My Dear Friends in the Faith:
Not long ago while sitting in my barbershop waiting for my turn to sit in the seat of external beautification, hoping to have my laniferous bush reduced to a smooth scalp and a nice edge, I overheard an interesting conversation. It was a debate that took place between a believer who had been in church a long time, but had very little faith in God and a new believer that was young in the faith, but on fire for the Lord. The young believer, Kawanda Mason was on fire as she talked to her aunt about achieving her dream of owning her own business. She told her aunt and I quote, "I do not want a religion or a church that cannot help me do the extraordinary. I want a God that is ready to take my life to the next level. I want Jesus to use me to do the impossible!" Mason looked her aunt square in the face and said. "Auntie, you have wanted to open your own business for years. You go to church every Sunday, but it ain't helping you a bit. You talk faith but you live in fear. You are going to have to get out of the boat and walk on the water! You need to just do the dog gone thang!"
Though this young fiery saint was not talking to me directly, I do believe with all of my heart that what fell from her lips came straight from God. It is my firm belief that God is looking for saints who will walk by faith. Faith in God looks at an empty lot and see's a house. Faith in God looks at a sinner and see's a saint. Faith in God looks at a pink slip and see's a new job with better benefits and more money. Faith in God looks at water and will taste wine. And, faith in God looks at a sea and see's a side walk. But, the only way to experience this next level of living is for us as Christians to live a life of faith! A faith that says, "Just do the dog gone thang!"
This may prove to be somewhat shocking to you, but it is true non-the-less. God made you to see the invisible, move the unmovable, accomplish the incredible, achieve the unattainable, survive the unthinkable, and thrive in the midst of the impossible. Jesus said "...and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father"
(St. John 14:12, KJV). The term "greater" used here is midezone. It does not speak to the quality of what has been done, but the quantity of what has been produced. Jesus says in short you are going to keep on doing what I have been doing. When people see you they will think about me. And, when you check out the vocational Vita of Jesus Christ printed for your perusal in the Gospels He was awesome! He turned water to wine in Cana, raised a boy from the dead in Nain, made a lame man walk in Bethesda, brought Lazarus to life in Bethany and led Peter to walk on the water in Galilee! That's right; our Lord led one of His disciples to do the unthinkable! Jesus helped Peter to get out of the boat and just do the dog gone thang!
Here's how the story flows.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus (St. Matt. 14:25-29).
Now if Peter could do the dog gone thang you can too! I believe that God has something special planned for your life. I want you to know that where you are right now is not a permanent place, but simply a passing point. I believe that God is pressing you out of your comfort zone so that you will have to use your faith in Him and just do the dog gone thang! But, here's the question to grapple with, what does the text require to make the impossible come to pass?
First of all, you must have a deity that is in total control. I have some great news for you today. Please hear this, God is in control! Watch Jesus in this narrative. He is in control! Jesus is walking on the sea. What does this mean to you right now? Well the sea in early Jewish history was seen as a symbol of the abyss or hell. When Jesus came walking on sea He was sending a clear message. He was saying I am God enough to control the sea and keep the devil in His place. I am in control! Here are some great devotional questions for you this week. How would you act if you knew you couldn't lose? What would you do if you knew that your God held your enemies in check? That's how you should live every day. Live like that and just do the dog gone thang!
Secondly, you need a divine request for the extraordinary. As Christians some of you really do pray, but there's a problem. You do not know what to ask for. Some of you have been asking the Lord to approve the loan, when you should have been asking Him to make you the lender! Some of you have been asking God for water, when you should have been asking Him for the whole well. Some of you have asked God to bless you when you should have been asking the Lord to bless others through you! Some of you have been asking the Lord for a house when you should have been asking the Lord to help you develop the whole neighborhood. Here's the point, if you are going to do the dog gone thang ask big! Peter makes a huge request. He says, "..Lord, if that is you, bid me to come on the water with you" (Matt. 14:28b). In short, Peter says, I do not want to sit here with these disciples any more. I want to do what my Master is doing! Wow! Now that's a request. What have you been asking God for lately? If you are going to do the dog gone thang ask big!
