to second; second leads to third, and third leads to fourth! I don't care what anyone tells you once you get out of reverse everything else just flows and you go forward faster with the passing of each gear. It is like a promotion! Check Jesus out in the text. He knows that He is up for a promotion. We call it a resurrection. And He does not need anything heavy holding Him down because He is going to come forth and He does not need anybody holding Him back but He is going to get up! So to make sure that He does not go backwards in reverse He tells His Father to let vicious murders off of the hook. Three days later it happened! First gear, resurrection! Second gear, the grave is declared empty! Third gear, the angel declares He has risen as He said that He would! Fourth gear, Jesus declared for Himself, "All power in heaven and in earth hath been given unto me!" If I told you that the reason you don't want to stay in reverse is because God had plans for future and the only way to get there was to move on to first, second, third, and fourth would believe me? It's true and it's real! Forgiveness!!! It is the route to your peaceful tomorrow and the road that leads to your next promotion!
Often times I would get stuck between reverse and first and my gears would make that loud grinding sound. It was horrible. But, my father got tired of me doing it so he took some liquid paper and painted a cross on my gear shift. He said, "Bobby, when you get confused between first and reverse look at the cross and you will always move forward!" That was some sound advice that has blessed me all of my days and it will bless you too! For those who have been stuck in reverse look at the cross because the first gear of your future awaits you!!! It's time to move forward, never to be stuck in reverse again!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
When I was a teenager in high school you just had to have certain things to be with the "in" crowd. If you were a girl you had to have some Chic jeans, a Polo shirt by Ralph Lauren, and some cute shoes. If you were a guy you had to have a Jheri Curl, some leather Nike's low top, and something to drive (Wow, am I telling my age here?) My parents provided their kids with the necessities, but if what they provided was not good enough for you, then you had to get a job and get them for yourself. Okay, as relates to the "in" crowd I had the Jheri Curl (Hahahahaha), I had the leather Nike low top sneakers, but I needed something to drive. So I worked at Burger King, cut yards, saved my money and bought a 1977 Chevy Luv pickup truck. Who cares that it was outdated, rusty, needed a paint job, and had a bad carburetor? It was mine!
Now my Chevy was a four in the floor. And, I drove all over our neighborhood, styling and profiling with no license and one cracked speaker in the back with only AM radio playing for me to boom with. I could handle the clutch with ease. But, I had this real problem with first gear. You see, first gear was right next to reverse. And often times when I thought that I was in first, I would actually be in reverse headed the wrong direction. Now this is not a devotional on my first little rusty truck, but I do see something here worth sharing. You see, forgiveness is an issue like that for many of us. Just when you think that you are going to put your life into first gear and drive on off and do well you get first and reverse mixed up and you end up going backwards instead of forwards. Have you ever been there before?
You know that you are stuck in reverse when you say, "yes I have forgiven them but just keep them out of my face because I just might snap." You know that you are stuck in reverse when you have been hurt by people and your response was to cut them out of your lives and say "since you've hurt me it's over for you and the horse you rode into town on." And, you know that you are stuck in reverse when you punish other people that have done you no harm at all for things that others have done that your new counterparts had nothing to do with. Forgiveness is a real struggle for many Christians and with it many of us end up stuck in reverse! This devotional is for people who can honestly say "it's hard for me to let it go." This devotional is for the person who has been abused, neglected, hurt, lied on, talked about, and cheated on. God never promised us that people would not hurt us. But, forgiveness is that tool that helps us move on with our lives and move from reverse to first without being stuck in reverse!
Jesus Christ is on the cross in Luke 22:34 and He makes a plea to His Father that heals, mends, and restores Him from the possible hatred that He could have had for those who beat Him ruthlessly. He says, "...Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
You see, Jesus knew that if He did not move on past the people beneath Him on the cross, He would never satisfy His Father that was above Him on the cross. So how do you move from reverse to first and move on with your life after people have hurt you?
Remember that you cannot move forward in reverse no matter how hard you try. There were times that I just knew that I was moving forward because I felt like I was in the right gear. But, as soon as I released the clutch I would spurt backwards. You see, being in reverse left me no options when it came to moving forward. The same is true with forgiveness. It does not come with any options. The liberating principle of forgiveness is this, in the eyes of God it is not a maybe, it is a must! Jesus is on the cross and He knows that if He does not forgive those that have harmed Him, He will do harm to Himself. So He says, "....forgive them..." Remember this, true forgiveness happens when you decide to let the person off the hook that has hurt you only to realize that the person that you have released is YOU!
Realize that first is much better than reverse. I noticed while stuck in reverse one day that there was only one gear designed for moving backwards and four gears given to move forwards. The moral here for us is simple. My old truck was designed to spend more time moving forward than it did going backwards. Here's a good devotional question for you today, "haven't you been in reverse long enough?"
The reason Jesus forgives these horrible people is because He refuses to let them keep Him in the wrong gear! He is in first. He is headed to the next level and a new dimension! He is heaven bound and nothing is going to stop that! Not even hurtful evil people that have tried to destroy Him. The word forgiveness is aphemi. It means to let it go; to release. Take a moment and think of all of the people that have hurt you that you struggle to forgive and make a decision that they are not worth you missing what's ahead of you hurting over what is behind you!
Recognize that you reverse leads nowhere, but first leads to second; second leads to third, and third leads to fourth! I don't care what anyone tells you once you get out of reverse everything else just flows and you go forward faster with the passing of each gear. It is like a promotion! Check Jesus out in the text. He knows that He is up for a promotion. We call it a resurrection. And He does not need anything heavy holding Him down because He is going to come forth and He does not need anybody holding Him back but He is going to get up! So to make sure that He does not go backwards in reverse He tells His Father to let vicious murders off of the hook. Three days later it happened! First gear, resurrection! Second gear, the grave is declared empty! Third gear, the angel declares He has risen as He said that He would! Fourth gear, Jesus declared for Himself, "All power in heaven and in earth hath been given unto me!" If I told you that the reason you don't want to stay in reverse is because God had plans for future and the only way to get there was to move on to first, second, third, and fourth would believe me? It's true and it's real! Forgiveness!!! It is the route to your peaceful tomorrow and the road that leads to your next promotion!
Often times I would get stuck between reverse and first and my gears would make that loud grinding sound. It was horrible. But, my father got tired of me doing it so he took some liquid paper and painted a cross on my gear shift. He said, "Bobby, when you get confused between first and reverse look at the cross and you will always move forward!" That was some sound advice that has blessed me all of my days and it will bless you too! For those who have been stuck in reverse look at the cross because the first gear of your future awaits you!!! It's time to move forward, never to be stuck in reverse again!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Who Wants To Be More Than A Millionaire!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
It happened one day while I was leaving the gym. I noticed a huge huddle of men gathered around the screen peering as if they did not want to blink for fear of missing something. Okay, I am nosey so I had to figure out what they were looking at so I stopped too. When I looked at the screen it was not something that I was familiar with so I asked a young man standing nearby what was all of the fuss about. And he said "It's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
Talk about game shows, this is the one for me. On the Price Is Right you can leave with a mobile home if you win. But, who needs that; it's just something else to take care of right? On the Family Feud you can leave with $40,000.00 if you win, but you have to split the money between 5 people on the show and they are your kinfolk. Can you imagine the fiasco that takes place after that show? I submit to you that if you are going to play a game you want to play one that you can walk away from there a millionaire! You want game where you can come broke and leave rich. And, there is only one show in America that allows that to happen and it is "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
The shouting news of the day for us however is this, there is a way for you to become MORE than a Millionaire and this is not a game show! God has granted us a plan that will bestow things on you that money cannot buy, that credit cannot charge and checks cannot write. The God of heaven has put in place a way for you to turn tragedy into triumph, midnight into day and losses into gains! God has a plan that will joy to the down trodden, direction to the lost, light to those in darkness and healing for those who are broken. My question for you today is this "Who Wants To Be More Than A Millionaire?"
As Paul opens his letter to church at Ephesus he makes a statement in verse 3 of chapter that will sneak by you if you are not paying attention. He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3, KJV). What Paul is really declaring in canonical terms when placed in our cultural context is this; you can be MORE than a Millionaire if you know where you stand and what you're doing! So how do you become more than a millionaire?
You must realize that there is power in the person of God worth boasting about. Okay admit it or not, we like bragging on certain things. If our kids do well we brag, if we catch a huge sale we brag and we brag on our team when they win. But, there is nothing in your life that brings more wealth to you than bragging on God! Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." The word "blessed" he uses is eulogeho in the Greek and it means to boast. What follows this term is the definitive of who we should be boasting on "...the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Older saints have a cliché that says "it's a sad dog that cannot wag it's on tail." Likewise, I say it's a sorry Christian that cannot brag on their own God! So talk good about your God! Brag about His love, mercy, grace, patience, peace, power and person. Brag about His provisions, His potency, and His persistence. And remember this, the more you brag, the more He blesses!
You must recognize that there is potency in the praise of God when you know that you're already blessed. You're shouting huh? If you're not, you should be. Because you are so blessed right now that there are days when you just start to think about how good He has been to you and tear should fall from your eye. Here's the truth about it, He's been better than good, He's been sweeter than sweet and He's been the blesser of your soul all of your life! You are already blessed!!! Paul says it like this "...who hath blessed us..." Did you get it? Paul says He has done it already. I have a praise assignment for you to do right quick. Stop right now, find a mirror and tell yourself ten things that God has done for you today that money could not buy for you and then say this to yourself, "I'm so blessed!" And for those of you reading this devotional that is really going through a moment of difficulty I want you to say this to yourself, "It could be worse, I am still blessed!" Get this saints, God does not owe us anything else! If He does not do anything for any of us, He has already done enough because He has been just that good! Say this with enough passion to make the devil mad I am blessed!
You must remember that there are provisions that come from God when Christ is your Savior and Lord. This is the shouting news of the day. Remember this, real blessings do not only come from what you have, but they come from who has you! In this stead, you can be blessed without a Cadillac. You can be blessed without a house on a hill and you can be blessed in the midst of sickness and dismay. It is because real blessings are rooted not in what you have possessed, but in who possesses you! Here's how Paul says it, "....with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Everything thing that you need comes from the Lord of heaven. It's just that simple. Here's some news that should make your heart happy, God is going to take care of you. I hear you asking, "How can I be for certain?" Here's the answer for you. He took care of you yesterday that's while you're still here today! God is on your side!!!
In order to win the game on television you have to answer some questions correctly. And to make sure that your answer is the one you want to stay with the host says "Is that your final answer?" Well, in order to be MORE than a Millionaire I have some questions for you too. Question #1-Who died on the cross for you? Is that your final answer? Question #2-Who filled you with His spirit? Is that your final answer? Question #3-How did you make to this point without losing you mind? Is that your final answer? And, last question (you may need to use your life line on this one) how did you get a testimony like yours? Is that your final answer? If you answered JESUS to all of these you're not just a millionaire...YOU'RE MORE THAN A MILLIONAIRE!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
It happened one day while I was leaving the gym. I noticed a huge huddle of men gathered around the screen peering as if they did not want to blink for fear of missing something. Okay, I am nosey so I had to figure out what they were looking at so I stopped too. When I looked at the screen it was not something that I was familiar with so I asked a young man standing nearby what was all of the fuss about. And he said "It's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
Talk about game shows, this is the one for me. On the Price Is Right you can leave with a mobile home if you win. But, who needs that; it's just something else to take care of right? On the Family Feud you can leave with $40,000.00 if you win, but you have to split the money between 5 people on the show and they are your kinfolk. Can you imagine the fiasco that takes place after that show? I submit to you that if you are going to play a game you want to play one that you can walk away from there a millionaire! You want game where you can come broke and leave rich. And, there is only one show in America that allows that to happen and it is "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
The shouting news of the day for us however is this, there is a way for you to become MORE than a Millionaire and this is not a game show! God has granted us a plan that will bestow things on you that money cannot buy, that credit cannot charge and checks cannot write. The God of heaven has put in place a way for you to turn tragedy into triumph, midnight into day and losses into gains! God has a plan that will joy to the down trodden, direction to the lost, light to those in darkness and healing for those who are broken. My question for you today is this "Who Wants To Be More Than A Millionaire?"
