Apples of Gold
Radio Script for April 1, 2008
“The Lord Give You His Peace”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I grew up in the Lutheran Church.
The worship services were repetitive, which is great for drilling things into small children.
I have a special fondness for the “benediction,” which is what the minister says at the end of the service. It’s taken from Numbers chapter 6, and it goes like this:
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee;
The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee His peace.”
Maybe I like it because, as an antsy child, I connected the benediction with the joy of being set free to move again. Or maybe it was the happy organ music that always kicked in right after it.
Whatever the reason, that benediction stuck with me. And my favorite part is the end, “…give thee His peace.”
Of course, you know what kids call peace? That’s right…“Boring!”
But as you grow older, and life gets more complicated, you learn to appreciate the value of peace.
So are you feeling a bit stressed out today? Has life become a battle that you are tired of fighting? Then let’s find out how you can have more peace.
We’ll start by going to the source of peace, God. Over and over the Bible calls Him the “God of peace.” Second Thessalonians 3:16 says, “May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.”
Remember the prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6? It says He will be called the “Prince of Peace.” Romans 14:17 says His kingdom is a matter of peace, among other things.
Not only is God the source of peace, He IS peace. Gideon built an altar one time and called it Jehovah Shalom, “The Lord is Peace.”
The prophet Micah said this of the Messiah, “He will be their peace.”
Ephesians 2:14 says this of Jesus, “For He Himself is our peace.”
So God is peace, and He is the source of peace.
And the good news is, He gives this peace to His people.
Psalm 29:11 says, “…the Lord blesses His people with peace.”
Psalm 85:8 says, “…He promises peace to His people, His saints…”
So how can we get a hold of this peace?
To receive peace from the Lord we must be right with the Lord. That means we repent of our sins, and receive His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:20 says that through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, we are made right with God.
Jesus paid the price for our peace. Isaiah 53:5 says, “…the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him…”
When we talk about the “gospel,” we are talking about the good news that, through Jesus Christ, we can be right with God. Ephesians 6:15 calls it “the gospel of peace.”
Most people report that, when they repent of their sins and receive God’s forgiveness, they feel a great sense of peace.
So let’s say you are right with God. You have repented of your sins and been forgiven. However, your life is such that you just don’t feel that peace anymore. Now what?
Listen to what both Psalm 34 and First Peter 3:11 say, “…seek peace and pursue it.”
We don’t just sit back and wait for peace. We can do something to get it.
One thing we can do is trust God more. When we really let go of the reigns and trust Him, we will have more peace. Romans 15 and Isaiah 26 both indicate that God will fill us with peace as we trust Him.
Now get this. There is a correlation between how righteous we live and how much peace we have. Righteousness and peace are intimately related. In fact, Psalm 85:10 says, “righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
Isaiah 32:17 says the fruit of righteousness is peace.
Isaiah 57:2 says, “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace…”
Romans 2:10 says there is peace for everyone who does good.
Righteousness and peace become a cycle in our lives. When we live a righteous life, we receive more peace. Then James 3:18 says as we “sow in peace” we “raise a harvest of righteousness.”
Now listen to this. Many times we lose the peace in our lives due to our own stupidity. When we do foolish things, and we reap what we sow, we lose our peace. But we can always learn from our mistakes and grow in wisdom.
Proverbs 3 talks about the great blessings of wisdom. Verse 17 says that when we follow the path of wisdom, it’s always a path of peace.
Here is something sure to rob your peace: envy. You see what others have that you don’t. That’s a peace killer! Proverbs 14:30 says, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
Here is another peace robber: disorder. When your life is disorderly, it will always catch up with you and snatch away your peace. First Corinthians 14:33 says that God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace.
Another way to get more peace? Be more meek. Psalm 37:11 says that the meek “enjoy great peace.”
A sure way to more peace is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. Romans 8:6 says, “…the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” According to Galatians 5:22, “the fruit of the Spirit is…peace…”
Digging into the Word of God will bring more peace. Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have they who love Your law…”
And sometimes it’s just a matter of letting go of everything, taking a deep breath, and simply allowing God’s peace to flow over us. Colossians 3:15 says to “let” the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
I know that’s a lot of scripture, so if you are looking for one simple passage about peace you could memorize and quickly put into practice, I recommend this one from Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 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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