The Three Ingredients of Envy - Apples of Gold - September 30, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 30, 2008

“The Three Ingredients of Envy”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Envy is one of the so-called “seven deadly sins.”

So do you have it?  Can you look in your heart and find envy?

Here’s what to look for.  There are three main ingredients. 

First there is you, the envier.  Second there is the envied, or what we will call “The Rival.”  And third there is what you want that they have, which we will call “The Goods.” 

So there is you, your rival, and the goods.

Now let’s look at where envy begins.  It starts with the comparison.  If we don’t compare, we don’t envy.  But as soon as we start to compare what we have with what others have, we are stepping towards envy.

And it doesn’t have to be a material possession.  It can be anything that our rival seems to have more of, including happiness or contentment.

I asked earlier if you have envy.  Now let me ask you this:  Do you have a rival?  Is there someone that just sort of drives you crazy because they just seem to have it better?

Think about Cain and Abel.  Why on earth did Cain kill his brother?  It happened after God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but not Cain’s.  At this point the deadly sin of envy grew in Cain’s heart.  All the ingredients were in place.  Cain had a rival, his brother; and his brother had the goods, in this case the acceptance of God.

In reality it had nothing to do with Abel.  Abel didn’t make Cain’s sacrifice acceptable or unacceptable.  Abel only came into the picture when Cain compared himself to him. 

See, it’s the comparison that opens the door to envy. 

So Cain compared himself to Abel and saw that Abel had the goods and he didn’t.  Then instead of spotting the envy and getting rid of it, Cain focused on his rival, and ended up killing his own little brother. 

Here is another way to look for envy in your heart.  Is there someone who makes you feel distress just by thinking about what they have that you don’t?

Proverbs 14:30 says that envy rots the bones.  You can just feel it eating away at you.

This is what the Jewish leaders felt when Jesus came along.  He spoke with authority and did miracles, and the people flocked to Him. 

The Jewish leaders wanted the admiration of the crowds.  That was the goods.  But Jesus had more of it, making him the rival.  Envy finally ate away at them so much that they drug Jesus before Pilate to be crucified.  Now look at what Mark 15:10 reveals.  It says that Pilate knew it was “out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.”

Of course envy doesn’t always lead to murder.  Sometimes it just motivates you to keep up with the Joneses.  You end up doing things out of envy, motivated by your rival. 

Listen to what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4:4.  “And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor.  This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

I wonder how many church initiatives have been motivated, not by the call of God, but by envy, based on something a rival did.  “Uh oh.  First Baptist has a podcast.  Well we’ll get one too…with video!”

In Mark 7, Jesus said that envy is an evil that comes from inside of us, from our heart.

Galatians 5 says that envy is an act of the sinful nature.

First Peter 2:1 says, “…rid yourselves of all…envy…”  How can we do that?

First Corinthians 13 gives us the antidote for envy.  Verse four says, “Love…does not envy…”

When you love someone, you won’t envy them.  They will not be your rival.  You will be glad for the goods they have, whether you have them or not. 

For example, I love my son.  If he ends up more successful, more prosperous, more popular than me, I won’t be envious in any way.  I totally love him, so I can rejoice in his successes with no envy whatsoever.  We will never be rivals because I love him so much.

As Christians we are to love everyone, so that should do away with envy altogether.

And another tip for dealing with envy is to stop the comparisons.  Don’t be looking at someone else’s life to see how yours stacks up.  This is poison and opens the door to envy; or like it says in James 3:14, “bitter envy.”

So take a look in your heart.  Is there someone you would consider a rival?  Someone who has certain “goods” that you want?  Someone who causes you distress just thinking about what they have?

If so, then you might be harboring envy, and it’s time to get rid of it.  You can start with a little prayer like this, “Lord, please help me rid myself of all envy.  Help me stop comparing myself to others like that, and help me to love them as You want me to love them.  Amen.”


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

But God - Apples of Gold - September 29, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 29, 2008

“But God”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

It’s Monday, and problems are coming at you like a 100 miles-an-hour fastball.

What can you do?  Is there any way to turn those problems around?

Well let me tell you, God is the God of the turnaround.

The river can be flowing in one direction, but God can turn it around. 

The flowers may be wilting, but God can make them bloom again.

Now did you catch those two little words I just said?  Here they are again, “But God.”

Many times in the Bible we find these two little words.  Just two little words, but what a powerful meaning!