As Paul opens his letter to church at Ephesus he makes a statement in verse 3 of chapter that will sneak by you if you are not paying attention. He says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3, KJV). What Paul is really declaring in canonical terms when placed in our cultural context is this; you can be MORE than a Millionaire if you know where you stand and what you're doing! So how do you become more than a millionaire?
You must realize that there is power in the person of God worth boasting about. Okay admit it or not, we like bragging on certain things. If our kids do well we brag, if we catch a huge sale we brag and we brag on our team when they win. But, there is nothing in your life that brings more wealth to you than bragging on God! Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." The word "blessed" he uses is eulogeho in the Greek and it means to boast. What follows this term is the definitive of who we should be boasting on "...the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Older saints have a cliché that says "it's a sad dog that cannot wag it's on tail." Likewise, I say it's a sorry Christian that cannot brag on their own God! So talk good about your God! Brag about His love, mercy, grace, patience, peace, power and person. Brag about His provisions, His potency, and His persistence. And remember this, the more you brag, the more He blesses!
You must recognize that there is potency in the praise of God when you know that you're already blessed. You're shouting huh? If you're not, you should be. Because you are so blessed right now that there are days when you just start to think about how good He has been to you and tear should fall from your eye. Here's the truth about it, He's been better than good, He's been sweeter than sweet and He's been the blesser of your soul all of your life! You are already blessed!!! Paul says it like this "...who hath blessed us..." Did you get it? Paul says He has done it already. I have a praise assignment for you to do right quick. Stop right now, find a mirror and tell yourself ten things that God has done for you today that money could not buy for you and then say this to yourself, "I'm so blessed!" And for those of you reading this devotional that is really going through a moment of difficulty I want you to say this to yourself, "It could be worse, I am still blessed!" Get this saints, God does not owe us anything else! If He does not do anything for any of us, He has already done enough because He has been just that good! Say this with enough passion to make the devil mad I am blessed!
You must remember that there are provisions that come from God when Christ is your Savior and Lord. This is the shouting news of the day. Remember this, real blessings do not only come from what you have, but they come from who has you! In this stead, you can be blessed without a Cadillac. You can be blessed without a house on a hill and you can be blessed in the midst of sickness and dismay. It is because real blessings are rooted not in what you have possessed, but in who possesses you! Here's how Paul says it, "....with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Everything thing that you need comes from the Lord of heaven. It's just that simple. Here's some news that should make your heart happy, God is going to take care of you. I hear you asking, "How can I be for certain?" Here's the answer for you. He took care of you yesterday that's while you're still here today! God is on your side!!!
In order to win the game on television you have to answer some questions correctly. And to make sure that your answer is the one you want to stay with the host says "Is that your final answer?" Well, in order to be MORE than a Millionaire I have some questions for you too. Question #1-Who died on the cross for you? Is that your final answer? Question #2-Who filled you with His spirit? Is that your final answer? Question #3-How did you make to this point without losing you mind? Is that your final answer? And, last question (you may need to use your life line on this one) how did you get a testimony like yours? Is that your final answer? If you answered JESUS to all of these you're not just a millionaire...YOU'RE MORE THAN A MILLIONAIRE!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Sunday, September 6, 2009
My First Husband Was a Fool!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
Wait!!! Don't delete this communiqué' just yet. I know that the title "My First Husband Was a Fool" is provocative to some and offensive to others. But, hear me out. This is not some eblast that bashes men. Neither is it a missive that degrades women. But, it is devotional that is deeply rooted in the liberating power of the cross. The Bible speaks three literary languages. The scriptures speak to us figuratively, literally, and symbolically. Today's devotional embraces all three of them from time to time. That is to say, in order to truly understand it you must first hear the passage, see the analogy, feel the metaphor and then internalize the principle being taught.
Here is what the Bible says in Romans 7:1-4 reads, "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7:1-4, KJV).
Now imagine for a moment a very wealthy man whose name is Mr. Law. He is a good man and takes care of his family; however, he makes serious mandates on his wife all of the time to the point where the sister is married, but completely miserable. Imagine he says to her "Hey woman, I want my breakfast! I would like my pancakes cooked by hand because I hate the frozen kind. And, I would like my bacon fried extra crispy and my orange juice slightly chilled. And please remove that pulp because it gets on my nerves. And, fetch me my newspaper! Turn one side of my paper to the business section and the other side to the sports section. And get it right this time, yesterday you had the wrong section facing up. And, have all of this done by at 7am!" Can you feel it yet? Do you want to hit someone? Good!!!! Keep reading!
Now imagine Mr. Law saying to his wife, "Hey, this house is dirty! I would like my house clean when I come home from work. I mean after all who likes a dirty house. Please mop the floor, do the dishes, and get those stains off of the windows because I cannot stand that! And, since I pay all of the bills around here catch those blinds too because they really need dusting. Oh, and by the way please have the children ready for school so that they won't run late. I know we only have eight of them, but get them going on time. I know that it's difficult but you could do better if you got up an hour earlier."
While Mr. Law is a stern husband that never bends or shows compassion to his wife there is another brother in the passage. His name is Dr. Grace. He's been observing this sister in distress and He knows how to treat her. He looks from a distance. And she peeps from a distance. But she is bound by a covenant to Mr. Law. Yes, she wants out but she cannot leave. Mr. Law has his hands and commands on her. All of a sudden tragedy strikes and her husband is murdered. It was a homicide! He was taken to the outskirts of the city and nailed to a tree. It was such a sad day. The headlines of the local newspaper read like this, "Mr. Law is dead!"
But, now this sister that was miserable is now a free woman and one day while dealing with a wounded heart and a heavy load Dr. Grace catches up with her at the mall near the shoe rack. And Grace says to her, "I been watching you, but I'm not a stalker. I know your pain and I am not a physician. I want to love you like you have never been loved. But, you will have to let me do it." They exchange numbers, the courtship is brief and a wedding ensues. This sister that was married to Mr. Law with all of his demands is now the wife of Dr. Grace and things are different now!
Grace is filled with compassion, tender mercies, care, consolation and love. So in the morning instead of her fixing pancakes by hand like she did for her first husband, Grace brings her a breakfast tray and a tear rolls down her cheek. For lunch Grace calls his wife and says "What are you doing?" And, she says, "I am in the kitchen fixing lunch for you." Now imagine Grace telling her that's what you used to do when you were married to Law. I don't want that from you. I want you! So Grace says to her "don't slave over that stove meet me at our favorite spot I'd like to spend some time with you today." She arrives at the restaurant and orders her food (she's never had this kind of treatment before). But, her husband does not order. She says "aren't you hungry?" And, he says, "Yes, but when I am in your presence what was empty soon becomes full. I just want to see you be mine and know that I care about you for real!"
Dr. Grace catches his wife about to do her household chores and says to her "Baby, what are you doing? I don't want you spending your time doing that. You are my bride and my queen. I will get a house keeper to do that. Spend your time with me. That's the stuff that your old husband had you doing. I told you when I married you that it would be a new day and it is! Grace is your man now!" And when Grace comes home for the evening he says, "I don't want to watch TV when I have someone like you to look upon." Imagine Grace walking his new wife to her closet and telling her to try on different outfits while he grabs a camera for a private photo shoot. Now listen to Grace as he tells her "do you think I would want to watch TV when I have you to be near all night long. I have longed to have you. You are my prayer answered. You just what I have always wanted. I just want you to be happy! My love for you is turned on and I cannot turn it off!" Are you shouting yet?????
Here's the shouting news of this devotional. You are the woman in this passage because if you have been saved you are a part of the church and you are the bride of Christ! Your first husband was the Law of God. No, God is not a fool He is faithful! His law is perfect, for He is perfect. But no human alive can keep all of the law and when we try to keep it all because of its severe demands we end up making a fool out of ourselves. But, when Jesus died at Calvary He liberated us from the demands of the law and along came a new man! His name is GRACE!!!! Thank God for a new husband!!! Your first husband put you in bondage, but your second husband set you free. Your first husband required a sacrifice, but your second husband became a sacrifice for you. Your first husband would criticize when you made a mistake, but your second husband would lift you from your mess ups and hold you close to his mercy! Your first husband married you because he had to, but your second husband married you because he wanted you!
Grace loves you so much, treats you so good, holds you so close, provides so well, touches so softly, sings so sweetly, provides so generously, protects so fiercely and blesses so perpetually that He makes you love Him back and serve Him with all of your heart! Here's the shout of the day, Dr. Grace is Jesus Christ!!! He died to free you from the Law and to give you a love that you have never ever had before! Thank God for a new husband in Jesus Christ!!! Praise the Lord for Dr. GRACE!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
Not long ago a friend of mine invited me to dinner at a Japanese restaurant in our city. Okay, let me be honest here, I do not do the buffet thing at all. It's just too great of a temptation for a brother like me to over indulge so I did not want to go initially, but I went just for the sake of Christian fellowship. But, when I walked into this place for dinner I was shocked at the atmosphere. There was never a boring moment at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse. Blades were flying, fires were soaring, rice was cooking, shrimp was grilling, peppers were sizzling, chicken and steak were smoking, and everyone was having a great time. I had a reserved seat marked "guess who's coming to dinner" and I sat and watched a skilled Japanese chef prepare a table for me before me.
As I sat there watching that chef prepare my table with that little sign in front of me that read "guess who's coming to dinner" I thought a much greater table that is being prepared for everyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are reading this devotional and you have been saved by the grace of our Lord by way of His finished work at Calvary you have a spot at the table which the Lord of heaven prepares for you Himself both in time and eternity! What's on the table you ask? Not just food, but faith. Not just dinner, but deliverance. Not just desert, but destiny. Not just potatoes, but peace. Not just juice, but joy. Not just salad, but salvation. And, not just veggies, but victory! In fact, I believe that a great invitation has gone out and there is a sign at the table of the Lord that says "guess who's coming to dinner" and you are the invited guest of Almighty God!
One of the most popular verses in the Bible is the 23rd Psalm. It is where David writes the words to the most comforting Hebrew hymn ever written. In the heart of the hymn he is careful to remind us of the fact that the Lord is doing all that He can do to bless us. And one of those blessings is a table prepared for just for you. Here's what he says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..." (Psalms 23:5a, KJV). How does it make you feel to know that God has plans for your future? What does it make you think to consider the fact the Lord is intentionally working to do things for you that you cannot do for yourself right now? What would you say if you I told you that there was a seat at God's table with your name on it? Here's some shouting news for you that should bless the rest of your day. The Lord wants you at His table!!! But, what's at His table that makes it so great?
First of all, His provisions are at the table. Let me ask you a very personal question. What do you need from God right now? If you have no needs, praise the Lord. But, if you do have some real needs what are they? Perhaps you need healing in your body, restoration in your finances, strengthening in your family or guidance for your life. Maybe you need help for an area of weakness, liberation from an attack, deliverance from an addiction or just a prayer answered in a time of need. Whatever the case please hear this, God will provide! David says "thou preparest..." The Hebrew verb here is aw-rak and it means to set the order. It means to put out what is needed. Are you shouting yet? When God made room for you at His table according the David He set out what was needed. What a mighty God we serve that He would provide for us each moment, each minute, each hour, each day, each week, each month, and each year! Remember this, when you are in Christ and Christ is in you, your needs are His provisions!!!
