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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for January 28, 2009
“I Fear My Wife”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I will now say something very odd.
I fear my wife.
How do you picture me now? A 98-pound weakling? A pathetic shell-of-a-man who gets beat if he forgets to pick up milk on his way home from work?
Well, that’s not the case at all. I love my wife. We have a great marriage and a happy home. We just celebrated the 25th anniversary of our first date.
But I do fear her, and here’s what I mean by that.
I fear having to live without her. She means so much to me, I don’t even want to think about life without her. And you know, she could pick up and leave at any moment. She’s not my slave. This isn’t the dark ages. She can just up and go. And that would be a tragedy in my life. So I fear her and the awesome power she has to hurt me if she really made up her mind to do so.
Now listen to this. That fear keeps me in line. I don’t want to hurt her or grieve her or even disappoint her. I want her to be pleased with me, not displeased with me.
I want her favor. I want her blessing. I want the things she provides for my life. Yes, if she left tomorrow I could stumble along without her, but I don’t even want to try.
So I try to please her. I want her to be happy. I want what is best for her, and I will work to get it for her. I will sacrifice for her.
And if you are married, you know your spouse can punish you, right? It comes in many different forms, but it’s still a punishment.
Now you might be thinking, “What kind of whacked out situation is this? That marriage is messed up.”
Not at all. It’s a healthy marriage. And one of the reasons it’s healthy is this one ingredient among many – I fear my wife.
When we hear the word “fear” we picture cowering in the corner while some maniac goes on a rampage. That’s not the kind of fear I’m talking about.
It’s more like this. I fear my boss. That doesn’t make me cower in the corner, weak and unproductive. It actually strengthens me. It makes me rise up and get to work. It motivates me to do my best.
I fear him because, you know, he could fire me. He could really mess with my life if he wanted to. So that fear keeps me in line. I want him to be pleased with me, not displeased with me.
I want his favor. I want his blessing. I want the things he provides me. Yes, if he fired me I could go find another job, but I don’t want to.
So I try to please him. I want him to be happy.
Now I’m not fearful and afraid. I’m not scared or chicken. He’s not a slavemaster. But I do fear him.
Are you starting to see what kind of fear I’m talking about?
The other day I popped the hood on my daughter’s car. I checked the tension on the belts. If there’s no tension, it won’t work. If there’s too much tension it won’t work. It needs just the right amount of tension to work properly.
That’s how I see the fear I’m talking about. It’s a kind of tension that keeps things working right.
With my boss, there is just enough tension to keep me working hard. With my wife there is just enough tension to keep me striving to be a good husband.
And you know what? The same is true with God.
Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…”
First Peter 2:17 says we must “fear God.”
Act 9:31 says the early Christians throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria lived “in the fear of the Lord.”
I know I do. I fear God. I am a God-fearing man, and here’s what I mean by that.
I fear having to live without Him. He means so much to me, I don’t even want to think about life without Him. That would be a tragedy in my life.
That fear of the Lord keeps me in line. I don’t want to hurt Him or grieve Him or even disappoint Him. I want Him to be pleased with me, not displeased with me.
I want His favor, His blessing, the things He provides for me. So I try to please Him. I want Him to be happy with me. I want each day to end with Him saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
I fear the Lord, but that doesn’t mean I’m cowering and fearful. I love my walk with Him, my life with Him. He fills my life in every way with wonderful things. I can’t go on without Him. I don’t want to. I won’t.
So my fear keeps me in line. It keeps me on the straight and narrow. It keeps me away from sin and drawing near to Him.
I fear the Lord, and you know what?
That’s a really, really good thing.
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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