For example, look at the story of Joseph.  His brothers were jealous of him, so they sold him into Egypt as a slave; BUT GOD was with him.  (Acts 7:9)

Later Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, BUT GOD intended it for good…” (Genesis 50:20) 

For seven years there was going to be famine in the land, BUT GOD sent Joseph ahead of his family to save their lives.  (Genesis 45:7)

Later the Egyptians turned the Jews into slaves, BUT GOD brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  (Deuteronomy 6:21)

Listen to this prophetic word for King Jehoshaphat:  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the battle is not yours, BUT GOD’S.  (2 Chronicles 20:15)

The prophet Joel said:  The heavens and earth will shake, BUT GOD will be a shelter for His people.  (Joel 3:16)

Listen to these verses from the Psalms:

My flesh and my heart may fail, BUT GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

A righteous man may have many troubles, BUT GOD delivers him from them all.  (Psalm 34:19)

I was pushed back and about to fall, BUT GOD helped me.  (Psalm 118:13)

Listen to what Paul wrote to Timothy:  Everyone deserted me, BUT GOD stood at my side and gave me strength.  (First Timothy 4:16-17)

Ephesians 2 tells us we were dead in our trespasses and sins, BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy and who loves us with a great love, has made us alive.  (Ephesians 2)

Romans 5 says it is rare for someone to die for another, BUT GOD showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Men crucified Jesus, the author of life, BUT GOD raised Him from the dead.  (Acts 2:23-24)

Yes, we still face many temptations, BUT GOD is faithful, and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.  (First Corinthians 10:13)

Yes, men may judge us by our outward appearance, BUT GOD looks at the heart.  (First Samuel 16:7)

No, not many of us were wise when He called us, nor influential or of noble birth, BUT GOD chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.  God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  (First Corinthians 1:26-28)

Proverbs 16 says that a man’s heart plans his way, BUT GOD directs his steps.

We know that life has its problems, BUT GOD works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  (Romans 8:28)

Yes, enemies may rise up, BUT GOD is for me.  Who can be against me?  (Romans 8:31)

Yes, I’m a sinner, BUT GOD is my Savior.

Yes, I am weak, BUT GOD is strong.

Yes, I am lacking, BUT GOD supplies all my needs.

No, I can do nothing on my own, BUT GOD strengthens me to do all things.

Yes, the Red Sea may stand in my way, BUT GOD can part the waters.

Whatever situation we are facing, God can turn it around.  It’s His specialty.  He’s done it before and He’ll do it again.

So no matter what you are going through today, look up.  Fix your mind on things above. 

Yes, your problems may be coming at you like a 100 miles-an-hour fastball.  But a great big bat is ready to take a swing, and on it are these two little words, “But God.”


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Astonishing Layers of Lies - Apples of Gold - September 25, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 25, 2008

“Astonishing Layers of Lies”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Hemingway had a great foil for writer’s block.

He said, “Sometimes, I would start a new story and could not get it going.  Then I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think.  I would say to myself, ‘All you have to do is write one true sentence.  Write the truest sentence you know.’”

I love that line, and I think of it often.  “Write the truest sentence you know.”

I think that applies to our conversations as well.  “Say the truest sentence you know.”

And I think that applies to our thinking.  “Think the truest thoughts you can think.” 

Philippians 4:8 tells us what to think about, and first on the list is “whatever is true.”

It sounds easy enough, but the truth is often not obvious.

Like when I was a kid and my parents made me brush my teeth.  It’s true that you should care for your teeth or there will be consequences.  But I couldn’t see that truth…until I had my first cavity.  Then, oh baby, the truth is real obvious when you’ve got a dentist coming at you with a needle in one hand and a drill in the other.

After that you brush your teeth like a madman; for about a week.  Then the truth starts to cloud over again.

Jesus said a powerful thing in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Get the plank out of your eye.”

In other words, think true thoughts about yourself.

Sometimes, when I have to deal with something difficult, I will ask myself, “What is the big picture truth of this situation?”

I say “big picture truth” because sometimes there are little truths that can lead you astray.  Like when my girls were little.  One of them accused the other by saying “She pinched me as hard as she could,” which the other was denying.

Now listen.  Both of them were not saying the truest thing they could.  Both of them were slanting things in their favor, so it was my job to find the actual truth of the situation, and here it was.  To the accusation of “she pinched me as hard as she could” my other daughter finally said, “Huh uh, I only pinched her regular.”

Sometimes I use this phrase, “drilling down to the bedrock truth.”  In other words, you drill past all the layers of half-truths and flat-out lies until you get to the rock-solid truth.

Here’s a great quote I read this week, from a book called “Signature Sins” by Michael Mangis.  Listen to this:  “One measure of a family’s health is its capacity for members to tell each other the truth.  This sounds obvious, yet many families live under astonishing layers of lies.”

That should make you sit up and pay attention.  Is your family one of those that is living under an astonishing layer of lies?

I have run into many people over the years who were liars.  After a while they are easy to detect.  And I’ve always wondered why they don’t see it in themselves. 

I remember interviewing a young man for a job, and he sounded like a great applicant.  We hired him, and he did good work, but then little things started popping up.  Certain things he said just didn’t ring true.  Eventually he quit and moved away, and I found out that a lot of what he had said about his life wasn’t true.  Then he moved back, and I foolishly entered into a little business arrangement with him, but then guess what.  It didn’t pan out like he said.  Then another time I ran into this guy at an open meeting where he stood up and pledged to give a certain amount of money.  Everyone cheered except me because I knew there was no way.  He wouldn’t and couldn’t come through with that kind of money.  And of course he didn’t deliver a dime.

Now take a guy like that.  Give him a wife and children, and you think that home will be a home of truth?  No way.  It will be like Mangis said, a family living under astonishing layers of lies.