Secondly, His protection is at the table. Here's a sad but true report. Everyone who smiles in your face is not your friend. Some of the people that are near you are enemies and in many instances you do not know it. There are people who do not want to see the Lord bless you, there are others who laugh when you suffer and make snarling remarks like "it's about time the Lord punish them for all of the evil that they do to other people", and if left to them nothing good would ever happen to you at all. But, here's the question, why does a good God let these people exist? Why doesn't He just wipe them all out? Here's some more good news for you to celebrate life and living. The reason why God does not get rid of them is because He needs someone to bless you in front of! The text says that the Lord sits the table in "...the presence of mine enemies..." Tsaw-rar is the term used for enemies and it suggest one that works in close proximity to you to make sure that you are bound. But, get this; while they are working to bind you God is working to bless you. In fact, you cannot have one without the other. Attempted binding and divine blessing go together like rice and gravy! So when your enemies are in your face do not move them but remind yourself you’re at the table! Your enemies work for God and while are trying to bind you God is busy blessing you!!!
Thirdly, His person is at the table. Do you know that the most wonderful part about being at God's table? No it is not what on it. It is who's at it. Nothing on the table compares to the Lord who is at His table with you. In fact, if nothing was on the table at all just knowing that God would be there is enough to shout about. You see the terms used throughout the Psalm are very personal. "Thou preparest...before me...thou anointest my head..." It suggest that God is the person doing everything for you from beginning to end. It is a portrait of grace. Let's be honest. We don't deserve what the Lord has for us on His table or at His table. But, He's given it to us in spite of ourselves. Thank God for amazing, life changing, and life transforming grace!
The sign read "guess who's coming to dinner" and I was the honored guest. What a joy it was! The food was off the chain. But, the greatest part of my night was the fact that I had a chance to meet the chef! You see in all other restaurants you meet the waiter or waitress. But, not here. He prepared my table for me himself and I had a chance to shake his hand, make his acquaintance, and get to know him for myself. Can you hear the voice of God in this? The Lord has a sign at His table. No it may not say "guess who's coming to dinner" but it does say "come unto to me all that have labored and are heavy laden and I will give you rest..." And when you accept the invite and sit at the table the Lord does all of your preparations. You can meet Him for yourself. And, if you know Him like I do you can be satisfied with Him and forget about the table. He's just that good! Get to the table...your destiny awaits you there!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Not long ago a friend of mine invited me to dinner at a Japanese restaurant in our city. Okay, let me be honest here, I do not do the buffet thing at all. It's just too great of a temptation for a brother like me to over indulge so I did not want to go initially, but I went just for the sake of Christian fellowship. But, when I walked into this place for dinner I was shocked at the atmosphere. There was never a boring moment at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse. Blades were flying, fires were soaring, rice was cooking, shrimp was grilling, peppers were sizzling, chicken and steak were smoking, and everyone was having a great time. I had a reserved seat marked "guess who's coming to dinner" and I sat and watched a skilled Japanese chef prepare a table for me before me.
As I sat there watching that chef prepare my table with that little sign in front of me that read "guess who's coming to dinner" I thought a much greater table that is being prepared for everyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are reading this devotional and you have been saved by the grace of our Lord by way of His finished work at Calvary you have a spot at the table which the Lord of heaven prepares for you Himself both in time and eternity! What's on the table you ask? Not just food, but faith. Not just dinner, but deliverance. Not just desert, but destiny. Not just potatoes, but peace. Not just juice, but joy. Not just salad, but salvation. And, not just veggies, but victory! In fact, I believe that a great invitation has gone out and there is a sign at the table of the Lord that says "guess who's coming to dinner" and you are the invited guest of Almighty God!
One of the most popular verses in the Bible is the 23rd Psalm. It is where David writes the words to the most comforting Hebrew hymn ever written. In the heart of the hymn he is careful to remind us of the fact that the Lord is doing all that He can do to bless us. And one of those blessings is a table prepared for just for you. Here's what he says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..." (Psalms 23:5a, KJV). How does it make you feel to know that God has plans for your future? What does it make you think to consider the fact the Lord is intentionally working to do things for you that you cannot do for yourself right now? What would you say if you I told you that there was a seat at God's table with your name on it? Here's some shouting news for you that should bless the rest of your day. The Lord wants you at His table!!! But, what's at His table that makes it so great?
First of all, His provisions are at the table. Let me ask you a very personal question. What do you need from God right now? If you have no needs, praise the Lord. But, if you do have some real needs what are they? Perhaps you need healing in your body, restoration in your finances, strengthening in your family or guidance for your life. Maybe you need help for an area of weakness, liberation from an attack, deliverance from an addiction or just a prayer answered in a time of need. Whatever the case please hear this, God will provide! David says "thou preparest..." The Hebrew verb here is aw-rak and it means to set the order. It means to put out what is needed. Are you shouting yet? When God made room for you at His table according the David He set out what was needed. What a mighty God we serve that He would provide for us each moment, each minute, each hour, each day, each week, each month, and each year! Remember this, when you are in Christ and Christ is in you, your needs are His provisions!!!
Secondly, His protection is at the table. Here's a sad but true report. Everyone who smiles in your face is not your friend. Some of the people that are near you are enemies and in many instances you do not know it. There are people who do not want to see the Lord bless you, there are others who laugh when you suffer and make snarling remarks like "it's about time the Lord punish them for all of the evil that they do to other people", and if left to them nothing good would ever happen to you at all. But, here's the question, why does a good God let these people exist? Why doesn't He just wipe them all out? Here's some more good news for you to celebrate life and living. The reason why God does not get rid of them is because He needs someone to bless you in front of! The text says that the Lord sits the table in "...the presence of mine enemies..." Tsaw-rar is the term used for enemies and it suggest one that works in close proximity to you to make sure that you are bound. But, get this; while they are working to bind you God is working to bless you. In fact, you cannot have one without the other. Attempted binding and divine blessing go together like rice and gravy! So when your enemies are in your face do not move them but remind yourself you’re at the table! Your enemies work for God and while are trying to bind you God is busy blessing you!!!
Thirdly, His person is at the table. Do you know that the most wonderful part about being at God's table? No it is not what on it. It is who's at it. Nothing on the table compares to the Lord who is at His table with you. In fact, if nothing was on the table at all just knowing that God would be there is enough to shout about. You see the terms used throughout the Psalm are very personal. "Thou preparest...before me...thou anointest my head..." It suggest that God is the person doing everything for you from beginning to end. It is a portrait of grace. Let's be honest. We don't deserve what the Lord has for us on His table or at His table. But, He's given it to us in spite of ourselves. Thank God for amazing, life changing, and life transforming grace!
The sign read "guess who's coming to dinner" and I was the honored guest. What a joy it was! The food was off the chain. But, the greatest part of my night was the fact that I had a chance to meet the chef! You see in all other restaurants you meet the waiter or waitress. But, not here. He prepared my table for me himself and I had a chance to shake his hand, make his acquaintance, and get to know him for myself. Can you hear the voice of God in this? The Lord has a sign at His table. No it may not say "guess who's coming to dinner" but it does say "come unto to me all that have labored and are heavy laden and I will give you rest..." And when you accept the invite and sit at the table the Lord does all of your preparations. You can meet Him for yourself. And, if you know Him like I do you can be satisfied with Him and forget about the table. He's just that good! Get to the table...your destiny awaits you there!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Sunday, August 23, 2009
When You Come Up Short!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
It was a hot summer day in the city of Beaumont, Texas and Y.M.C.A. was packed. Kids were swimming, running, playing, shooting basketball, and having a blast. The snow cone stand was open and the line was super long. You know, they were serving it up cold on a hot Texas day. At first, the ice was plenteous and the syrup was enough for everyone. But, I watched from a distance as near tragedy struck. I noticed the look upon the young ladies face as she made the sad announcement to kids waiting in line for a snow cone, "I'm sorry but we've come up short!"
Now this is not a devotional about snow cones. But, it is one that regards the plight of the human condition. No matter how holy we are, no matter how real we think we are, and no matter how super intelligent we may seem we all come up short. Nixon came up short with Watergate; Reagan came up short with economic equality; Clinton came up short with Monica Lewinsky; and, Bush came up short with Bin Laden (we're still looking for that dude). Darryl Strawberry came up short with drug abuse; Mike Tyson came up short with Lenox Lewis when he dropped him like a bad habit; Tiger Woods came up short by just one putt; Jim and Tammy Faye Baker came up with fraud; Kwame Kilpatrick came up short with perjury, Jessie Jackson came up short with a child born out of wed lock; Michael Vick came up 130 million short for dog fighting; Eliot Spitzer, former Governor of New York came up short with a call girl names Kristen and famous hip hop artist T I (captioned above) came up short on weapons charges and is now serving time. No matter where you look we just keep coming up short.
And, if we were to be honest we come up short all of the time too! Yes, I said YOU!!! We come up short on religion and end up in hypocrisy, we come up short on moral virtue and end up in sin, we come up short on hope and end up in depression, we come up short on love and end in hatred, we come up short on forgiveness and end up holding a grudge, we come up short on humility and end up in pride, we come up short on faith and end up in doubt, we come up short on joy and end up in worry, we come up short on celibacy and end up in fornication, we come up short on marriage and end up in divorce, we come up short on relationships and end up shacking, we come up short on prayer and end up with mega-problems. But, here's the greatest news of the day. Our God specializes with people who have come up short!
The disciples have come up short in the passage. The text says, "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, there is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would" (St. John 6:5-11, KJV).
Here's the blessed news of the day. If Jesus helped the disciples when they came up short He can and will do the same thing for you and me! So what do you do when you come up short?
First of all, you have to admit it. I once attended an AA meeting with a friend of mine who was receiving a 10 year sobriety chip. I was happy to be in the meeting to celebrate this great victory in his life, but I became offended when I noticed how people introduced themselves. They would stand up and say "Hi I'm Joe and I'm a no good drug addict." And the group would respond, "Hi, Joe!" I was floored. But, after sitting there for a moment I realized that it was religion without pretense and cover up. Can you imagine what church would be like if every Christian were to be honest about who they really were?!!! This passage tells us that both Philip and Andrew admitted their shortage to Jesus. And when they admitted it, He dealt with it for them. All too often we try and cover up our mess ups. But, when you come up short just be real with God and admit it. Okay, its prayer time right here. If you are reading this devotional, you are human and you have thought some wrong thoughts, said some things that were wrong, gone some places where you should have never been and perhaps even did some things that you were not supposed to do. Stop right now and admit it to the Lord so that He can forgive you!
Secondly, you must let Jesus take it. Can we be real for a moment? You have some things in your life that you need for Jesus to take from you don't you? If your answer was yes here's a word for advice to you, let Jesus take it have it. Don't fight Him just let Him take it. There's a lad in the passage who has a lunch. For years I preached that the little boy gave his lunch to Jesus. But, that is not what the verse says. "...Jesus took the loaves..." Wow! Why would a gracious Lord take his loaves you ask? Jesus knows that the best place for your shortage is in His hands!!! Be careful where you put your shortage. Everyone can't stand knowing the real truth about who you are. But, when you place your short comings in the hands of the Lord you will discover that He takes people who were nothing and makes something out of them! Let Jesus take it!!!
