Apples of Gold
Radio Script for May 29, 2008
“Let’s Major in the Majors”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I read them all.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Not every word, just the red ones.
Then I tallied it up.
My goal was to find out what Jesus taught about the most. I figured if it showed up a bunch of times, it must be more important.
This will help me get my priorities straight. Put first things first. Major in the majors.
It all started when I read Matthew 7:24 where Jesus said, “…everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” I thought, “Well, what did Jesus teach that I can actually put into practice?”
So I read through the four Gospels with sheets of paper beside me. Every time I came across a teaching of Jesus, I wrote it down. Then I grouped them together and added them up.
You gotta picture the scene. All this paper with scribbled notes and hash marks. All the decisions, “Does it go in this group or this group?”
I did all that, and guess what? I came up with a result that is really no surprise.
Here is the thing that Jesus taught about most: Loving and serving God.
In Mark 12 Jesus was asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus said the most important commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Yes, I knew that before I did my little study. But it was kind of an eye-opener when I finished my research and found that this is what He taught about the most – loving and serving God.
He taught it from many angles. He said things like take up your cross, and lose your life, and follow Him, and seek first His kingdom, and fear God, and store up treasures in heaven. He said we should obey God and hold to His teachings and do what He said.
On and on Jesus went, driving home the number one point. God comes first. It’s all about Him and His kingdom and His word and His Son and His Spirit.
Now let’s go back to Matthew 7:24. What did Jesus teach that I can actually put into practice? The thing He taught about most was this: loving and serving God.
So what did Jesus teach about the second most?
Once again, after I did all that work, it’s really no surprise. After Jesus said that loving God was the most important commandment, He went on to tell us the second most important commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
When I added it all up, this is what Jesus taught about the second most. He said things like do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and be reconciled to your brother, be a servant to all, and even love your enemies. There are a lot of ways to say it, but they all fit nicely in the category of Love Your Neighbor.
So what did Jesus teach about third most?
By my count that would be having faith and believing. Over and over we are told to have faith, and believe in God, and believe in Jesus. The book of John is especially full of teaching about believing.
What did Jesus teach about fourth most? Prayer.
We are told to ask and agree and come to Him and pray in His name. We are even told to pray for those who persecute us and mistreat us. We are to pray and not give up.
Now let’s talk about character traits. What character traits did Jesus teach about most?
Obviously the far and away most important character trait is love. Christians should be known first and foremost by their love.
Next we find a character trait that Jesus taught about often: humility. We are to be humble, childlike, servants. He used words like last and least and lesser. Christians should be known by their great humility and their servant’s heart.
Here’s another thing Jesus spoke about a lot: letting our light shine to others. That includes making disciples, preaching the Gospel, bringing in the harvest, calling others to come to the Lord, reaching out and bringing them in.
These all seem obvious, don’t they? Love God. Love people. Have faith. Pray a lot. Be humble. Tell others about God.
Is there anything on the list that isn’t obvious? Here’s one that might surprise you. Jesus taught a lot about watching the signs of the times. It’s the idea of being ready, being watchful and alert. He sums it up in Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
And finally, here are the last few things that Jesus taught about somewhat often in the Gospels:
--Bearing good fruit and using what we’ve been given.
--Watching out for false prophets and deceivers.
--Forgiving people.
--Giving to people in need.
--And watching what we say.
And that is my list of what Jesus taught about most that we can actually put into practice. If we do these things, we will be majoring in the majors. Yes, He taught about a lot of other things, but if it’s not on this list, then it doesn’t show up very often in the Gospels.
This is how we build our life on the rock. By hearing these words of Jesus, and putting them into practice.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
Let me tell you, it was such a blessing to pour myself into the study of Jesus’ words!
And no wonder. In John 6:63 Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”
In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Then in verse 36 He said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
In John 15:10-11 Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
© 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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