I have said this a thousand times, “You never know what is going on in someone’s home.”  But here is something that should be going on in all of our homes.  We need to be dealing in truth.

And it starts within ourselves.  Are we telling ourselves the truth? 

The good news is that we don’t have to try to muster this up on our own.  Jesus said in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will guide us “into all truth.” 

Yes, the truth can be elusive.  It can be lost under layers of lies and dustings of deception.  But as we draw near to God, the rushing wind of the Holy Spirit will blow that dust away and show us the truth.  And as Jesus said, the truth will make us free.

So make it a point to think true thoughts, the truest thoughts you can think.  And make true statements, the truest statements you can make.  And when you write, make sure you are writing the truest sentence you know.


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

His Winnowing Fork Is In His Hand - Apples of Gold - September 24, 2008 -vi-

Remember, you can listen to the original audio version of “Apples of Gold” on our website, www.wave94.com, then click on Today’s Audio in the right column.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 24, 2008

“His Winnowing Fork Is In His Hand”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

(open with music to set the scene)

He turned the light side of his forearm to the sun.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist, and the veins bulged.

Then he rotated his wrist, stretched out his fingers…and took hold of the wooden handle.

The day was waning, and the hired hand had just gone home for supper.  Said he was starving, and after a day of threshing, who wouldn’t be?  His afternoon had been spent beating straw with sticks.  It was dirty hard work, but how else can you separate the grain from the straw?

He squinted directly into the red sun.  A refreshing breeze was blowing in from the sea, perfect for the task at hand. 

He began tossing the grain into the air.  The straw and the husks, the chaff, were carried away in the wind while the more substantial grain fell back to the ground.  Over and over he stabbed the winnowing fork into the pile and tossed the grain into the air.  Off went the chaff and down came the grain.

Soon the threshing floor took on a new appearance.  Off to his right a pile of straw was forming, while the pile at his feet became more and more just the grains of wheat.

As the moon began to take over for the sun, he leaned on his winnowing fork and looked at a job well done.  Well, not actually done.  Now it was time to clear the threshing floor. 

First he scooped up the wheat and stored it safely in the barn – a successful harvest.  Then he walked back out to the other pile, the chaff, and he set it on fire.

(music fades out)

That is a scene that would have been well known to the audience of John the Baptist.  They would have all seen farmers harvesting their crops, threshing and winnowing, gathering the grain and burning the chaff. 

So when John the Baptist used this imagery to describe the coming Messiah, they got it.

Now imagine John preaching out there in the wilderness.  His message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

Not the most attractive message, yet it drew a crowd.  And the message was working.  People were confessing their sins and being baptized.

In Matthew 3:10 we have recorded for us this powerful line from the mouth of The Baptist.  He said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

When John the Baptist preaches about trees, what is he really talking about?  Well I think he’s talking about people.  And what is expected of these people?  To produce good fruit.  Or be thrown into the fire.  Your choice.

Jesus preached His own message along these lines in John 15, and again the imagery is used of fruitless plants being burned.  The flip side of that is found in verse five where Jesus said, “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit…”  And then He added this kicker, “…apart from Me you can do nothing.”

So in John the Baptist’s preaching we are expected to produce good fruit.  In Jesus’ teaching we are also expected to produce good fruit…by remaining in Him and He in us, because without Him we can do nothing. 

Now back to John’s sermon about the Messiah – and let’s get back to where we started, with the farmer bringing in his harvest.  Remember the visual of the man separating the grain and the chaff?  Now listen to the words of John about Jesus.

“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gather His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

This is what John the Baptist said Jesus was going to do.  And when he talks about wheat, what is he really talking about?  I think He’s talking about people.  And again, what is expected of these people?  To produce good fruit.

See, God wants us to produce good fruit.  This is what He is looking for. 

And that’s what I want to give Him.  I want to be wheat, not chaff.

The Bible says, “He will clear His threshing floor.”  That means there is no middle ground.  No one can stick around trying to decide whether they are wheat or chaff.  We are one or the other.

Jesus said that if a man does not remain in him, he will be like a branch that is picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

I don’t want to be that man.  I want to be the man that remains in Him and He in me.  I want to abide in Him, and let His words abide in me. 

I want to bear much fruit, and I can’t do that on my own.  Apart from Him I can do nothing.  So this is my goal today.  To be wheat and not chaff.  To be a tree with good fruit, not a barren tree with the ax at the root.

And I know the Lord is watching.  John did not use the present tense by accident.  He said, “His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor.”

So there He stands, winnowing fork in hand.  The wheat will be separated from the chaff, and my goal today is to make sure that everything I do and say smells like wheat, that I may produce good fruit for the Lord of the Harvest.


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Has God Spoken To You In a Dream? - Apples of Gold - September 22, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 22, 2008

“Has God Spoken To You In a Dream?”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Aren’t dreams amazing?

Do you dream much?

I know they say that we dream every night, but if I do, I almost never remember it.  I think it’s because I get up at 4:30 a.m. and I’m chronically short of sleep, so when I close my eyes at night, I’m gone.