And, lastly, you must let Jesus share it. This is soooo deep! Jesus takes the loaves, blesses the loaves and shares what has been broken. Did you hear that? Jesus shares what has been broken and blessed. One of the reasons why you are still here is because you are not a completed project just yet. You are still yet broken in many ways. But, what God wants to do with your brokenness is use it to become His blessedness by sharing you every chance that He gets. This is why a saint with a story should always tell people what the Lord has done in their lives. Got a question for you. Have you been broken? If you said "yes" I dare you to let your brokenness to be someone else’s blessedness! Let the Lord share you and all that He has done for you. In other words, stop making people think that you are prefect. Tell people what God saved you from and what He's done in your life. And, remember this, if you can't tell people what you were before you met Jesus it may be because you are still what you were before you met Him. But, if the Lord has made a difference in your life, tell it!
It was a sad day at the Y.M.C.A. No more ice and the announcement by the young lady that said, "I'm sorry, but we've come up short." Just then a young lady hopped out of line and said "I'm going call my daddy!" She went into the Y grabbed her cell and made a call. Within minutes a black S500 Benz pull up with tinted windows. A nicely dressed gentleman got out and popped his drunk and there it was ice. Not just one cup for his child, but a trunk full of it! It was enough ice for everyone! You see, my friends that's what you do when you come up short. You call your Father in heaven and tell Him what has taken place. And, you may not get ice, but I can promise you He will give you grace! Yes, we all come up short from time to time, but thank God for Jesus who supplies the grace! Without Him we would never ever make it!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
It was a hot summer day in the city of Beaumont, Texas and Y.M.C.A. was packed. Kids were swimming, running, playing, shooting basketball, and having a blast. The snow cone stand was open and the line was super long. You know, they were serving it up cold on a hot Texas day. At first, the ice was plenteous and the syrup was enough for everyone. But, I watched from a distance as near tragedy struck. I noticed the look upon the young ladies face as she made the sad announcement to kids waiting in line for a snow cone, "I'm sorry but we've come up short!"
Now this is not a devotional about snow cones. But, it is one that regards the plight of the human condition. No matter how holy we are, no matter how real we think we are, and no matter how super intelligent we may seem we all come up short. Nixon came up short with Watergate; Reagan came up short with economic equality; Clinton came up short with Monica Lewinsky; and, Bush came up short with Bin Laden (we're still looking for that dude). Darryl Strawberry came up short with drug abuse; Mike Tyson came up short with Lenox Lewis when he dropped him like a bad habit; Tiger Woods came up short by just one putt; Jim and Tammy Faye Baker came up with fraud; Kwame Kilpatrick came up short with perjury, Jessie Jackson came up short with a child born out of wed lock; Michael Vick came up 130 million short for dog fighting; Eliot Spitzer, former Governor of New York came up short with a call girl names Kristen and famous hip hop artist T I (captioned above) came up short on weapons charges and is now serving time. No matter where you look we just keep coming up short.
And, if we were to be honest we come up short all of the time too! Yes, I said YOU!!! We come up short on religion and end up in hypocrisy, we come up short on moral virtue and end up in sin, we come up short on hope and end up in depression, we come up short on love and end in hatred, we come up short on forgiveness and end up holding a grudge, we come up short on humility and end up in pride, we come up short on faith and end up in doubt, we come up short on joy and end up in worry, we come up short on celibacy and end up in fornication, we come up short on marriage and end up in divorce, we come up short on relationships and end up shacking, we come up short on prayer and end up with mega-problems. But, here's the greatest news of the day. Our God specializes with people who have come up short!
The disciples have come up short in the passage. The text says, "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, there is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would" (St. John 6:5-11, KJV).
Here's the blessed news of the day. If Jesus helped the disciples when they came up short He can and will do the same thing for you and me! So what do you do when you come up short?
First of all, you have to admit it. I once attended an AA meeting with a friend of mine who was receiving a 10 year sobriety chip. I was happy to be in the meeting to celebrate this great victory in his life, but I became offended when I noticed how people introduced themselves. They would stand up and say "Hi I'm Joe and I'm a no good drug addict." And the group would respond, "Hi, Joe!" I was floored. But, after sitting there for a moment I realized that it was religion without pretense and cover up. Can you imagine what church would be like if every Christian were to be honest about who they really were?!!! This passage tells us that both Philip and Andrew admitted their shortage to Jesus. And when they admitted it, He dealt with it for them. All too often we try and cover up our mess ups. But, when you come up short just be real with God and admit it. Okay, its prayer time right here. If you are reading this devotional, you are human and you have thought some wrong thoughts, said some things that were wrong, gone some places where you should have never been and perhaps even did some things that you were not supposed to do. Stop right now and admit it to the Lord so that He can forgive you!
Secondly, you must let Jesus take it. Can we be real for a moment? You have some things in your life that you need for Jesus to take from you don't you? If your answer was yes here's a word for advice to you, let Jesus take it have it. Don't fight Him just let Him take it. There's a lad in the passage who has a lunch. For years I preached that the little boy gave his lunch to Jesus. But, that is not what the verse says. "...Jesus took the loaves..." Wow! Why would a gracious Lord take his loaves you ask? Jesus knows that the best place for your shortage is in His hands!!! Be careful where you put your shortage. Everyone can't stand knowing the real truth about who you are. But, when you place your short comings in the hands of the Lord you will discover that He takes people who were nothing and makes something out of them! Let Jesus take it!!!
And, lastly, you must let Jesus share it. This is soooo deep! Jesus takes the loaves, blesses the loaves and shares what has been broken. Did you hear that? Jesus shares what has been broken and blessed. One of the reasons why you are still here is because you are not a completed project just yet. You are still yet broken in many ways. But, what God wants to do with your brokenness is use it to become His blessedness by sharing you every chance that He gets. This is why a saint with a story should always tell people what the Lord has done in their lives. Got a question for you. Have you been broken? If you said "yes" I dare you to let your brokenness to be someone else’s blessedness! Let the Lord share you and all that He has done for you. In other words, stop making people think that you are prefect. Tell people what God saved you from and what He's done in your life. And, remember this, if you can't tell people what you were before you met Jesus it may be because you are still what you were before you met Him. But, if the Lord has made a difference in your life, tell it!
It was a sad day at the Y.M.C.A. No more ice and the announcement by the young lady that said, "I'm sorry, but we've come up short." Just then a young lady hopped out of line and said "I'm going call my daddy!" She went into the Y grabbed her cell and made a call. Within minutes a black S500 Benz pull up with tinted windows. A nicely dressed gentleman got out and popped his drunk and there it was ice. Not just one cup for his child, but a trunk full of it! It was enough ice for everyone! You see, my friends that's what you do when you come up short. You call your Father in heaven and tell Him what has taken place. And, you may not get ice, but I can promise you He will give you grace! Yes, we all come up short from time to time, but thank God for Jesus who supplies the grace! Without Him we would never ever make it!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Hell No!!!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
Hell is best defined as any place where the forces of darkness and the spirits of evil are permitted to rule, reign and have regency. Hell is not just some burning inferno that exist in the afterlife, but hell is an occurrence. Hell happens every single day whenever and where ever our adversary the devil breaks loose, gains grounds, wreaks havoc, and seeks to destroy what God seeks to build.
If you are married and your spouse is filled with a spirit of lust and jealousy you could have hell in your marriage. If you have a child that is filled with a spirit of rebellion and no matter how much help and love you have shown them they are still wayward and cantankerous you may have hell in your child. If you have been attacked on your job for no reason at all to the point where it causes chaotic conditions to exist trust me on this one, you have hell on your job. If your money always seem to be short no matter how much you steward your resources here's a word of caution for you, watch out you could have hell in your check book. If you worry about everything and doubt the promises of God every chance you get, more than likely that is the work of our enemy and you could have hell on your mind. And if you are one of those people who can hold a grudge forever and thirty minutes the enemy could have your peace in his prison and you end up with hell in your heart!
The great news of the day however, is the fact every born-again believer in the Lord Jesus, who has been washed in the blood of the lamb, saved by the power of the cross, and sealed by the redemptive sacrifice of our God has access to the throne room of our Lord. In short, we can pray. Okay, are you shouting yet? Well, maybe it's because you don't know what happens when you pray. You see, prayer is best defined as a Christians right to put heaven where hell is. So when you stop in your day to pray in the midst of hellish conditions and occurrences you use your God-given right and authority to tell hell no and put heaven in its place.
Okay, are you shouting now? If not, then perhaps this will bless you and increase you a bit. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ there is some part of your life that is under attack whether you know it or not. But, here's the shouting news of the day you have a right to pray and when you petition God it simply says to the enemy HELL NO. Declare these statements with passion and I will guarantee you a release in your spirit is going to take place. Say this, "HELL NO, the enemy cannot have my joy. The joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10)!" "HELL NO, the devil cannot have my family! We belong to God (I Cor. 3:16)!" "HELL NO, the forces of evil cannot have my victory it is guaranteed (Exodus 14:13)!" And, "HELL NO, satan will not discourage me. I know how to encourage myself in the Lord my God (1 Sam. 30:6)!" "HELL NO, HELL NO, HELL NO!"
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica and he gives them the secret to spiritual power and total victory. He tells them to "Pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17). Why? He knows that if the people of God pray hell does not have a chance. So here's our devotional question for the day, so what do you do when hell is happening all around you?
The first thing that you must do is PRAY. Prayer is cart blanche access into the essence of the eternal. Prayer gives you access to the very throne room of Almighty God. When you pray heavenly corridors touch earthly real estate. When you pray angels are dispatched and demons are dismissed. When you pray the hand of God moves, the spirit of God rules, and the presence of God becomes visible. When Paul says pray in the text he means it. The term used for pray is written in the imperative mood which is defined as a command and not a suggestion. In short, he says do it! Pray and do it every chance you get. In fact, have you prayed today? If you haven't done it, do it now. And, if have prayed already, pray again! It is your right and way of telling the enemy Hell NO!
Secondly, what you need to do it PRAY. Often times we are guilty of praying one short prayer a day and that's about it for most of us. But, that will not get it. There is an old church saying that I was raised with that says, "no prayer, no power; little prayer, little power, but much prayer, much power." If you want to see miracles happen and hell become heaven I dare you to pray all of the time. The text says "pray without ceasing." The Greek phrase here is one word and it is adialeptos. It is a term that refers to the involuntary activity of the body to do what it does without you telling it to do so. In other words, you should pray like your lungs breathe. You should pray like your eyes blink. And, you should pray like your heart beats. Pray so much until you pray about everything. Cover your life, your children, your family, your desires, your relationships, your goals, your destiny and your resources with prayer. And when you do it, hell doesn't stand a chance against you!
And lastly what you have got to do is PRAY. Prayer is not just you talking with God but it is so much more. It is God in communion with you. Now I have always been told that association brings about assimilation. Birds of a feather flock together. And, you are the company that you keep. If this is true and I know that it is, to pray is to be in the company of the Lord and if you stay there long enough you start to think like Him, act like Him, walk like Him, talk like Him, and function as He functions. This is awesome news for those who believe!!! Our Lord moved mountains, heals the sick, raised the dead and turned water to wine. Jesus said "...and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father." So when you pray and pray and pray, you actually become like the one that you are spending time with! This is why hell doesn't stand a chance against you. You have heaven in your possession!!! So like a trump card in the game of spades play it and gain the victory!!!
