Apples of Gold
Radio Script for April 29, 2008
“Like a Warrior, Stir Up Your Zeal”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
My son was a wrestler, so I spent many hours watching wrestling meets.
You ought to see how these guys get psyched up. They jump up and down and slap themselves. They do push-ups. They jog in place.
And what was the most common form of pre-match self-motivation?
Music.
There they would be, going through their gyrations, with music cranking from their iPods.
This is not unique to wrestlers. Athletes in every sport use music to get pumped for competition. For centuries, armies have used music to set the tone for battle. What did they sing about during the Revolutionary War? “Musket, fife and drum.” That’s an odd set of items, but it illustrates the incredible motivating power of music.
My favorite kind of music, personally, is the kind that motivates me to serve the Lord, to serve Him with passion and zeal.
Romans 12:11 talks about serving the Lord, and it says we should serve Him with “spiritual fervor.” And it says we should “never be lacking in zeal.”
So what do you do if you aren’t feeling the zeal today? Well, what do all those athletes do? They use music to stir it up!
And we can do the same. We can use music to stir up our zeal for the Lord.
Think of all the songs that get you fired up for God. Write them down, then get them all together. Burn a CD. Put them all in a folder on your computer or mp3 player. Then when your zeal is lacking, crank up the music!
I was talking about Christian music with my son the other day. I said, “I don’t like these Christian songs that talk about our weakness and frailty. ‘Oh, I’m just so weak. I’m being tempted. I sure hope I don’t give in. Uh-oh. I might.’” Oh please. Give me songs with meat. Give me songs about God’s glory and power, songs that “inspire the fire.”
I love this quote I read recently about songwriter Twila Paris. It says, “She examined her priorities and determined that Christ had to be exalted in everything she wrote or sang.”*
Why sing about human frailty when you can sing about Christ’s power?
Some songs lead to wallowing in weakness when what we need are songs that motivate us to victory.
I love what Isaiah 42 says about the Lord: “…like a warrior He will stir up His zeal…”
Isaiah 59:17 says He “wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.”
Some of the Old Testament prophecies end with this phrase, “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Zeal gets things done - but it has to be stirred up. Even the Lord Himself stirs up His zeal; like it says in Isaiah 42:13, “…like a warrior He will stir up His zeal.”
How does a warrior stir up his zeal? One way is with music.
So make that list of songs that stir up your zeal for the Lord. Write out the lyrics. Find the recordings. Fill your iPod. Make a cassette if you have to. Burn a CD called, “Songs That Fire Me Up!” And if you don’t know any songs like that, ask around. Every Christian has certain songs that pump them up.
Then when your zeal is lacking, or you feel less-than-motivated to serve the Lord, get out those songs and light the fire!
Like a warrior, stir up your zeal!
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
(fade out with song “Solid Rock” by Delirious)
* “The Complete Book of Hymns” by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Peterson pp. 28-29 (2006).
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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