Apples of Gold
Radio Script for November 17, 2008
“God is First, Everything Else is Tied for Last”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“Hey Doug, how are you going to handle the empty nest?”
I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. My son is getting married in June, my oldest daughter is seriously dating and my middle daughter is preparing for college. So as you can see, the empty nest is not far off.
People ask me this because they know we are very family oriented. When you walk through our house you’ll see walls full of photos. We have been in love with our children from day one.
But now let me say this. Our children are not our god. We have not built our lives on the foundation of family.
That may sound harsh, but it’s according to what Jesus said in Luke 14. He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.”
“Wait a minute, Doug. Did Jesus just say we had to hate our family?”
Yes, but not literally. In the next verse Jesus said to carry a cross, but none of his disciples starting lugging wood on their back. And none of them started despising their family.
It’s not literal, but it makes a strong point. God is to come first. He is to be so far in first place that everything else is tied for last, including our family.
So when our family changes, our foundation is not rocked because the family is not our foundation.
I think we Christians get this confused sometimes. To illustrate I’ll make up a guy named Joe.
Joe is a hard working college graduate. He loves sports and hanging out with his buddies. Then he gets married and has a couple of kids.
Somewhere along the line he comes to Christ. The Lord begins to make big changes in Joe’s priorities. Instead of spending so much time working and playing, he turns his attention to his wife and children. He sees them in a new light, and God truly stirs up a true love in Joe for his family.
What happens is that Joe becomes the consummate family man. He takes them on vacations. He sacrifices his own desires for their desires. He buys them gifts. He really, really loves his family.
But if Joe’s not careful, they will start to come before God. Next thing you know, Joe is coaching ball teams instead of helping at church. Weekends find them away on little trips.
Now listen to this. God becomes just a piece of what is most important, which is the family. God is just sort of patched in there somewhere. Yes, Joe says God is their foundation, but in reality the family is the foundation. Joe is known as a family man more than God’s man.
This may sound like a nice thing, but it really isn’t, not for a Christian. If family comes first, then we cannot be His disciple.
Let’s go back to Luke 14. Jesus said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost…?”
Then He tells another story in verse 31. “Or suppose a king is about to go to war…will he not first sit down and consider” if he has enough men?
Jesus is talking about counting the cost. First it was the cost of building a tower. Then it was the cost of going to war. Now what’s His point?
In verse 33 He brings it home. “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Jesus is saying that there is a cost to being His disciple. And He is telling us to count that cost.
And what is the cost? It is putting Him first and everything else last. Everything else is as if it was hated. Everything else is as if it was gone.
So do you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? I know I do.
So I must examine the priorities and attitudes of my mind. The Lord comes first. He is my foundation. He is the Master and I am His servant.
I am not a family man. I am God’s man.
But now listen to this. By being God’s man, my family is better off. My family is not the foundation, but it is built on the sure foundation of Christ.
So when my children move on and we live in an empty nest, it won’t rock our world because the Lord is still our firm foundation, as always.
And someday, when my wife and I are gone, my children won’t be left with a crumbling family foundation because, again, the foundation is the Lord.
So at your house are you all about the family?
Would changes in your family truly rock your foundation?
Then now is the time to come back and really put the Lord first in all things. It’s time to put the Lord so far in first place that everything else is tied for last.
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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