Have you ever had a dream that you really thought was from God?  I have, and though it’s hard to prove such a thing, it really sticks with you.

Late one night over 20 years ago I was reading in Acts chapter two.  Peter was preaching and he quoted this from the prophet Joel, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

That passage was on my mind as I turned out the light and I prayed, “Lord, it says You will give us dreams.  Please give me a dream tonight, one that I know is from You.”

And that night I did have a dream.  I dreamed I was in a line of people approaching the throne of God.  We were standing there, two-by-two, and next to me was a guy I barely knew named Jim French.  I don’t know whatever happened to Jim French, and I’m not sure if I ever told him this dream.

Anyway, we were approaching the throne of God, and all you could see was this brilliant white light.  Soon it was our turn, and with heads bowed before the Lord, we received our assignment. 

“I’m sending you to the churches.”

And that was it.  We had our assignment.  “Go to the churches.”

And I woke up.  And obviously that dream has been with me ever since.

So the next night I prayed it again.  “Lord, give me another dream.”

The next morning I woke up and…no dream. 

“Lord, why didn’t you give me another dream?”  Then this thought popped into my head, “It says the old men will dream dreams.”

I looked it up and, sure enough, it’s the visions that are for the young men.

But nevertheless, I had my dream, and it has guided me in my work in Christian radio.  In many ways the various churches are separated from one another, but in my work I am able to go to a wide variety of churches and bring encouragement and support.  And my vision for doing that goes back to that dream I think the Lord gave me with the simple instruction to go to the churches.

Of course every dream is not from the Lord.  I’ve had some dreams that were certainly not from God – which brings up the question, how can you tell the difference?

I think the main way is, does it line up with the Word of God?  In Jeremiah 23:28 the Lord makes a strong statement especially for people who are spouting off about their dreams.  He says, “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.  For what has straw to do with grain?” 

I love that depiction.  “What has straw to do with grain?”  See, the grain is the Word of God, while the straw is the dream.  The Word always takes precedence. 

But does that mean there is no place for dreams?  No, it just means we have to be careful.  I think we can apply the teaching of First Corinthians 14:29, that when someone shares a dream that they think is from God, that “the others should weigh carefully what is said.”

That being said, I think God does use dreams to speak to us, based on what we find in the Bible.

For example, God spoke to Jacob in a dream when he was running from his brother Esau.  God also gave Jacob a dream about how to increase his personal flock while living with Laban.

Then Jacob’s son Joseph was quite the dreamer, as well as an interpreter of dreams.  Daniel, too, was both dreamer and interpreter.

The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream as he was taking over the kingdom. 

When you read about the birth of Christ in the book of Matthew, you see dreams affecting the story at some very crucial points.  The Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream that he should go ahead and take Mary as his wife.  Then he warned Joseph about Herod in a dream, and they fled to Egypt.  Then in Egypt Joseph had another dream when it was time to return to Israel, and another dream sent them to Galilee.

There are even some critical points in the Bible where the Lord gave dreams to people who weren’t even His people.  In Genesis 20 verse 3 God spoke to the foreign king Abimelech.  In Judges 7 God encouraged Gideon by giving a dream to a Midianite soldier.  And in Matthew 27 we read about the dream Pilate’s wife had about Jesus.

So yes, I believe the Lord speaks to people in dreams.  In Numbers 12:6 He said, “When a prophet of the Lord is among you…I speak to him in dreams.”

On the other hand, we must be careful.  Jeremiah 23:25 points out that sometimes people lie in God’s name saying, “I had a dream!  I had a dream!”

There really isn’t a lot of detail about dreams in the Bible, not a load of guidelines.  But nevertheless, God has used dreams to speak to people at important points in their lives, and I believe He is still doing so today.

So the question of the day is this, “Has God spoken to you in a dream?”


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

My Friend Was Sputtering and Throwing Smoke - Apples of Gold - September 19, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 19, 2008

“My Friend Was Sputtering and Throwing Smoke”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“I know someone who has twice cheated on his wife…

“He told me this over coffee…

“He…spoke to me as if I were a priest…confessed everything.

“His body was convulsed in guilt and self-hatred.

“He said he would lie down next to his wife at night feeling walls of concrete between their hearts.  He had secrets. 

“She tries to love him, but he knows he doesn’t deserve it.  He cannot accept her affection because she is loving a man who doesn’t exist.  He plays a role.  He says he is an actor in his own home.”

That’s a story from Donald Miller in his book, “Blue Like Jazz.”

Miller continues:  “Designed for good, my friend was sputtering and throwing smoke.  The soul was not designed for this, I thought.  We were supposed to be good, all of us.  We were supposed to be good.”

Wow.  And I love that imagery, “my friend was sputtering and throwing smoke.” 

Miller indicates that we were designed to be good, and when we aren’t good, things just don’t run right.

The good thing is that we can come to Jesus Christ, confess our sins and He will forgive them, and give us a fresh start.

But then what? 

At this point a lot of people go back to their lives, with the added duty of trying to avoid sin. 

