Apples of Gold
Radio Script for January 9, 2009
“Come On, God – Not Today”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“Realtor Needs Type A+ Blood Donated Fast”
As soon as I read that on Tallahassee.com this morning I felt the icy hands of dread.
I have A positive blood. I jokingly brag about it. “What type of blood do you have? Well mine is A plus!”
I know this because I have given blood. But I am definitely not excited about it. The whole needle-in-your-arm, blood-draining-into-a-bag thing kind of makes me queasy.
So I stared at that headline and thought-slash-prayed, “No, Lord. Come on…”
But there was the need, plainly spelled out. A need I could easily meet.
I have a pretty simple motto. If I see a need I can easily meet, then I don’t even have to think about it. Just do it.
I’ve said this many times. If someone shows you how you can bless them, and you can easily do it, then just do it.
You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to weigh out the pros and cons.
You see, many times you can’t bless someone easily. Many times it’s not obvious even how to bless them.
So when it is easy and obvious, why waste any time? Just do it.
That’s my motto, anyway. But this morning that crashed head on into another motto I have.
Don’t bleed.
“Come on, God. Not today. Today I’m… I’m…”
And for the life of me I couldn’t come up with one single good excuse.
Other than I’m selfish about my blood.
Selfish and fearful.
Even though it doesn’t really hurt. Even though it will be totally fine and I know that.
It’s like eating shrimp. The act is fine; it’s the thinking about it that gives me a swirly.
I’m memorizing the book of Ephesians and I’m up to chapter 5 verse 2.
Now this is a stunning verse when you really think about it.
It tells us to “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us…”
That’s nice and pretty so far. But it’s the rest of the verse that will blow your mind. It says Christ has given Himself for us as “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Ephesians 1 says we have redemption through Christ’s blood. Chapter 2 says Jesus reconciled us to God in one body through the cross.
Yes, Jesus was an offering. He offered up His body, He shed His own blood and died on the cross. He was a human sacrifice to God.
The whole scene is gory and blood-splattered and outrageous. The sights and smells of what we call “the passion of the Christ” are disturbing. In our hyper-clean, non-agrarian culture, most of us would have found it disgusting.
And yet Ephesians 5:2 says that it was a sweet-smelling aroma.
In my little mind that is almost incomprehensible. How could anything so terrible be considered sweet smelling?
Back to Ephesians 5:2. Look what it says Jesus did. It says He “has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
The emphasis is on what Christ did and why He did it. He offered Himself as an offering and a sacrifice, and He did it because He loved us.
This was the sweet smelling aroma. His love and His sacrifice. He loved so much that He was willing to give up His own body and blood, even to the point of death.
And now we are to love just like that. Verse one says we are to be “imitators of God.”
Can I do it? Can I love like that? Christ gave all of His blood. Can I give some of mine?
I can, so I should.
And I pick up the phone to make that call…
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 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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