There comes a time when you should get fed up with everything the enemy has tried to do to destroy you. And, there should come a time when you get sick and tired of watching hell happen all around you. If that is you then stand boldly in the faith and pray like you are losing your mind and tell the enemy and all that he has to offer HELL NO! HELL NO to your way. It leads to destruction, but God's way leads to everlasting life! HELL NO to temporary happiness built solely on happenings. I would rather have total faithfulness and let happiness be my personal decision! HELL NO to hatred and holding grudges, forgiveness is the best way! HELL NO to complaining. I am learning that no matter where I am and what's going on in my life I can always be thankful! For after all, God has been really kind to me! HELL NO to selfishness. If I cannot do anything else I can always help someone else. HELL NO to pride. For I know that I am nothing without the Lord. HELL NO to quitting and giving up. I will persevere because I am more than a conqueror! HELL NO to doubt, worry and mistrust. God is good and His resume in my life says that I can trust Him! HELL NO to thoughts of suicide. My life is worth living because my history is not equivalent to my destiny. And, HELL NO to everything the enemy has planned for my life. The Lord's plans are much better and I know that He wants me to have heaven and not hell so I will just pray my way through! So PRAY and tell them enemy HELL NO!!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Hell is best defined as any place where the forces of darkness and the spirits of evil are permitted to rule, reign and have regency. Hell is not just some burning inferno that exist in the afterlife, but hell is an occurrence. Hell happens every single day whenever and where ever our adversary the devil breaks loose, gains grounds, wreaks havoc, and seeks to destroy what God seeks to build.
If you are married and your spouse is filled with a spirit of lust and jealousy you could have hell in your marriage. If you have a child that is filled with a spirit of rebellion and no matter how much help and love you have shown them they are still wayward and cantankerous you may have hell in your child. If you have been attacked on your job for no reason at all to the point where it causes chaotic conditions to exist trust me on this one, you have hell on your job. If your money always seem to be short no matter how much you steward your resources here's a word of caution for you, watch out you could have hell in your check book. If you worry about everything and doubt the promises of God every chance you get, more than likely that is the work of our enemy and you could have hell on your mind. And if you are one of those people who can hold a grudge forever and thirty minutes the enemy could have your peace in his prison and you end up with hell in your heart!
The great news of the day however, is the fact every born-again believer in the Lord Jesus, who has been washed in the blood of the lamb, saved by the power of the cross, and sealed by the redemptive sacrifice of our God has access to the throne room of our Lord. In short, we can pray. Okay, are you shouting yet? Well, maybe it's because you don't know what happens when you pray. You see, prayer is best defined as a Christians right to put heaven where hell is. So when you stop in your day to pray in the midst of hellish conditions and occurrences you use your God-given right and authority to tell hell no and put heaven in its place.
Okay, are you shouting now? If not, then perhaps this will bless you and increase you a bit. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ there is some part of your life that is under attack whether you know it or not. But, here's the shouting news of the day you have a right to pray and when you petition God it simply says to the enemy HELL NO. Declare these statements with passion and I will guarantee you a release in your spirit is going to take place. Say this, "HELL NO, the enemy cannot have my joy. The joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10)!" "HELL NO, the devil cannot have my family! We belong to God (I Cor. 3:16)!" "HELL NO, the forces of evil cannot have my victory it is guaranteed (Exodus 14:13)!" And, "HELL NO, satan will not discourage me. I know how to encourage myself in the Lord my God (1 Sam. 30:6)!" "HELL NO, HELL NO, HELL NO!"
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica and he gives them the secret to spiritual power and total victory. He tells them to "Pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17). Why? He knows that if the people of God pray hell does not have a chance. So here's our devotional question for the day, so what do you do when hell is happening all around you?
The first thing that you must do is PRAY. Prayer is cart blanche access into the essence of the eternal. Prayer gives you access to the very throne room of Almighty God. When you pray heavenly corridors touch earthly real estate. When you pray angels are dispatched and demons are dismissed. When you pray the hand of God moves, the spirit of God rules, and the presence of God becomes visible. When Paul says pray in the text he means it. The term used for pray is written in the imperative mood which is defined as a command and not a suggestion. In short, he says do it! Pray and do it every chance you get. In fact, have you prayed today? If you haven't done it, do it now. And, if have prayed already, pray again! It is your right and way of telling the enemy Hell NO!
Secondly, what you need to do it PRAY. Often times we are guilty of praying one short prayer a day and that's about it for most of us. But, that will not get it. There is an old church saying that I was raised with that says, "no prayer, no power; little prayer, little power, but much prayer, much power." If you want to see miracles happen and hell become heaven I dare you to pray all of the time. The text says "pray without ceasing." The Greek phrase here is one word and it is adialeptos. It is a term that refers to the involuntary activity of the body to do what it does without you telling it to do so. In other words, you should pray like your lungs breathe. You should pray like your eyes blink. And, you should pray like your heart beats. Pray so much until you pray about everything. Cover your life, your children, your family, your desires, your relationships, your goals, your destiny and your resources with prayer. And when you do it, hell doesn't stand a chance against you!
And lastly what you have got to do is PRAY. Prayer is not just you talking with God but it is so much more. It is God in communion with you. Now I have always been told that association brings about assimilation. Birds of a feather flock together. And, you are the company that you keep. If this is true and I know that it is, to pray is to be in the company of the Lord and if you stay there long enough you start to think like Him, act like Him, walk like Him, talk like Him, and function as He functions. This is awesome news for those who believe!!! Our Lord moved mountains, heals the sick, raised the dead and turned water to wine. Jesus said "...and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father." So when you pray and pray and pray, you actually become like the one that you are spending time with! This is why hell doesn't stand a chance against you. You have heaven in your possession!!! So like a trump card in the game of spades play it and gain the victory!!!
There comes a time when you should get fed up with everything the enemy has tried to do to destroy you. And, there should come a time when you get sick and tired of watching hell happen all around you. If that is you then stand boldly in the faith and pray like you are losing your mind and tell the enemy and all that he has to offer HELL NO! HELL NO to your way. It leads to destruction, but God's way leads to everlasting life! HELL NO to temporary happiness built solely on happenings. I would rather have total faithfulness and let happiness be my personal decision! HELL NO to hatred and holding grudges, forgiveness is the best way! HELL NO to complaining. I am learning that no matter where I am and what's going on in my life I can always be thankful! For after all, God has been really kind to me! HELL NO to selfishness. If I cannot do anything else I can always help someone else. HELL NO to pride. For I know that I am nothing without the Lord. HELL NO to quitting and giving up. I will persevere because I am more than a conqueror! HELL NO to doubt, worry and mistrust. God is good and His resume in my life says that I can trust Him! HELL NO to thoughts of suicide. My life is worth living because my history is not equivalent to my destiny. And, HELL NO to everything the enemy has planned for my life. The Lord's plans are much better and I know that He wants me to have heaven and not hell so I will just pray my way through! So PRAY and tell them enemy HELL NO!!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Put That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
It was a great day in the life of the Henderson family. They were moving into their new home and things were looking up. I mean it was like they were the Jefferson's from back in the day. They were moving from the hood to a deluxe apartment in the sky! They were finally getting their piece of the pie. The entire family was in on the move and the boxes were big and heavy. Jason Henderson had an 11 year old daughter that was determined to move her entire room by herself. And she was doing great at it until she tried to lift a huge box of her shoes without any help. When she lifted the back end of that huge box her father shouted with passion and love at her, "Girl, put that down before you hurt yourself!"
As we share this devotional time together I want to spend just a few moments dealing with your heavy load. It is a load that many of you have been carrying far too long. A load that causes you to be bitter and never really get better. A load that causes you to carry a grudge and harbor hatred in your heart. A load that has many Christians frustrated, depressed, and disgusted with life and living. It is the heavy load of unforgivingness.
Let's be honest for a moment, forgiving people is not easy is it? Especially when the people that have tried to hurt you have not bothered to apologize. Forgiveness can seem impossible when the person that caused the damage continues to do things that hurt you over and over again. Have you ever been there before? This lesson is for the married couple that's really struggling and just when you thought you could forgive them something else happens and you know that unforgiveness for you is a heavy load. This lesson is for the Christian that knows the pain of a broken relationship and you have had people play you like a video game and your emotions are torn and your feelings are hurt. And, for you too unforgiveness is a heavy load. And, this lesson is for people who have a hard time forgiving others. If you are the kind of person that can hold onto hatred like a sponge holds water and you are tired of your heavy load consider this devotional a message from heaven that says, "Put, That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!!!"
In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus teaches His disciples how to deal with a really heavy load. Here's what the passage says,
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Is forgiveness an area of struggle for you? Have you been hurt and have found real forgiveness difficult to deal with? Have you ever really struggled with the heavy load of unforgivingness? If your earnest answer was yes, then hear this cry from heaven designed to heal you and set you free "Put, That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!" The question however, is why must be put it down?
First of all, you must put it down because if you hold on to it you forfeit your right to divine sympathy. Let me ask you a question right quick. How much dirt do you have? Okay, was that too personal for you? Let me ask the same question a different way. Have you ever made any mistakes that you need God to forgive you for? If you answered yes you must drop your heavy load! If you want God to forgive you, you must forgive those that have hurt you! Jesus uses a narrative and according to the story a servant owed his king more than fifteen years worth of income. And the king forgives his debt; in fact, it says that "...he was moved with compassion." In common terms he had some sympathy for this brother! This same brother that was just forgiven had a man that simply owed him some chump change. And he took him by his throat and demanded payment. The forgiving king gets ear of it and says, "After I let you off the hook for fifteen years of back payments you could not forgive your brother for some change?" (Paraphrase). Since you cannot forgive him, I will not forgive you. God says if you want me to be merciful and forgive you, you must be the same way with others!
Secondly, you need to ditch your heavy load because your freedom is at stake. Real forgiveness happens when you decide to let the prisoner go free. Only to look into the mirror of your hurt and pain to see that you are the one in hand cuffs!!! Let's face it, the people that have hurt you have gone own about their business. You are the one wearing the shackles. And, the only way out of bondage is for you to let yourself off the hook. Here in the text the word "forgave" used here is aphiemi. It means to set a prisoner free, to let a boat float away, or to release a caged bird. When you forgive people that have hurt you, the bondage and shackles of unforgivingness are opened and you go free. Remember this, unforgivingness can make you miserable. But, real forgiveness can heal a broken heart. Set yourself free by letting them off of the hook! It's the only way to deal with a heavy load.
It was a great day in the life of the Henderson family. They were moving into their new home and things were looking up. I mean it was like they were the Jefferson's from back in the day. They were moving from the hood to a deluxe apartment in the sky! They were finally getting their piece of the pie. The entire family was in on the move and the boxes were big and heavy. Jason Henderson had an 11 year old daughter that was determined to move her entire room by herself. And she was doing great at it until she tried to lift a huge box of her shoes without any help. When she lifted the back end of that huge box her father shouted with passion and love at her, "Girl, put that down before you hurt yourself!"
As we share this devotional time together I want to spend just a few moments dealing with your heavy load. It is a load that many of you have been carrying far too long. A load that causes you to be bitter and never really get better. A load that causes you to carry a grudge and harbor hatred in your heart. A load that has many Christians frustrated, depressed, and disgusted with life and living. It is the heavy load of unforgivingness.
Let's be honest for a moment, forgiving people is not easy is it? Especially when the people that have tried to hurt you have not bothered to apologize. Forgiveness can seem impossible when the person that caused the damage continues to do things that hurt you over and over again. Have you ever been there before? This lesson is for the married couple that's really struggling and just when you thought you could forgive them something else happens and you know that unforgiveness for you is a heavy load. This lesson is for the Christian that knows the pain of a broken relationship and you have had people play you like a video game and your emotions are torn and your feelings are hurt. And, for you too unforgiveness is a heavy load. And, this lesson is for people who have a hard time forgiving others. If you are the kind of person that can hold onto hatred like a sponge holds water and you are tired of your heavy load consider this devotional a message from heaven that says, "Put, That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!!!"
