Apples of Gold
Radio Script for November 18, 2008
“The Lowly Parking Spot”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
It was a decision I respected profoundly.
Just a little thing, but I cannot say how much it meant to me.
Our church was growing and the parking lot was getting crowded. So the pastor asked the regulars to park farther from the front door, leaving the best spots for the newcomers.
And then you know what he did? He started parking in the worst spot of all. It was all the way around the building, off the asphalt and into the gravel.
This was the leader, the pastor, the CEO if you will. Instead of taking the best spot for himself, which he certainly could have done, he took the worst spot.
Week after week I would arrive at church, look out there at the back forty, and there it was, the pastor’s vehicle in its humble parking spot.
My respect for Pastor Phil Nordstrom went through the roof, simply based on that decision and his consistency in sticking to it.
When I was a kid, my dad managed a grocery store. He was the boss man. He could have sat in his big office and bossed everyone around.
But I never saw him doing that. Instead I remember my dad doing things all over the store. He helped unload trucks and stock shelves. I even remember him pitching in during rush hour and helping bag groceries, even taking them to people’s cars.
He did some of the lowliest work, yet he was the top man. It wasn’t flashy or glamorous, but it still has a powerful impact on me today.
Now think of Jimmy Carter, the former President of the United States. Have you ever seen footage of him out working with Habitat for Humanity? There he is, a former President, in his 80’s, out working with his hands, doing construction.
It’s lowly, and I thoroughly respect him for it.
It’s one of the things I love about Jesus. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey…”
You’ve seen the Easter programs. Here comes Jesus. The Triumphal Entry. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But wait a minute. A triumphal entry? Where are the legions of soldiers? Where are the chariots and trumpets? Where is the crown of gold and the royal robe?
Not there. Instead we simply have Jesus, “lowly and riding on a donkey…”
This is the same Jesus who said in Matthew 11:29, “…I am gentle and lowly in heart…”
This is the same Jesus who wrapped a towel around his waist, poured water into a basin, washed his disciples’ feet, and dried them with the towel. And when he finished he said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
Philippians 2 says that Jesus humbled himself, and it says we should do likewise. Verse five says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
Verse 3 says, “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
I love that word “lowliness.”
That’s the way all Christians should be. Lowly. Considering others as better than ourselves.
Over my years in Christian radio I’ve been involved in a lot of Christian events. I’ve seen a lot of Christian “stars.” Some of them are lowly, and those are the ones I admire.
We’ve all heard of pastors who have “fallen.” You know the ones I respect? The lowly ones. The ones who are willing to submit to a plan of restoration. The ones who don’t think of themselves more highly than they ought.
In Luke 14 Jesus said when you’re invited to a wedding feast, don’t take the best seat. Instead, go sit in the lowest place. The lowly place.
Take the lowly parking spot.
Do the lowly task.
We talk about being Christlike, about following Jesus.
Well if we follow Him, what do we look forward and see?
We see our King, lowly and riding on a donkey.
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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