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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 9, 2009
“What About Athletes Thanking God?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“You’re not going to like this, but you’re the third oldest quarterback ever to play in the Super Bowl. How does that make you feel?”
“You know, everyone’s going to be tired of hearing this, but I never get tired of saying it. There’s one reason that I’m standing up on this stage today, and that’s because of my Lord up above. I gotta say thanks to Jesus! You knew I was going to do it, and I gotta do it.”
That’s what Kurt Warner told Terry Bradshaw after the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC Championship Game.
Actually that’s what a variety of athletes say after a big game. Some people hate it. One guy even wrote that he is glad when Kurt Warner loses so he won’t have to hear about God.
Some people criticize them for not thanking God when they lose. Of course, when you lose the general public doesn’t really care what you have to say. When the Cardinals lost the Super Bowl they sure didn’t ask Kurt Warner to come up on the big stage and share his thoughts.
But when you win, that’s when you get that live microphone. That’s when the nation’s ears perk up. And that’s when you get the chance to do this one important thing.
Acknowledge the Lord.
Now what does it mean to acknowledge the Lord? It basically means to recognize that He exists and that He plays a role in our lives.
And you know, you don’t have to wait until you are on national television. Yesterday we ate at Red Lobster. My dad told the waitress, “We’re getting ready to pray before we eat. Would you like us to pray for you?”
He acknowledged God before an audience of one – our waitress.
Now I’ve had people tell me to keep my faith to myself, or to keep my religion at home. And a lot of people live by that credo, that faith is a private matter between you and God.
But Jesus didn’t see it that way. He wants us to bring Him up in front of other people – and He said He would reward us for it.
In Matthew 10:31 Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”
The King James uses the word “confess.” “Whosever…shall confess Me before men…”
It means that we publicly recognize that Jesus exists, and the role He plays in our lives.
Proverbs 3:6 says we should acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways.
That doesn’t meant that everyone is going to like it. In fact, even while Jesus walked the earth it caused a lot of people trouble. John 9:22 says that the Jews decided to kick everyone out of the synagogue who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ.
Acknowledging Jesus publicly comes with a price. You are saying that you are on Jesus’ team, and that means anyone not on His team might turn on you.
In Jerusalem, the Jewish leaders told the early church to stop with all the Jesus stuff. But they wouldn’t.
And there are people today who want us to stop bringing up Jesus. But we won’t.
Jesus is Lord and God. He is our Savior.
And as Christians, we need to let that be known. We need to acknowledge Jesus before men.
No, it’s not politically correct. It might cost you some opportunities. It will make you unpopular in certain circles.
But let me tell you, there is really only one circle that I’m concerned about, and that’s this one in Matthew 10:32.
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”
So what would you do if the microphone was suddenly thrust in your face on national television?
For Kurt Warner, it was so important to acknowledge Jesus before men that he skipped right over the question. He jumped right to the part about Jesus.
Most of us will never get such a huge opportunity, but we all get many smaller opportunities.
So watch for them. Look for opportunities big and small to publicly acknowledge your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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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