Is Your Faith Really Just Superstition? - Apples of Gold - June 30, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 30, 2009

“Is Your Faith Really Just Superstition?”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

I tithed when I wasn’t walking with the Lord.

It was more like a good luck charm, or a fear of bad luck.

I also went to church when I wasn’t walking with the Lord.

And I wouldn’t allow anything to be set on top of the Bible.

I was a Lutheran, and I had Catholic friends.  They wouldn’t eat meat on Fridays, and they definitely wouldn’t darken the door of a Lutheran church.

Some Pentecostal boys didn’t wear shorts in P.E.

I knew girls who wore the shortest shorts they could find, but who kept the Sabbath starting at sundown every Friday.

I knew smoking, drinking, cussing drug pushers who wouldn’t dare take the Lord’s name in vain.

And raise your hand if you know any church youth leaders who suddenly pushed up that wedding date.

It’s like one old guy used to tell me, “Most babies take nine months.  The first one can come at any time.”

Looking back, I see this in my own life, and I see it in so many lives today.  Our Christianity is basically a lot like superstition. 

Yes, we keep certain rules, but it’s sort of like throwing bananas over the wall to make King Kong go away.

And we aren’t even good at keeping our own rules, because we’re not completely sure they’re doing any good.

But we do use our rules to judge each other.  “Oh, you do that?  Well I don’t do that.  No, I’m not perfect, but at least I don’t do that.”

The Pharisees in the Bible were experts at this.  They knew the rules, and if you didn’t keep them, well that just proved what they already knew – that they were better than you.

But what about the rules?  What about the 10 Commandments?  What about the Law of Moses?

Well you know what those are?  A giant shadow. 

Hebrews 10:1 says, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves…”

So all those rules?  A shadow of good things, but not the good things themselves.

Picture this.  Imagine it’s late in the day, and a young woman is sitting at a desk in her home.  As the sunlight pours in through the window behind her, she writes a letter to her husband who is off serving in the military. 

Suddenly she notices a change in the light.  She lifts her head and sees the sunlight casting a shadow on the wall.  It’s the shadow of her husband!

Now let me ask you, what kind of wife would she be if she jumped up and started showing interest in the shadow; if she caressed the shadow and traced the shadow on the wall?

That might not be unusual if her husband was still at war, but not when he’s standing at the door!  Why would she be interested in the shadow when the real thing is there?

It would be weird, wouldn’t it?  But that’s the way we are as Christians sometimes.  We get weirdly superstitious about laws and rules, but that’s just the shadow.

Look at Colossians 2:16-17.  “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

See, the laws fail to make us right with God, because we can’t keep them all.  But Jesus makes us right with God!

The laws don’t wash away our guilt, but Jesus cleanses us white as snow!

The laws are inactive on the outside of us, but the Spirit of Christ is proactive on the inside of us, strengthening us and teaching us and guiding us and loving us.

Christ has come to live inside us!  Our love relationship with Him is the real thing. 

Colossians 2:6 says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him…”

Jesus is the center.  Jesus is our focus.  The laws and rules are just a shadow.  Jesus is the substance. 

That does not nullify the laws.  It fulfills them.  We live in Christ and let Christ come alive in us.  And His love pours through us, both toward God and toward all mankind.  And that love is the fulfillment of the law.

So is your faith kind of superstitious?  Do you keep some laws so God will bless you, or so that He at least won’t curse you?

Well then it’s time to take your eyes off the rules and laws, because all you’re looking at is the shadow. 

It’s time to focus on the real thing!

And the real thing is our relationship with our wonderful 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 
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-

The Tallahassee Democrat - Apples of Gold - June 29, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 29, 2009

“The Tallahassee Democrat”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“I’ll be there at the crack of dawn.”

“Okay, I’ll be ready,” I said.

And I was.  But he wasn’t. 

So while I waited, I whiled away the time at Tallahassee.com.

That’s the website for our local daily newspaper, the Tallahassee Democrat.

And I just happened to stumble across a little notice that they were looking for “bloggers,” that is, people who would write on a regular basis for the website.

You had to submit samples of your writing, and only a few would be chosen as “featured bloggers.”

Well, I had time to kill while I waited for my friend, so I figured, “Why not?  I’m writing anyway.  Maybe this is a God-thing.”

So I submitted some of my writing, and sure enough, I was offered one of the premium slots.