But here is what I get out of what Miller wrote.  It’s not that we were designed to be not bad.  We were designed to be good.

Yes, in a sense Jesus makes us good when He wipes away our sin.  But there is more.  After being made good we need to start doing good.

Ephesians 2 says we are not saved by doing good works.  We can only be saved by God’s grace, “the gift of God.” 

But now look at verse 10.  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

This is what God created us to do – to do good works.

First Timothy 6:18 says we should be “rich in good deeds.”

Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good…”

This is what God made us to do – to spend our time and energy doing good works.

Yes, like the man Miller wrote about, sin will make you sputter and throw smoke.  But it doesn’t have to be outright sin.

Have you ever sat around and watched TV for hours, then got up and thought, “What have I done?”  Or maybe it’s video games.  Or maybe it’s goofing off on the internet.  Hours go by.  Weekends come and go.

Now listen.  If you haven’t spent your time doing good, then you haven’t been doing what you were created to do – which will leave you sputtering.

You see, all those things are things we do for ourselves.  It’s for our amusement and entertainment.  It’s selfish really, and we weren’t designed for that.  Our soul doesn’t work well when it’s being selfish. 

Look at Second Corinthians 5:15.  It says we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ who died for us.

Did you catch that?  It says we should no longer live for ourselves.  This calls for a change in our mindset.  We stop thinking about what we want all the time, or what we feel or what we deserve.  Instead, we start thinking of others, and the good we can do for them.

And it can be anyone.  Galatians 6:10 says, “…let us do good to all people…”

Jesus even said to “…do good to those who hate you…”*

We should be so awesome in good deeds that it stands out like a full moon at midnight.  Matthew 5:16 says, “…let your shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

So it’s not about doing a little secret good deed here and there.  Our good deeds should be outstanding, like the fireworks grand finale.  First Peter 2:12 says that we should live such good lives among nonbelievers that they may see our good deeds and glorify God.  Get that?  Unbelievers will actually glorify God because of our good deeds!

So is your life sputtering and throwing smoke today?  If it’s due to sin, then it’s time to come clean with God and be made clean by Him. 

But if you’re not sure what it is, then maybe it’s this.  Maybe you aren’t filling your life with what your life was created to be filled with.

And what is that?  Just what it says in Ephesians 2:10.  We were created to do good works.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
  
*  Luke 6:27

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

The Solution to the Financial Crisis - Apples of Gold - September 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 18, 2008

“The Solution to the Financial Crisis”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“That’s never happened before.”

A statement like that will grab your attention, especially when you read it in the lead article of today’s Wall Street Journal.

So what is it that has never happened before?

Well yesterday the market was so unstable that at one point investors were willing to pay more for one-month Treasurys than they could expect to get back when the bonds matured.  The article says, “Some investors, in essence, had decided that a small but known loss was better than the uncertainty connected to any other type of investment.  That’s never happened before.”

The first sentence in today’s Wall Street Journal starts like this, “Fear coursed through the U.S. financial system on Wednesday…”

One front page headline reads, “Worst Crisis Since ‘30s, With No End Yet in Sight.”  The article says, “The financial crisis…has entered a new, far more serious phase.”

Another article on the front page says, “It’s not yet clear where the devastation will end.”

Senator Chris Dodd said, “These are huge, momentous events with cataclysmic implications.”

The federal government has now hastily taken control of AIG, the world’s largest insurer, as well as mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and two huge Wall Street firms have ceased to exist as independent companies, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch.

So what is the cause of this financial disaster?  If you had to boil it down into one word it would be debt.

Have you ever heard this phrase, “make debt work for you?”  For example, you borrow money to buy a house, then you borrow money to fix up the house.  Then you sell the house for a profit, pay off the debt, and you make enough money to live all year for just a little bit of work.

That’s fine, as long as the house sells.  But if it doesn’t, you have a big loan to pay back.  And that’s fine if you have the money, but what if you don’t? 

And now what if thousands of people can’t pay back their loans?  What happens to the companies that made the loans? 

And what if the companies were living on borrowed money themselves?  Well now they can’t pay back their loans.  If enough of this happens you reach a critical mass and the dominos start falling fast and furious.

Now I’m no economist, and that summary is simplistic, but there it is.

I said earlier that it all comes down to one word, debt.  Well now I want to change that.  If I have to boil our current financial crisis down into one word, then I want to make that word greed.

According to the dictionary, greed is “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.”

Goodness, that doesn’t sound like a vice.  That sounds like the American dream! 

But now let’s look at what Jesus said in Luke 12:15.  “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…”

This is the only time in the NIV that Jesus is quoted as saying “Watch out!” with an exclamation point.  And what is He warning us about so emphatically?  To be on our guard against all kinds of greed.

Greed takes place in the heart of each person individually.  We can talk about corporate greed, but really there is no such thing.  It all comes down to what is inside the heart of each of us, one person at a time.

And this is what I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It changes the hearts of individuals.

What can I do about our current financial crisis?  Spread the Gospel.  I know that sounds cheesy on the surface, but until hearts are transformed, they will still be greedy.  And as long as they are greedy, their decisions will be faulty.

