Apples of Gold
Radio Script for November 5, 2008
“Passion for the Lord”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
The Florida Gators are ranked fourth in the nation after crushing their archrival Georgia.
Gator quarterback Tim Tebow said, “We were playing with passion...and that lasts a lot longer than emotion does.”
See, emotion can get you hyped up before the big game. But it’s passion that will push you through to the end of the game.
This week I heard that many brides actually cry when find their perfect wedding dress. See, emotions can get you hyped up before the big wedding. But it’s passion that will push you through over the long haul of marriage.
Have you ever seen someone weeping at a church altar? In fact, it’s such an emotional place that many churches keep a box of tissues right there on the altar. Emotions can lead you to make big commitments to God. But when you walk away from the altar, it’s the passion that pushes you to keep those commitments.
Emotions are the fireworks on the 4th of July. Passion is the soldiers on the wall every day of the year.
My son was a high school wrestler. Before a match he would get himself psyched up, but he didn’t have a passion for it. During the summer the passionate wrestlers were pumping iron. They found places to wrestle all year long.
Now get this. They were passionate about wrestling, whether it was wrestling season or not.
Speaking of wrestling, my son broke his arm one time and I took him in to get a cast. There was another guy in there, and he was all decked out in Gator gear; hat, shirt, shorts – all Gator orange and blue. And get this. Guess what colors he wanted for his cast? I’m telling you, this man was passionate about the Gators, in season and out.
Emotions can pack a stadium when the team is winning. But it’s the passionate who come out even when it’s painful.
And I think that’s what separates emotion from passion. It’s how they respond to pain.
Remember when Mel Gibson came out with the movie “The Passion of the Christ”? What did he mean by “The Passion”? Well it really just means “the suffering of the Christ,” and if you saw it, you know it truly was all about His suffering.
How did Jesus respond to all that suffering? Well He didn’t give up. Instead, He powered through. John 10 tells us that Jesus had a passion for us sheep, so much so that He was even willing to lay down His life for us.
And now comes the big question. In return, do we have a passion for the Lord? Or is it really just emotions?
What’s the difference?
The difference shows up when the going gets tough.
It’s easy to be a Christian when God is blessing and things are going well. You just feel good about God.
But how do you feel about God when things sour? When the bank account goes down? When the next day brings suffering instead of relief?
First Peter 4:19 indicates that when we suffer we should stay fully committed to God.
When I think of having passion for the Lord, I think of Scriptures like Second Kings 20:3 which talks about being faithful with “wholehearted devotion.”
First Chronicles 28:9 talks about serving God with “wholehearted devotion” and “a willing mind.”
First Corinthians 7:35 talks about living in “undivided devotion to the Lord.”
Second Corinthians 11:3 talks about having a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”
Romans 12:11 says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
To me, that’s passion for God. It’s commitment and devotion, zeal and spiritual fervor.
So the question is, what do we have for the Lord, emotions or passion?
It’s hard to tell during the pregame, when everything is all hype and music. But when the hitting starts, then we will know.
If we give up and walk away, it was just emotions.
But if we stay and dig in – the old blood, sweat and tears – then that’s a good sign that we have a true passion for the Lord.
Passion lasts longer than emotions.
Passion helps us keep our commitments everyday, in season and out, in good times and bad.
So if you feel like giving up today, if your emotional tank is drained, then flip the switch. Tap into the tank that will push you through over the long haul.
The wholehearted, undivided passion for the Lord.
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-
No comments:
Post a Comment