Apples of Gold
Radio Script for December 12, 2008
“What Happens When You Hear the Word?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
You know you’ve come across a good passage in a book when you take time to stop and underline it.
And when you underline it, and highlight it, it must really be good.
But when you underline, highlight, and fold down the page corner?
Well that’s what I did on page 140 of “The Journals of Jim Elliot.”
He describes a service where he was preaching. Now listen and see if you have ever experienced this.
It says, “…the Lord seemed to melt our spirits in joy at the hearing of His Word.”
I know that feeling. It’s when you hear the Word of God and it moves you – heart, soul and mind. It touches your emotions, your will and your intellect.
When that happens you are captivated by the Word. The Spirit of God stirs within you and you say, “I want that. I believe that. I want to lose myself, count everything else as loss so as to obtain that.”
Now let me say that quote again from Jim Elliot. It says, “…the Lord seemed to melt our spirits in joy at the hearing of His Word.”
That makes me wonder, why don’t our spirits melt in joy every time we hear His Word? His Word certainly doesn’t change. His power doesn’t change.
Well if the seed of the Word is the same, then the difference must be in the soil; that is, in us.
So now let’s do a little soil preparation. This is to prepare us to receive the Word of God in such a way that the Lord will melt our spirits in joy at the hearing of His Word.
One thing that prepares me to receive the Word is to simply be reminded of, to be primed by what the Bible says about the Word of God. So buckle up and here goes.
God’s Word is the word of life.
It’s the word of truth.
His Word is the “Sword of the Spirit.”
The Word of God is not just something on the book shelf. It actually lives in us. It should dwell in us, and we need to let the Word dwell in us richly.
The Word of God actually is at work in us who believe.
We need to make room for God’s Word.
We need to taste the goodness of the Word.
Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
So we need to receive the Word.
We need to receive instruction in the Word.
We need to humbly accept the Word.
We are to both hear the Word, and understand it.
We are to listen to the Word, and do what it says.
We are to hear the Word of God, and obey it.
We are to keep His Word, and hold firmly to it.
We are to honor the Word of the Lord.
Now this is not a private thing between us and God. The Bible indicates the Word of God should “increase and spread.”
We should spread the Word of God.
We should speak His Word with boldness, courageously and fearlessly.
We should preach the Word, and be prepared to do so both in season and out of season.
We should proclaim the Word and teach the Word.
Now we don’t go at this like we are killing snakes. No, we are to correctly handle the Word of Truth, and we must be careful not to distort the Word of God.
Charles Spurgeon said you don’t have to defend the Word of God, just like you don’t have to defend a lion. All you really have to do is just turn it loose.
God’s Word is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Peter called it “the living and enduring Word of God.”
Yes, there are many words in this world, spoken and written by many people.
But listen as Peter sums up the matter: “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
Here are the scripture references, starting with God’s Word is the word of life:
Philippians 2:16
John 17:17
Ephesians 6:17
1 John 2:14
1 Thessalonians 2:13
John 5:38
Colossians 3:16
John 8:37
Hebrews 6:5
Matthew 4:4
Acts 11:1
Galatians 6:6
James 1:21
Matthew 13:23
James 1:22
Luke 11:28
John 8:51
1 Corinthians 15:2
Acts 13:48
Acts 12:24
Philippians 1:14
Acts 6:7
Acts 4:29
Acts 8:4
2 Timothy 4:2
Acts 8:25
Acts 15:35
2 Timothy 2:15
2 Corinthians 4:2
Hebrews 4:12
1 Peter 1:23-25
© 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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