You might ask, “Well Doug, what are you doing for your country?  Why aren’t you involved in politics or government?”

Because I think the solution is in turning people to the Lord.  Then He will work on their hearts, and He will take care of the greed problem.  And if we take care of the greed problem we will come out of this financial crisis.  So what I’m doing for my country is trying to change hearts by pointing them to the Lord.

After Jesus told us to watch out for all kinds of greed He said this, “…a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

The American way is to amass these possessions, but Jesus said to watch out, this is not what your life is about.

Instead, He said that life is all about loving God and loving people. 

So today, let’s take a good look at our lives.  Are we greedy?  Is our life about the abundance of our possessions? 

If so, we need to re-surrender ourselves 100% to the Lord.  We need to offer up our bodies to Him as living sacrifices. 

And we need to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Then Jesus will change people, and He will take care of the greed problem.  And as He does, our financial problems will be worked out.

So there you have it.  Because of its power to change hearts, that’s my solution for the current financial crisis – spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

He's Sinning But Says He's Walking in Grace - Apples of Gold - September 17, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 17, 2008

“He’s Sinning But Says He’s Walking In Grace”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“I’m relying on God’s grace regarding the sins in my life.”

“Uh, wait a minute.  You’re still sinning.”

“Well everyone sins.”

“Yeh, but you are proactively deciding to sin right now, yet you think it’s all cool with God because of His grace?  I don’t think you understand grace.”

“Sure I do.  It’s God’s unmerited favor.  No one is good in God’s eyes anyway, right?  I’m not saved by keeping the law or because I’m so good.  So I’m relying on God’s grace regarding the sins in my life.”

“Look.  God’s grace is not just some place to wipe your feet.  It’s not a spiritual stain stick.  Some people think of God’s grace as one single gift, the forgiveness of their sins.  But God’s grace is so much more than that.”

So let’s take a closer look at the gift of God’s grace.

Yes, it is true that we are saved by grace, as the Bible says repeatedly.  So this is one aspect of God’s grace, it provides for our salvation because we can’t provide it for ourselves.  We can’t earn it.  It comes only by God’s grace.

But now let’s look at another aspect of God’s grace.  Titus 2:12 says that God’s grace is a teacher. 

So God’s grace saves us, and God’s grace teaches us.  If I am truly walking in grace, then I am walking as a student, learning from grace.

Titus 2:12 says that God’s grace “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions…”

If I am walking in grace, it doesn’t mean God is saving me from my sins – and I keep on sinning.  It means He saves me, and He teaches me to quit sinning, to say “No” to sin.

It goes on to say that grace teaches us “…to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives…”

So those are two aspects of God’s grace, and we find them summed up in Titus 2:14.  First it says that Jesus came to “redeem us from all wickedness.”  Then it says that He came to “purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

Sometimes I run into people who are living in sin and say they are walking in grace.  But they are only thinking of one aspect of grace, the part that redeems them from all wickedness.  They are forgetting all about the part that is trying to teach them to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. 

The purpose of God’s grace is not just to save us from sin, but to purify for Himself a people that are eager to do good.

Now let’s look at a third aspect of God’s grace.  It includes gifts He gives us for His service.

Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”  Then it mentions prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy. 

Ephesians 4 says, “…to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”  In other words, He has divvied up His grace in the form of different gifts to different people.  Verse 11 says He gave “some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…”

These are gifts of service, and they are portions of God’s grace. 

Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “…God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

See, that verse starts by talking about God’s grace, but it doesn’t end with a message of sins being wiped away.  It ends with a message of us receiving everything we need to abound in every good work.

This idea of walking in grace as a justification for sin is nothing new.  Paul addressed that in Romans 6:15 when he wrote, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!”

In Jude it says, “They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality…”

See, when you start to understand the many aspects of God’s grace, you will see that it is so much more than just the forgiveness of sin.  That’s just the start.

His grace saves us, then teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions.  And His grace supplies us with exactly what we need to serve God and His people. 

So God’s grace saves us, and teaches us, and enables us – all with the goal of making us a special people just for Himself who are eager to do good.


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Jerome Lost His Home - Apples of Gold - September 15, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 15, 2008

“Jerome Lost His Home”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Jerome lost his home.

In a car accident.

Not even a bad car accident.  He was a passenger in his friend’s little convertible.  They had the top down and were driving through Nashville when suddenly a guy in a pickup merged into them. 

It hardly damaged the car, but Jerome’s elbow took a hit. 

It’s funny.  The newspaper made it sound like no big deal.  “Treated and released.”

But Jerome lost the lateral movement in his lower right arm.  That elbow just didn’t work right anymore.

And Jerome lost his job – as a well-paid studio drummer. 

Drumming was all he knew.  Why bother with a backup plan when the first plan is going so well?

Payless paydays took their toll, and Jerome lost his home.

The bank took possession and put it on the market. 

And Jerome sank into a depression.  Here he was, 30 years old, living with his parents, and completely unproductive. 

Enter Jerome’s older sister Janelle. 