And, lastly you need a daring faith that's crazy. Peter does something that no other man in the Bible does. He steps out of the boat and He walks on water. Yes, it is crazy but it was the only way to do the dog gone thang! Peter had asked Jesus to join Him on the water and Jesus' reply was a one word blessing. Jesus said "Come!" And Peter was crazy enough in faith to do it. Rev. Seymour V. Adolph, Sr. (my father) says that Peter really did not just walk on water. He walked on the Lord's word, "come." Jesus said "come" and Peter walked on it! What if the Lord is saying the same thing to you today? Come! Write the book, score the film, open the business, take the missionary trip, adopt the child, build the plaza, earn the degree, get the certificate, build the house, buy the stock, do the work, make the move, start the program, fill out the application, go forward, handle your business, stop listening to jealous, narrow minded people tell you what you cannot do and just do the dog gone thang!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor
Not long ago while sitting in my barbershop waiting for my turn to sit in the seat of external beautification, hoping to have my laniferous bush reduced to a smooth scalp and a nice edge, I overheard an interesting conversation. It was a debate that took place between a believer who had been in church a long time, but had very little faith in God and a new believer that was young in the faith, but on fire for the Lord. The young believer, Kawanda Mason was on fire as she talked to her aunt about achieving her dream of owning her own business. She told her aunt and I quote, "I do not want a religion or a church that cannot help me do the extraordinary. I want a God that is ready to take my life to the next level. I want Jesus to use me to do the impossible!" Mason looked her aunt square in the face and said. "Auntie, you have wanted to open your own business for years. You go to church every Sunday, but it ain't helping you a bit. You talk faith but you live in fear. You are going to have to get out of the boat and walk on the water! You need to just do the dog gone thang!"
Though this young fiery saint was not talking to me directly, I do believe with all of my heart that what fell from her lips came straight from God. It is my firm belief that God is looking for saints who will walk by faith. Faith in God looks at an empty lot and see's a house. Faith in God looks at a sinner and see's a saint. Faith in God looks at a pink slip and see's a new job with better benefits and more money. Faith in God looks at water and will taste wine. And, faith in God looks at a sea and see's a side walk. But, the only way to experience this next level of living is for us as Christians to live a life of faith! A faith that says, "Just do the dog gone thang!"
This may prove to be somewhat shocking to you, but it is true non-the-less. God made you to see the invisible, move the unmovable, accomplish the incredible, achieve the unattainable, survive the unthinkable, and thrive in the midst of the impossible. Jesus said "...and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father"
(St. John 14:12, KJV). The term "greater" used here is midezone. It does not speak to the quality of what has been done, but the quantity of what has been produced. Jesus says in short you are going to keep on doing what I have been doing. When people see you they will think about me. And, when you check out the vocational Vita of Jesus Christ printed for your perusal in the Gospels He was awesome! He turned water to wine in Cana, raised a boy from the dead in Nain, made a lame man walk in Bethesda, brought Lazarus to life in Bethany and led Peter to walk on the water in Galilee! That's right; our Lord led one of His disciples to do the unthinkable! Jesus helped Peter to get out of the boat and just do the dog gone thang!
Here's how the story flows.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus (St. Matt. 14:25-29).
Now if Peter could do the dog gone thang you can too! I believe that God has something special planned for your life. I want you to know that where you are right now is not a permanent place, but simply a passing point. I believe that God is pressing you out of your comfort zone so that you will have to use your faith in Him and just do the dog gone thang! But, here's the question to grapple with, what does the text require to make the impossible come to pass?
First of all, you must have a deity that is in total control. I have some great news for you today. Please hear this, God is in control! Watch Jesus in this narrative. He is in control! Jesus is walking on the sea. What does this mean to you right now? Well the sea in early Jewish history was seen as a symbol of the abyss or hell. When Jesus came walking on sea He was sending a clear message. He was saying I am God enough to control the sea and keep the devil in His place. I am in control! Here are some great devotional questions for you this week. How would you act if you knew you couldn't lose? What would you do if you knew that your God held your enemies in check? That's how you should live every day. Live like that and just do the dog gone thang!
Secondly, you need a divine request for the extraordinary. As Christians some of you really do pray, but there's a problem. You do not know what to ask for. Some of you have been asking the Lord to approve the loan, when you should have been asking Him to make you the lender! Some of you have been asking God for water, when you should have been asking Him for the whole well. Some of you have asked God to bless you when you should have been asking the Lord to bless others through you! Some of you have been asking the Lord for a house when you should have been asking the Lord to help you develop the whole neighborhood. Here's the point, if you are going to do the dog gone thang ask big! Peter makes a huge request. He says, "..Lord, if that is you, bid me to come on the water with you" (Matt. 14:28b). In short, Peter says, I do not want to sit here with these disciples any more. I want to do what my Master is doing! Wow! Now that's a request. What have you been asking God for lately? If you are going to do the dog gone thang ask big!
And, lastly you need a daring faith that's crazy. Peter does something that no other man in the Bible does. He steps out of the boat and He walks on water. Yes, it is crazy but it was the only way to do the dog gone thang! Peter had asked Jesus to join Him on the water and Jesus' reply was a one word blessing. Jesus said "Come!" And Peter was crazy enough in faith to do it. Rev. Seymour V. Adolph, Sr. (my father) says that Peter really did not just walk on water. He walked on the Lord's word, "come." Jesus said "come" and Peter walked on it! What if the Lord is saying the same thing to you today? Come! Write the book, score the film, open the business, take the missionary trip, adopt the child, build the plaza, earn the degree, get the certificate, build the house, buy the stock, do the work, make the move, start the program, fill out the application, go forward, handle your business, stop listening to jealous, narrow minded people tell you what you cannot do and just do the dog gone thang!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph, Pastor
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