In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus teaches His disciples how to deal with a really heavy load. Here's what the passage says,
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Is forgiveness an area of struggle for you? Have you been hurt and have found real forgiveness difficult to deal with? Have you ever really struggled with the heavy load of unforgivingness? If your earnest answer was yes, then hear this cry from heaven designed to heal you and set you free "Put, That Down Before You Hurt Yourself!" The question however, is why must be put it down?
First of all, you must put it down because if you hold on to it you forfeit your right to divine sympathy. Let me ask you a question right quick. How much dirt do you have? Okay, was that too personal for you? Let me ask the same question a different way. Have you ever made any mistakes that you need God to forgive you for? If you answered yes you must drop your heavy load! If you want God to forgive you, you must forgive those that have hurt you! Jesus uses a narrative and according to the story a servant owed his king more than fifteen years worth of income. And the king forgives his debt; in fact, it says that "...he was moved with compassion." In common terms he had some sympathy for this brother! This same brother that was just forgiven had a man that simply owed him some chump change. And he took him by his throat and demanded payment. The forgiving king gets ear of it and says, "After I let you off the hook for fifteen years of back payments you could not forgive your brother for some change?" (Paraphrase). Since you cannot forgive him, I will not forgive you. God says if you want me to be merciful and forgive you, you must be the same way with others!
Secondly, you need to ditch your heavy load because your freedom is at stake. Real forgiveness happens when you decide to let the prisoner go free. Only to look into the mirror of your hurt and pain to see that you are the one in hand cuffs!!! Let's face it, the people that have hurt you have gone own about their business. You are the one wearing the shackles. And, the only way out of bondage is for you to let yourself off the hook. Here in the text the word "forgave" used here is aphiemi. It means to set a prisoner free, to let a boat float away, or to release a caged bird. When you forgive people that have hurt you, the bondage and shackles of unforgivingness are opened and you go free. Remember this, unforgivingness can make you miserable. But, real forgiveness can heal a broken heart. Set yourself free by letting them off of the hook! It's the only way to deal with a heavy load.
And lastly, your future is on the verge of a breakthrough in the spirit!
God is at His best with human hurt that needs healing. He is at His best with broken people that need to be restored. And, He is at His absolute best with wounded people that need a break through! Here's a great question for you to answer right quick. Are you ready to be healed from the heavy load of unforgivingness? Get this, God is able if you are ready. Here in this parable the focus should not be placed upon the servant that cannot forgive, but on the king that can! Here in this passage forgiveness is an unexpected breakthrough! Nobody expects to be forgiven for everything that they've done. But when God shows up you can always expect things to change and a breakthrough to come forth! Here's the breakthrough for you, God has forgiven you!!! You are free to go! The cross is vacant and the tomb is empty!
Jason Henderson yelled at his 11 year old daughter with a huge shoe box, "Girl, Put That Thing Down Before You Hurt Yourself!" She dropped the box and her father called for her older brother to pick it up for her. You see, she had a big brother that could carry the load that was too heavy for her to bear. Can you see Jesus in this? Like Jason's daughter had an older brother that could carry her load, you have an older brother too!!! His name is Jesus and He specializes in carrying loads that are too heavy for you to deal with. Unforgiveness can be a heavy load, but when you put it down and let the Lord carry it you find out that what was too heavy for you, is just right for Him!
Your Friend and His Servant,
God is at His best with human hurt that needs healing. He is at His best with broken people that need to be restored. And, He is at His absolute best with wounded people that need a break through! Here's a great question for you to answer right quick. Are you ready to be healed from the heavy load of unforgivingness? Get this, God is able if you are ready. Here in this parable the focus should not be placed upon the servant that cannot forgive, but on the king that can! Here in this passage forgiveness is an unexpected breakthrough! Nobody expects to be forgiven for everything that they've done. But when God shows up you can always expect things to change and a breakthrough to come forth! Here's the breakthrough for you, God has forgiven you!!! You are free to go! The cross is vacant and the tomb is empty!
Jason Henderson yelled at his 11 year old daughter with a huge shoe box, "Girl, Put That Thing Down Before You Hurt Yourself!" She dropped the box and her father called for her older brother to pick it up for her. You see, she had a big brother that could carry the load that was too heavy for her to bear. Can you see Jesus in this? Like Jason's daughter had an older brother that could carry her load, you have an older brother too!!! His name is Jesus and He specializes in carrying loads that are too heavy for you to deal with. Unforgiveness can be a heavy load, but when you put it down and let the Lord carry it you find out that what was too heavy for you, is just right for Him!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Tales From My Tattoos!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
They had their beginning in the land of Ancient Egypt as a form of worship to the deities or gods in that land. It was their way of showing true love and commitment so Egyptians intentionally marked their bodies for the gods that they revered. In the late 1960's they popped up in America as a form of body decoration and they have been running like crazy every since. What are they you ask? Tattoos!
There is no way to get a "tat" (as they are called) without some degree of pain and discomfort because the permanent mark is placed under the surface of the skin with a needle. But, that does not seem to be a deterrent at all to getting one of these lifelong marks placed on a body that's temporary? I should say not. In fact, just a glimpse at our star studded celebrity world tells us that people are really into "tats". Beyonce' has a tattoo of praying hands on her upper left thigh; Allen Iverson of the NBA has a tattoo of his son on his left arm in full color; Halle Barry has a tattoo of a flower on her lower left hip to be viewed by those who are privileged enough to see it in person; Eve (hip-hop artist) has tiger paws tattooed on her chess; Mike Tyson waited until he was 38 years old to place a tattoo on his face of a Samoan warrior (crazy in my opinion); and, Usher has multiple tattoos is various parts of his body for reasons that need not be publicly discussed. Over 70 percent of the men in the NBA have tattoos, 58 percent of the NFL is tattooed, over 38 percent of the women in the WNBA have tattoos, and about 32% of all Americans under the age of 30 have one somewhere on their body. In short, we are all marked up!
Intrigued by these body marks I took the time to speak to a gentleman the other day who was literally covered by them at the grocery store. His name was Leonard Lopez. I asked him what all of these marks meant. He said and I quote "my life has been a journey and with each of my tats comes a tale that should be told." As he hopped on his Harley and drove off I said to myself, "Wow! What a concept!!!" Every tat comes with a tale. You see, as born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we too are tattooed. But our marks are not on our flesh they are a part of our faith. The Lord has never asked anyone to get a tat on our bodies, but He did command that we believe on Him and His Word. The shouting news for those who love the Lord is that our marks were borne by another on a hill call Calvary! He took nails through His hands and His feet so that He would bear the marks of His love for us. But, we are asked to tell the world the tale of His tats so that others want one of our tattoos!
Here's how the Apostle Paul put it. "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). ---In other words, Paul says the only marks that I have on me are the marks I have permitted within me. Because He was bruised for me I must let the world know just how much of a difference Jesus Christ has made in my life! So here's our devotional question for the day. So what does it mean marked by the Master?
They had their beginning in the land of Ancient Egypt as a form of worship to the deities or gods in that land. It was their way of showing true love and commitment so Egyptians intentionally marked their bodies for the gods that they revered. In the late 1960's they popped up in America as a form of body decoration and they have been running like crazy every since. What are they you ask? Tattoos!
There is no way to get a "tat" (as they are called) without some degree of pain and discomfort because the permanent mark is placed under the surface of the skin with a needle. But, that does not seem to be a deterrent at all to getting one of these lifelong marks placed on a body that's temporary? I should say not. In fact, just a glimpse at our star studded celebrity world tells us that people are really into "tats". Beyonce' has a tattoo of praying hands on her upper left thigh; Allen Iverson of the NBA has a tattoo of his son on his left arm in full color; Halle Barry has a tattoo of a flower on her lower left hip to be viewed by those who are privileged enough to see it in person; Eve (hip-hop artist) has tiger paws tattooed on her chess; Mike Tyson waited until he was 38 years old to place a tattoo on his face of a Samoan warrior (crazy in my opinion); and, Usher has multiple tattoos is various parts of his body for reasons that need not be publicly discussed. Over 70 percent of the men in the NBA have tattoos, 58 percent of the NFL is tattooed, over 38 percent of the women in the WNBA have tattoos, and about 32% of all Americans under the age of 30 have one somewhere on their body. In short, we are all marked up!
Intrigued by these body marks I took the time to speak to a gentleman the other day who was literally covered by them at the grocery store. His name was Leonard Lopez. I asked him what all of these marks meant. He said and I quote "my life has been a journey and with each of my tats comes a tale that should be told." As he hopped on his Harley and drove off I said to myself, "Wow! What a concept!!!" Every tat comes with a tale. You see, as born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we too are tattooed. But our marks are not on our flesh they are a part of our faith. The Lord has never asked anyone to get a tat on our bodies, but He did command that we believe on Him and His Word. The shouting news for those who love the Lord is that our marks were borne by another on a hill call Calvary! He took nails through His hands and His feet so that He would bear the marks of His love for us. But, we are asked to tell the world the tale of His tats so that others want one of our tattoos!
Here's how the Apostle Paul put it. "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). ---In other words, Paul says the only marks that I have on me are the marks I have permitted within me. Because He was bruised for me I must let the world know just how much of a difference Jesus Christ has made in my life! So here's our devotional question for the day. So what does it mean marked by the Master?
First, it means that you bear the tattoo of His authenticity. We are surrounded by things that are fake. Fake people, fake purses, fake jewelry, fake fruit on display on the table that always look so real but is good for nothing, fake love, fake church folk, fake family folk, and fake friends. But, what the Lord is looking for is some people that are real! Real in their love for Him, real in their commitment to Him, real in their prayers to Him, real in their worship of Him and real in the living for Him. Paul says "henceforth let no man trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." This is rich! The term marks is stigmatah in the Greek. It refers to the intentional mark received by a slave. It was Paul's way of saying I belong to my master and there is nothing phony about it. In short, Paul says I love Jesus Christ and I can prove it because my lifestyle has been tattooed. What tale does your lifestyle tell? Do people know that you love Jesus Christ just by looking at how you live? If you earnestly love the Lord your lifestyle should say that I am marked for Him because I am real with it!!!
Secondly, it means that you have at least one mark of affliction. One of the true marks of a Christian is not how loudly you can shout, it is not how many Sunday School classes you've attended, and it is not how many tongues you can speak. The true mark of a saint is seen in how you endure moments of suffering, hurt, dismay and affliction. People who are living without the Lord cannot make it through. They give up and give out. But, those who have been marked by the master end up with a few scars and a greater testimony! Real saints come out of tough times with a tat and tale! They have a story that says, "When I was too weak to continue the Lord picked me up and carried me through!" Paul says "...I bear in my body the marks...” In other words he is saying I have been beaten, lied on, talked about, mistreated, ship wrecked, bitten by a deadly snake, left for dead, and tormented. But after all of that, I am still here. That's your story too isn't it? You have your tale because you have some tats. Some of you reading this devotional have been scarred! Those are your real tats and with each one of them comes a tale. Those scars are your tats of affliction!
And, lastly it means that you are tattooed with a mark of sincere adoration. I have talked to numerous people that have tattoos and I have discovered that everyone of them look at their marks as something that they value, something that they love and something that they adore. In short, these bodily marks are symbols of worship. Paul says that his marks are "...are of the Lord." In other words my marks are for HIM! I am living for HIM! I forgave the people that tried to damage me because I love HIM! I pray because I believe in HIM! I depend on Him! My life is in HIM! I serve HIM! I adore HIM! I need HIM! And, I bless HIM! Now this is a real tattoo. Did you know that the greatest thing that you could ever do for HIM is be marked as a worshipper? You see, real worship is not what you do with your lips, but it is what you do with your life. It is about the God that you have chosen to serve. And, when you are living for Jesus, loving Jesus, telling others about Jesus, serving Jesus, and trying to become more like Jesus you bear the greatest tat and have the most awesome tale to tell in the world! Here's the story we live for...He came, He cared, He hung, He died, He was buried, He was resurrected, He is in heaven and He shall return.