Janelle owned an apartment complex that turned a healthy profit.  This one property alone would take care of her for life.

But after visiting her parents one day, and after seeing the state of her brother, she decided to make a bold move.

Behind the scenes she arranged for the sale of her apartment complex – and the purchase of Jerome’s house.  Then she worked with a company to build a complete drum kit designed to work within Jerome’s limitations.  It was part acoustic and part electronic, and the designers assured her that Jerome could use it to create all the sounds he did before, and more.

Jerome’s birthday rolled around, and it promised to be his worst ever.  He wanted no party, and didn’t even come out of his bedroom when Janelle arrived. 

Well she talked him into coming out to eat, and then they went for a drive – to his old house.  There were balloons on the mailbox and a giant ribbon across the front porch.

“Happy Birthday!” she said.

“You’re kidding,” said Jerome.  “What did you do, pay my back mortgage?  You realize I can’t make the payments.  I can’t do anything.”

“First of all, no, I didn’t pay the back mortgage.  I paid it off, dear brother.”

“What?  How did you do that?”

“I sold the apartment complex.”

“But that was your money maker.”

“Yeh.  You make money to do important things.  And this was the most important thing I could think of.  And that’s not all.  Come inside.”

And Janelle showed her brother the custom-made drum kit. 

By Christmas Jerome was back to a full schedule of recording sessions.  He tried to give his sister some money, but she refused.  She said the satisfaction of seeing him doing what he was born to do was all the payment she needed.

And that, my friends, is an illustration of the great concept of redemption.

Jerome’s life was redeemed by his sister.  The accident had taken his home and his career, and she bought it back.  She redeemed it.

That story gives us a hint of what redemption is, and it can help us understand the Bible when it talks about redemption.

The Bible says that God has redeemed us through Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:14 says that Jesus “…gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness…”

Ephesians 1:7 says that in Christ “…we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…”

For Jerome, the accident took away his life.  For us, sin takes away our life.  We are dead in our sins.

For Jerome, his sister sacrificed her own secure income to redeem him, to buy back his life from the accident.  For us, Jesus sacrificed Himself; shed His own blood to buy us back from the sin that had plundered us.

Hebrews 9:12 says that, by Jesus’ own blood, we have obtained eternal redemption. 

Galatians 3:13 says He redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Verse 14 says He redeemed us so that we could receive the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4 says Jesus redeemed us from slavery to the principles of this world so that we can receive our full rights as God’s children.

Through sin we lost our rights.  We lost any claim to our inheritance as children of God.

But Jesus redeemed us.  With His blood He bought us back.  Galatians 5:1 says that Christ “has set us free.”

Jerome didn’t have the money to put his life back on track.  But his sister did, and she made the sacrifice to pay the price for her brother.

And we have no way to put our life back on track.  We can’t possibly pay for our sins and make things right with God.  But Jesus did.  He made the sacrifice to pay the price for us.

What we couldn’t possibly do, Jesus did.  So we trust in Him, and put our faith in the work He completed on our behalf. 

And now we can live the life we were created to live, all because we have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

(end with “Redeemed How I Love to Proclaim It” by The Martins)
 
The story of Jerome is fiction – an illustration I made up as I pondered the whole concept of redemption.

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Stop the Stampede to the Feed Trough - Apples of Gold - September 12, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 12, 2008

“Stop the Stampede to the Feed Trough”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

We had a little lesson at dinner this week.

See, we always pray before we eat, but sometimes it’s a hasty prayer.  Sometimes I don’t even think the person praying is paying attention.

So before we prayed I decided to slow everyone down, to stop the stampede to the feed trough.

I pointed out the importance of being thankful, that not everyone had such a delicious meal, and that we should never take it for granted.

I asked everyone to truly think about God when we prayed, and to be thankful to Him.

Then I asked one of the boys living with us, 13-year-old Devion, to say the prayer. 

I expected an impatient, jittery prayer with a quick amen.  But what we got was a patient, thoughtful, beautiful prayer of true thanksgiving from the heart. 

True thanksgiving is hard to come by these days, and I think it’s because we are spoiled. 

Now you’d think that the more we have, the more thankful we would be.  But it doesn’t work that way. 

Have you ever had a car that wouldn’t start?  An unfaithful car is enough to drive you batty.  But then when you get a good car, you are more thankful.  I’ve been there and let me tell you, most everyday when I turn that key I think, “Thank you Lord for a car that works.”

On the other hand I knew a young man whose parents bought him a new car as soon as he turned 16.  He wrecked it and they bought him another new car.  I would have loved to have had a new car at 16, but you know what?  He took it for granted.  He wasn’t thankful for it.  In fact, he was kind of arrogant about it, like it was the least they could do for him.

Now let’s look at Hosea 13:6.  Here the Lord says, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.”

Did you follow that progression? 

It started with their need for food, and God says He fed them.  He kept them fed, and they were satisfied.  So far so good, right?

But then it says, “…when they were satisfied, they became proud…”

Why is that?  I think it’s because they came to expect it.  They took it for granted.  They thought they deserved that and more.  They made themselves the center of the universe.  That’s what pride is, making yourself the center of the universe.

