Apples of Gold
Radio Script for August 22, 2008
“A Clean Machine for the King”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“Where are you going tonight?”
“I’m going to the Nut House. What are you doing?”
“I’m going to the Pumpkin House.”
And that’s the way it was when I was in college. Students would rent a house together, then tag it with a name. So instead of saying, “I’m going to Johnny and Billy and Sammy and Wally and Kevin’s house,” you just said, “I’m going to the Flounder House.”
Now my son lives in a house with a name. It’s called “Simple House.”
Its name comes from the goal of eliminating things that can complicate your life, allowing you to focus on spiritual growth. For example, they don’t get on the internet or even watch television. Last night my son told me that they had a meeting and discussed the fact that no one should have any music that they didn’t pay for. In other words, even the Christian mp3’s you “borrowed” from a friend have to go.
I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:1 which says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders…”
It’s like these Olympic runners. Notice they aren’t wearing ski shoes and parkas. To run the best race possible they throw off everything that hinders.
And that’s the way our spiritual life is. There are things that hinder us, things that slow down our discipleship, and they must go.
I heard a recording of an old sermon by David Wilkerson this week.* At that time HBO had just come out with The Sopranos. Wilkerson said how grieved he was that so many Christians were watching that program, and even becoming fans.
Why was that a problem?
Wilkerson said it’s watching filth. How can you draw near to a holy God while being a fan of filth?
Meanwhile, he said, Christians have marriage problems and moral problems as much as non-Christians.
Why is that? Back to Hebrews 12:1. We need to throw off everything that hinders.
Verse two says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”
When our eyes our watching filth, they can’t be fixed on Jesus.
So many of us try to run the Christian race with our eyes not fixed on Jesus. Then we wonder why we stumble and fall.
I have been on the Daniel Fast for over a year and a half. Last week someone asked me what I was fasting for. I said, “For more of Him and less of me. He must increase. I must decrease.”
For me, the Daniel Fast is another way to throw off everything that hinders. In this case, it sets me free from my appetite. I am not a slave to every whim of my mouth and stomach.
When I started the Daniel Fast, I didn’t even know that was a hindrance. But now, looking back, I can see it. I was ensnared by impulsive thinking when it came to food. If I suddenly felt like a Coke, I stopped whatever I was doing and went and got one. If I suddenly felt like some chocolate or a Big Mac or whatever, off I went.
No, I’m not saying it was a sin. I’m saying it was a hindrance. It hogged up some energies which are better spent elsewhere.
Like the Simple House. Is it a sin to have an internet connection? Is it a sin to have a TV? These are not inherently a sin, but they can certainly be a hindrance. Like Paul wrote in First Corinthians 6:12, “…not everything is beneficial…”
And what is beneficial? Whatever helps us fix our eyes on Jesus. If it pulls our eyes off of Jesus, then it is a hindrance.
Have you seen these signs at the gas pump? One picture shows your motor all gunked up, and the other shows it all clean. That’s the way I want to be in my walk with the Lord. I want to have a clean machine for the King.
I know a guy with a decades-old truck, but it runs like new. How so? Because every so often he takes the motor completely apart and cleans it and replaces anything that’s showing wear. Yes, he’s a fanatic for that old truck, but he sure knows how to run a clean machine.
Think about this. How much dirt can you sprinkle into your engine before it seizes up? It doesn’t take much.
And how much dirt does it take in your spiritual life to hinder it? Not much.
So think about these guys at Simple House, then ask yourself, “What do I need to throw off that is hindering me?”
Not everything is beneficial, so why put up with it? Why put up with anything that pulls your eyes off of Jesus?
It’s time to throw off everything that hinders. It’s time to fix our eyes on Jesus. It’s time to get serious about running a clean machine for the King!
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
** http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=3843
© 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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