Lopez rode off on his Harley with a huge tattoo of a cross on His back. As I looked at him I thought about how painful that tat must have been. Then I thought about the fact that Jesus did not ask us to wear a cross but He did ask us to bear a cross! If you do not have a tattoo in your flesh don't get one. Live the faith! But, if you have a tattoo on your body already tell people that you got this mark when you were being what you used to be. And, then tell them about your new tats! Not the ones that are in your flesh but the ones that are in your faith. Tell them your tales of how the Lord has favored you, marked you, healed you, saved you, delivered you, cared for you and blessed you all the days of your life! Tell your story and let others know that when it comes to Jesus Christ you are one hundred percent REAL with and you have the tats to prove it!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Secondly, it means that you have at least one mark of affliction. One of the true marks of a Christian is not how loudly you can shout, it is not how many Sunday School classes you've attended, and it is not how many tongues you can speak. The true mark of a saint is seen in how you endure moments of suffering, hurt, dismay and affliction. People who are living without the Lord cannot make it through. They give up and give out. But, those who have been marked by the master end up with a few scars and a greater testimony! Real saints come out of tough times with a tat and tale! They have a story that says, "When I was too weak to continue the Lord picked me up and carried me through!" Paul says "...I bear in my body the marks...” In other words he is saying I have been beaten, lied on, talked about, mistreated, ship wrecked, bitten by a deadly snake, left for dead, and tormented. But after all of that, I am still here. That's your story too isn't it? You have your tale because you have some tats. Some of you reading this devotional have been scarred! Those are your real tats and with each one of them comes a tale. Those scars are your tats of affliction!
And, lastly it means that you are tattooed with a mark of sincere adoration. I have talked to numerous people that have tattoos and I have discovered that everyone of them look at their marks as something that they value, something that they love and something that they adore. In short, these bodily marks are symbols of worship. Paul says that his marks are "...are of the Lord." In other words my marks are for HIM! I am living for HIM! I forgave the people that tried to damage me because I love HIM! I pray because I believe in HIM! I depend on Him! My life is in HIM! I serve HIM! I adore HIM! I need HIM! And, I bless HIM! Now this is a real tattoo. Did you know that the greatest thing that you could ever do for HIM is be marked as a worshipper? You see, real worship is not what you do with your lips, but it is what you do with your life. It is about the God that you have chosen to serve. And, when you are living for Jesus, loving Jesus, telling others about Jesus, serving Jesus, and trying to become more like Jesus you bear the greatest tat and have the most awesome tale to tell in the world! Here's the story we live for...He came, He cared, He hung, He died, He was buried, He was resurrected, He is in heaven and He shall return.
Lopez rode off on his Harley with a huge tattoo of a cross on His back. As I looked at him I thought about how painful that tat must have been. Then I thought about the fact that Jesus did not ask us to wear a cross but He did ask us to bear a cross! If you do not have a tattoo in your flesh don't get one. Live the faith! But, if you have a tattoo on your body already tell people that you got this mark when you were being what you used to be. And, then tell them about your new tats! Not the ones that are in your flesh but the ones that are in your faith. Tell them your tales of how the Lord has favored you, marked you, healed you, saved you, delivered you, cared for you and blessed you all the days of your life! Tell your story and let others know that when it comes to Jesus Christ you are one hundred percent REAL with and you have the tats to prove it!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Thanks For Trying To Hurt Me!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze blowing just enough to dry the sweat on your brow. I had a long day set but I had promised a very dear friend of mine that I would do a house blessing for them. I pulled into the driveway of freshly poured concrete. I knocked on the door and with an attitude of exuberant joy she opened it and screamed "Pastor, this is my new house!!!" Her family was seated all over the place just chilling like they were sitting in the Hilton Edgewater Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The young lady showed me around her home and it was nice! Granite counter tops, crown moldings, Jacuzzi tub, leather furniture, flat screen televisions, island in the kitchen, two and a half baths, two car garage, and a beautiful back yard. It was NICE! We moved graciously through the house to the family room for the prayer when I noticed a photo on the coffee table of a handsome gentleman. I asked her was that her fiancée and she replied with a holy happiness in her voice, "No, that's my ex. I kept a nice picture of him because he was the one that did the most damage. He really tried to hurt me."
Have you ever had someone in your life do their best to destroy you? Have you ever been lied on, talked about or mistreated? Have you ever had a jealous co-worker work towards a demotion for you instead of a promotion that you really deserved? Have you ever encountered the hurt of having someone in your family do their best to hurt your image or cause chaos in your life? If you have answered yes to any of these questions this devotional is really for you! You know the hurt of having someone try to hurt you and so does Joseph. He had people try to destroy him (family unfortunately) but it turned out great. Here's what the Bible says, "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them" (Gen. 50:19-21).
So here's our devotional question for today, why should we be thankful for the people who have tried to hurt us and cause damage in our lives?
First of all, when others try to hurt you it’s when you really discover that God is there to help you. Listen there are some wonderful people in this world who will bless you, love you exhort you and help you. But, there are some mean, evil, crazy, possessed people who will try everything that is within their power to damage you. By now you have encountered some of both of them. But, always remember this when you think about hurtful people in your life, God allowed you to meet them so that when they hurt you He could heal you! Joseph's family did him wrong. He ends up in a pit in Egypt where he has no one to depend on but the Lord. And it is then that he gets, gains and retains his greatest discovery. You can't trust people but you can trust God! When others have tried to hurt you Jesus will be there to help you every single time!
Secondly, when others bruise you, is when you can discover just how much God can really use you. Remember this, "the Lord works in some mysterious ways." Never ever move your enemies out of your life. They are the root of the tree that bears the fruit of your blessings. They are the bank that has to hold your benefits. They are the waiters at the table that God will prepare just for you to receive His provisions from. In short, never move evil people out of your life! They are there for a purpose. Believe this or not, it was God's intent to bless Joseph the entire time. In fact, if you recall the story, God gave him a vision when he was a boy of him being great and his family paying homage to him. It was a portrait of his destiny that would be blessed by God. However, what God did not show him was the journey he would have to take to get there. It would be filled with hurt, deceit, evil plots to destroy him, prison cells and dungeons. But, this is where His real blessing was! Joseph was bruised but he was also greatly used. Many of you reading this devotional have been bruised relationally but you have also been blessed spiritually. Hear this, the reason why you have both is because you cannot have one without the other! If you show me your bruises I will also show you your blessings. Yes you have been bruised by people but God has received the glory from your life because you are being used by Him!!!
Lastly, when others have put you down, God has been there to pick you up and promote you. When ever God allows evil people in your life remember this, it spells one thing and one thing only, PROMOTION!!! Joseph seems to live on the corner Let Down Drive and Put Down Place. He is let down by his family. He is put down by Potiphar's wife. He is down in the pit. But, he is now a candidate for a pick up and promotion from the Lord. After he is let down his gift makes room for him and he ends up being promoted to the second greatest man in Egypt. You see, he went from the pit to the palace. And it was all a part of God's plan for his life. Famine strikes the land and those same brothers that sold him, those same brothers that bruised him, and those same brothers that tried to hurt him have to come back to him for help! But Joseph is so blessed that he tells them it is all right! You see, you meant it for my bad! But, God meant it for my good. Retranslation. You put me down, but God lifted me up! You demoted me, but the God of glory promoted me! When hurtful people wound you pick your head up and smile because that's not the end of the story. God knows your address and your promotion is on the way!
As I concluded the prayer for the house blessing my mind went back to this sister's comment about the handsome young man in the photo on the coffee table. In fact, her comment ran pass me like Reggie Bush on the back side of a slow defense. I said the prayer and as people were starting to mingle I pulled this sister to the side for an instant replay. She then explained to me that the brother in the photo hurt her so badly that she had thoughts of suicide. But, when he stopped loving her is when she discovered a love that had been there all along. It was the love of God! And that's when she started to live again. She gave her life to Jesus Christ and received a new love. She went back to school and earned a new degree. She took her new degree and got a new job as an RN. And, after she watched God bless her with a new job she got a new house. She told me with excitement, "You see Pastor if he would not have hurt me I would have never known that God could heal me. So I keep his picture near and when I think of him I say to myself, thanks for trying to hurt me!"
If this works for her it can work for you too! When you see or think of people that have tried their best to hurt you smile and simply say, "thanks for trying to hurt me!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze blowing just enough to dry the sweat on your brow. I had a long day set but I had promised a very dear friend of mine that I would do a house blessing for them. I pulled into the driveway of freshly poured concrete. I knocked on the door and with an attitude of exuberant joy she opened it and screamed "Pastor, this is my new house!!!" Her family was seated all over the place just chilling like they were sitting in the Hilton Edgewater Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The young lady showed me around her home and it was nice! Granite counter tops, crown moldings, Jacuzzi tub, leather furniture, flat screen televisions, island in the kitchen, two and a half baths, two car garage, and a beautiful back yard. It was NICE! We moved graciously through the house to the family room for the prayer when I noticed a photo on the coffee table of a handsome gentleman. I asked her was that her fiancée and she replied with a holy happiness in her voice, "No, that's my ex. I kept a nice picture of him because he was the one that did the most damage. He really tried to hurt me."
Have you ever had someone in your life do their best to destroy you? Have you ever been lied on, talked about or mistreated? Have you ever had a jealous co-worker work towards a demotion for you instead of a promotion that you really deserved? Have you ever encountered the hurt of having someone in your family do their best to hurt your image or cause chaos in your life? If you have answered yes to any of these questions this devotional is really for you! You know the hurt of having someone try to hurt you and so does Joseph. He had people try to destroy him (family unfortunately) but it turned out great. Here's what the Bible says, "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them" (Gen. 50:19-21).
So here's our devotional question for today, why should we be thankful for the people who have tried to hurt us and cause damage in our lives?
First of all, when others try to hurt you it’s when you really discover that God is there to help you. Listen there are some wonderful people in this world who will bless you, love you exhort you and help you. But, there are some mean, evil, crazy, possessed people who will try everything that is within their power to damage you. By now you have encountered some of both of them. But, always remember this when you think about hurtful people in your life, God allowed you to meet them so that when they hurt you He could heal you! Joseph's family did him wrong. He ends up in a pit in Egypt where he has no one to depend on but the Lord. And it is then that he gets, gains and retains his greatest discovery. You can't trust people but you can trust God! When others have tried to hurt you Jesus will be there to help you every single time!
Secondly, when others bruise you, is when you can discover just how much God can really use you. Remember this, "the Lord works in some mysterious ways." Never ever move your enemies out of your life. They are the root of the tree that bears the fruit of your blessings. They are the bank that has to hold your benefits. They are the waiters at the table that God will prepare just for you to receive His provisions from. In short, never move evil people out of your life! They are there for a purpose. Believe this or not, it was God's intent to bless Joseph the entire time. In fact, if you recall the story, God gave him a vision when he was a boy of him being great and his family paying homage to him. It was a portrait of his destiny that would be blessed by God. However, what God did not show him was the journey he would have to take to get there. It would be filled with hurt, deceit, evil plots to destroy him, prison cells and dungeons. But, this is where His real blessing was! Joseph was bruised but he was also greatly used. Many of you reading this devotional have been bruised relationally but you have also been blessed spiritually. Hear this, the reason why you have both is because you cannot have one without the other! If you show me your bruises I will also show you your blessings. Yes you have been bruised by people but God has received the glory from your life because you are being used by Him!!!