And if you are at the center, if you are on the throne, guess who isn’t? 

Back to Hosea 13:6, God says, “…when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.”

This is easy to do if you are a middle to upper class Christian.  When you have good cash flow, when you’re able to go buy things, when many problems are solved by writing a check, it’s easy to become satisfied…and proud.  It’s tempting to think that you are just a little above the common rabble. 

And it all goes back to the fact that things are going pretty well for you. 

So this is the true test.  How do we react when things are going pretty well for us? 

Now here is the main point.  God said, “…then they forgot Me.” 

That is what we do not want to do.  We don’t want to forget God.

So let’s look at that progression again.  We are well fed, then we are satisfied, then we become proud, then we forget God – the very one who fed us to begin with.

And that is the key, that we do not forget that it is God Himself who provides for us.

This would be a good message for Thanksgiving Day, wouldn’t it?

But of course, as a Christian, everyday should be Thanksgiving Day.

So take a look at your life.  Would you consider yourself “well fed?” 

Then don’t take it for granted.  Don’t have the attitude that you earned it, or that you deserve it.

Instead be humble before the Lord.  Acknowledge the fact that if He doesn’t make a way, there is now way.  We have no reason for pride.

So we humble ourselves.  We bow our heads before Him, and say, “Thank You.”


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
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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
-vi-

Where Were You When You Heard? - Apples of Gold - September 11, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 11, 2008

“Where Were You When You Heard?”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

School started at 8* so I dropped off my kids a little before that, then ran to the store. 

I needed to pick up something in the electronics department before heading to the radio station.

While scanning the shelves, my cell phone rang. 

“Where are you?”

“I’m standing in Wal-Mart.”

“Go look at the TVs.  The World Trade Center is on fire.”

I looked up at a row of televisions and, oh my gosh, I was riveted.  A skyscraper on fire, live on TV.

Then the unthinkable happened.  As we all watched the fire in the north tower, a plane crashed into the south tower.

Fascination was replaced by dread as I realized it was no accident. 

Our Christian stations became news stations that day, going wall-to-wall with live coverage as the events unfolded.

We had a TV in our studio, and my heart sank as the south tower collapsed.

That afternoon at a press conference, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was asked how many people were killed.  He said, “I don’t think we want to speculate about that – more than any of us can bear.”

And isn’t that the way all tragedies are?  I mean really, if we want to get by at all in this life, for the most part we just can’t think about them.  They are more than any of us can bear.

For most of us, life has moved on since September 11^th, 2001.  Already there is a new crop of kids coming of age with no personal memories of it.  It’s just another date to memorize for history class.

And that’s the problem with history.  Its lessons are hard to pass on to even to the very next generation.  If it didn’t happen to them personally, it’s just another distant tale. 

So what are the lessons from September 11^th? 

And you know what?  I don’t just want to know what people say, I want to know what God says. 

So for that I turn back to the Bible. 

See, today we can hear the news, but we don’t get God’s spin on it.  But in the Bible we get the news, and we get God’s perspective.

So I flip back to the book of Lamentations which was written after a national tragedy, the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Lamentations 3:38 says, “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”

Now I realize that goes against our grandpa theology, but there it is.

Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Now why on earth would God even allow a calamity?

Lamentations 3:33 says, “…He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.”

Now listen, I am not saying God caused terrorist attacks on September 11^th.  What I am saying is that we need to learn the lessons of history, and I’m going back to the history where I can see God’s part, and that is in the Bible.

And in the book of Lamentations the lesson is clear.  Chapter one verse five says the Lord brought them grief because of their many sins.

Verse 14 indicates that God took their many sins, fashioned them into a yoke, and placed it on their necks.

Verse 12 says the Lord brought suffering on them in the day of His fierce anger.

And how did the Lord bring suffering on them?  Through the hands of enemy warriors, the Babylonians.

Lamentations 2:3 says the Lord had “withdrawn His right hand.”

So the lesson we learn from Lamentations is that when people sin and do not repent, eventually God judges them.  And in their case, judgment came through the violent acts of other people.

And God laid a lot of the blame at the feet of the prophets.  Lamentations 2:14 says, “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin…”

The lesson here is that people who claim to speak for God – what good are they if they don’t expose sin and call for repentance?

Lamentations 1:9 says the people did not consider their future, and their fall was astounding.

The lesson to us is, we must consider our future.  If our nation keeps moving in this direction, where are we headed?

The good news is, Lamentations 3:25 says the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the ones who seek Him.

Chapter 2 verse 19 says, “…pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.”

Chapter 3 verse 40 says, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

Seven years ago many people did just that.  They got the point.  Churches filled up.  People prayed.  We sang, “God Bless America” and meant it.

But when there were no more attacks, and things settled down, church attendance dropped, and we went right back to life as usual.

On this anniversary, let us be sober.  Let us consider our future.  Let us examine our ways and test them.  And let us return to the Lord.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
*  This is central time.  I lived in Illinois in 2001.

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(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

-vi-