Lastly, when others have put you down, God has been there to pick you up and promote you. When ever God allows evil people in your life remember this, it spells one thing and one thing only, PROMOTION!!! Joseph seems to live on the corner Let Down Drive and Put Down Place. He is let down by his family. He is put down by Potiphar's wife. He is down in the pit. But, he is now a candidate for a pick up and promotion from the Lord. After he is let down his gift makes room for him and he ends up being promoted to the second greatest man in Egypt. You see, he went from the pit to the palace. And it was all a part of God's plan for his life. Famine strikes the land and those same brothers that sold him, those same brothers that bruised him, and those same brothers that tried to hurt him have to come back to him for help! But Joseph is so blessed that he tells them it is all right! You see, you meant it for my bad! But, God meant it for my good. Retranslation. You put me down, but God lifted me up! You demoted me, but the God of glory promoted me! When hurtful people wound you pick your head up and smile because that's not the end of the story. God knows your address and your promotion is on the way!
As I concluded the prayer for the house blessing my mind went back to this sister's comment about the handsome young man in the photo on the coffee table. In fact, her comment ran pass me like Reggie Bush on the back side of a slow defense. I said the prayer and as people were starting to mingle I pulled this sister to the side for an instant replay. She then explained to me that the brother in the photo hurt her so badly that she had thoughts of suicide. But, when he stopped loving her is when she discovered a love that had been there all along. It was the love of God! And that's when she started to live again. She gave her life to Jesus Christ and received a new love. She went back to school and earned a new degree. She took her new degree and got a new job as an RN. And, after she watched God bless her with a new job she got a new house. She told me with excitement, "You see Pastor if he would not have hurt me I would have never known that God could heal me. So I keep his picture near and when I think of him I say to myself, thanks for trying to hurt me!"
If this works for her it can work for you too! When you see or think of people that have tried their best to hurt you smile and simply say, "thanks for trying to hurt me!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Winning With A Tough Hand!
My Dear Friends in the Faith:
Back in the day we played simple games that just consumed us. If you were born after 1980 you may be too young to really understand. But, if you are older you surely should understand. For instance, we played games like "Simon Says", "Red Light, Green Light", "Hide and Go Seek" (Remember counting? One Mississippi, two Mississippi...), "Tag" and who could ever forget "Kick Ball and Dodge Ball."
Those were the games we played outside. Now when it was raining we had to play inside. So we played games like "Jacks", "Monopoly", "Checkers", "Chess", "Uno" and my favorite game "Spades!!" Have you ever played the game of Spades before? For the benefit of those of you who haven't let me give you a quick lesson about the game. You see, when you get your hand you can talk trash if you have a hand full of spades. For instance, if you have the High Joker, the Low Joker, the King of spades, the Queen of spades, etc. this means that you have a winning hand. There is no way you can lose because the winning cards are in your hand. But, then there are times when you would get a hand that would be so sorry you could not win with it at all. The dealer would hit you with the two of clubs, the three of diamonds, and the jack of hearts. A hand like this is what you would call a tough hand. The problem is that even with a tough hand you had to keep on playing.
May I ask you a quick devotional question as we spend this moment together? Has life ever dealt you a tough hand? It's tough when you are laid off and the bills keep coming. It's tough when it is your loved one in the casket and it hurts. It's tough when you get married and discover that you can't have children and you have planned for them all of your life. It's tough when you work hard every day and still end up broke with nothing to show for it. It's tough when it's your child that going astray and you've given them your very best. It's tough when your body is sick and the doctors are trying but can't really help you. It's tough when it is your family on the verge of collapse and there seems to be nothing that you can do to save it. Life is like a hand of spades and sometimes you can get a tough hand.
The joy of this lesson however, is this. If you are believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you can win with a tough hand! James the half brother of Jesus teaches us how to do it. Listen to what he says, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:3-4).
Please hear this friends, God never promised us that every hand would be easy. But, James is showing us how to come out victorious in the face of adversity. Here is how we do it!
First of all consider what you know. When you get a tough hand remember this, it's not what you do not know about God that will keep you, it is what you know about God that counts! James says "knowing this..." It is the word gnosko in the Greek which means to know by way of experience. By now you should KNOW some things about the Lord by way of past experience! You KNOW that God....woke you up today...kept you while you slept...blessed you all day yesterday...healed you when you were sick...saved you when you were lost...fed when you were hungry...kept your lights on when your money was short...brought you out the last valley you were in...carried you through the last trial you suffered...gave you strength when you were weak and died for you when you were in sin! You should know that God is...too strong to be weak...faithful not to forgive you...too responsible to drop you...too big to be small...too good to be bad...too sweet to be sour...to kind to be mean...too loving not to care...too gracious not to provide and too perfect to make a mistake. When you get a tough hand remember what you know!!!
Secondly, what you are going through at the time is only a test. Okay this may not make you happy but it will keep you holy. Get this and hold on to it. You will never ever have the blessings of the Lord without the testing of the Lord. Where ever you find one the other one will always follow. James says it like this "...the trying of your faith..." The term used for trying is a reference to something being cooked in an oven. In other words, God will allow your life to see the furnace of affliction sometimes. But, do not worry He is the silver smith. And He has one goal in mind. He wants to keep you in the fire until He can see a reflection of Himself in you! This will make you shout ouch and amen. Yes, it hurts but here's the truth about it, it helps! The great news about the testing time of God is that it never last forever. And the shouting news about the test itself is that it is an open book exam! So while you are taking the test read the book so that you will be sure not to fail!!!
And, lastly we are to remember what the test produces. May I ask you some personal questions? Has life ever made you cry? Have you ever had your feelings crushed? Ever thought about just quitting and walking away from everything and everybody? When you get to this point in life with Jesus Christ the reason why you stayed and stuck it out was because God grew you to a point of becoming spiritually tough. James says, "...that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing." The term patience used here does not mean to wait. But, it means to be tough. It means that you are not blown away by everything that has happened to you in your life but that you have learned how to hang in there and stick it out. It's funny to me because saints often want to be strong and tough. But, the only way to become tough is to have to play some tough hands! Remember this, tough hands produce tough saints.
Yes, life can deal you some tough hands, but never forget this. Spades is a game of partners. Yes! You never play alone. And when you get a tough hand, if your partner has a good hand you can play and still win! You see, it's all about what your partner has in His hand. If you have a good partner in the game of spades you can never ever lose! I am happy to announce that when you play the game of life you never play alone. You have a partner and He has an awesome hand! You may have hurt in your hand, but your partner has healing in His hand! You may have needs in your hand, but your partner has provisions in His hand! And, you may have testing in your hand, but your partner has blessing in His! When a saint plays the game they only play with Jesus Christ as their partner and with the Lord on your side you cannot lose!!! Yes, your hand may be tough, but play your hand because the Lord is on your side and victory is yours!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor
Back in the day we played simple games that just consumed us. If you were born after 1980 you may be too young to really understand. But, if you are older you surely should understand. For instance, we played games like "Simon Says", "Red Light, Green Light", "Hide and Go Seek" (Remember counting? One Mississippi, two Mississippi...), "Tag" and who could ever forget "Kick Ball and Dodge Ball."
Those were the games we played outside. Now when it was raining we had to play inside. So we played games like "Jacks", "Monopoly", "Checkers", "Chess", "Uno" and my favorite game "Spades!!" Have you ever played the game of Spades before? For the benefit of those of you who haven't let me give you a quick lesson about the game. You see, when you get your hand you can talk trash if you have a hand full of spades. For instance, if you have the High Joker, the Low Joker, the King of spades, the Queen of spades, etc. this means that you have a winning hand. There is no way you can lose because the winning cards are in your hand. But, then there are times when you would get a hand that would be so sorry you could not win with it at all. The dealer would hit you with the two of clubs, the three of diamonds, and the jack of hearts. A hand like this is what you would call a tough hand. The problem is that even with a tough hand you had to keep on playing.
May I ask you a quick devotional question as we spend this moment together? Has life ever dealt you a tough hand? It's tough when you are laid off and the bills keep coming. It's tough when it is your loved one in the casket and it hurts. It's tough when you get married and discover that you can't have children and you have planned for them all of your life. It's tough when you work hard every day and still end up broke with nothing to show for it. It's tough when it's your child that going astray and you've given them your very best. It's tough when your body is sick and the doctors are trying but can't really help you. It's tough when it is your family on the verge of collapse and there seems to be nothing that you can do to save it. Life is like a hand of spades and sometimes you can get a tough hand.
The joy of this lesson however, is this. If you are believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you can win with a tough hand! James the half brother of Jesus teaches us how to do it. Listen to what he says, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:3-4).
Please hear this friends, God never promised us that every hand would be easy. But, James is showing us how to come out victorious in the face of adversity. Here is how we do it!
First of all consider what you know. When you get a tough hand remember this, it's not what you do not know about God that will keep you, it is what you know about God that counts! James says "knowing this..." It is the word gnosko in the Greek which means to know by way of experience. By now you should KNOW some things about the Lord by way of past experience! You KNOW that God....woke you up today...kept you while you slept...blessed you all day yesterday...healed you when you were sick...saved you when you were lost...fed when you were hungry...kept your lights on when your money was short...brought you out the last valley you were in...carried you through the last trial you suffered...gave you strength when you were weak and died for you when you were in sin! You should know that God is...too strong to be weak...faithful not to forgive you...too responsible to drop you...too big to be small...too good to be bad...too sweet to be sour...to kind to be mean...too loving not to care...too gracious not to provide and too perfect to make a mistake. When you get a tough hand remember what you know!!!
Secondly, what you are going through at the time is only a test. Okay this may not make you happy but it will keep you holy. Get this and hold on to it. You will never ever have the blessings of the Lord without the testing of the Lord. Where ever you find one the other one will always follow. James says it like this "...the trying of your faith..." The term used for trying is a reference to something being cooked in an oven. In other words, God will allow your life to see the furnace of affliction sometimes. But, do not worry He is the silver smith. And He has one goal in mind. He wants to keep you in the fire until He can see a reflection of Himself in you! This will make you shout ouch and amen. Yes, it hurts but here's the truth about it, it helps! The great news about the testing time of God is that it never last forever. And the shouting news about the test itself is that it is an open book exam! So while you are taking the test read the book so that you will be sure not to fail!!!
And, lastly we are to remember what the test produces. May I ask you some personal questions? Has life ever made you cry? Have you ever had your feelings crushed? Ever thought about just quitting and walking away from everything and everybody? When you get to this point in life with Jesus Christ the reason why you stayed and stuck it out was because God grew you to a point of becoming spiritually tough. James says, "...that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing." The term patience used here does not mean to wait. But, it means to be tough. It means that you are not blown away by everything that has happened to you in your life but that you have learned how to hang in there and stick it out. It's funny to me because saints often want to be strong and tough. But, the only way to become tough is to have to play some tough hands! Remember this, tough hands produce tough saints.
Yes, life can deal you some tough hands, but never forget this. Spades is a game of partners. Yes! You never play alone. And when you get a tough hand, if your partner has a good hand you can play and still win! You see, it's all about what your partner has in His hand. If you have a good partner in the game of spades you can never ever lose! I am happy to announce that when you play the game of life you never play alone. You have a partner and He has an awesome hand! You may have hurt in your hand, but your partner has healing in His hand! You may have needs in your hand, but your partner has provisions in His hand! And, you may have testing in your hand, but your partner has blessing in His! When a saint plays the game they only play with Jesus Christ as their partner and with the Lord on your side you cannot lose!!! Yes, your hand may be tough, but play your hand because the Lord is on your side and victory is yours!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor
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