Now you may have noticed that Apples of Gold covers a broad spectrum of topics.  Many times it is hard-core Bible study, and other times it is basic advice for life.

Well a couple years ago, when I starting writing for Tallahassee.com, I chose to steer away from the hard-core Bible studies.  Oh, I still include plenty of the Word, but the topics are less devotional and more practical.

I figured articles like that would be more palatable and draw more readers on a secular website.

But I was never completely comfortable with that decision.  I believe in shining the light of God’s Word.  I believe Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  I believe the Lord is the awesome agent of change that our world so desperately needs.

Practical advice is helpful and necessary, but what we really need is salvation through Jesus.  We need forgiveness for our sins.  We need to be right with God.  And we need His Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us through all of life.

So that brings us to this past Saturday morning.  As I woke up, a great idea popped into my head.

That happens to me a lot, by the way.  I wake up and bam!  There it is, a great idea.

I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before.

But the idea was to start posting a Sunday morning devotional on Tallahassee.com.  It’s Sunday, a day in which many people are more tilted towards spiritual matters.  And it’s clearly labeled as a devotional, so it’s not like I’m trying to spring a God-trap on unsuspecting readers.

So starting yesterday, and from now on, each week there will be a Sunday Morning Devotional on the Tallahassee Democrat website.

Now you might be thinking, “Who cares?  Big deal.  The internet is full of stuff like that.”

Here’s the difference.  Tallahassee.com has millions of visitors, many of whom would never visit a Christian website.  Many don’t go to church or listen to Christian radio or watch Christian TV.  But they will visit this website for the capital city of Florida.

And right there on the home page, in the middle of all that other stuff, is this little beacon of light – the hope of the Gospel.

I realize it’s not exactly MSN.com, or Google.  But listen – it’s the opportunity that was given to me, and I’m taking advantage of it.

It reminds me of what John the Baptist said in John 3:27, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”

I believe God gave me the interest in writing and some talent to do it, which I have surrendered back to Him to use for His glory and for the blessing of people. 

And I believe God gave me the opportunity to be a featured writer on Tallahassee.com. 

I know it’s not that big of a deal, but I believe it’s an opportunity that God brought right to my doorstep.  “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”  That is true.  And then the question is, what are we doing with what we have received?

John chapter four tells of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well.  After talking to Jesus, it says, “…the woman went back to the town and said to the people…”

That’s what she did with what she had received in just one encounter with Jesus.  She immediately spread it around town.

And John 4:39 says, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony…”

How can people believe unless they hear?  And how can they hear unless we tell?

Well I believe God is giving us all opportunities to tell; and it’s up to us to spot those opportunities and take advantage of them.

I am taking advantage of the opportunity to share Jesus on Tallahassee.com.

The Samaritan woman took advantage of the opportunity to share Jesus in her little village.

And what about you?  I say, watch for opportunities. 

Yes, I believe God is going to bring right to your doorstep great opportunities to step up and share Jesus right there in your little part of the world.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

www.Tallahassee.com – the featured bloggers are shown at the bottom of the home page – in order of the most recent posting.  As of Monday morning the Sunday Morning Devotional was still showing, but it will be bumped down the list as others post new blogs.

© 2009 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-

Snake Stories - Apples of Gold - June 26, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 26, 2009

“Snake Stories”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“The Lord sent venomous snakes.”

That is just trouble in so many ways.

But that’s what it says in Numbers 21.

“The Lord sent venomous snakes among them…”

Now first of all, most people don’t like snakes of any kind.  They’re just creepy.

I remember one time my kids found a huge black snake in our yard.  They were both freaked out and fascinated.

We started following/chasing it, and then I saw something that just gave me the creeps.  The snake suddenly raced up into a tree.

Let me tell you, you will never look at your back yard the same again after you’ve seen a big snake slithering up one of the trees.

If you are ever in a group of people, and the conversation gets a little slow, just start telling snake stories.  One story leads to another and pretty soon everyone’s creeped out.

Well anyway, here are the Israelites, whom God has delivered from slavery in Egypt.  He is leading them to the Promised Land, but it’s not exactly a five star vacation. 

And they begin whining.  In fact, it’s rather spiteful, hateful whining.  Numbers 21:5 says “…they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert?  There is no bread!  There is no water!  And we detest this miserable food!”

That so-called miserable food, by the way, was the manna God was providing for them out of thin air.

They were ungrateful for what God had given them.  They were unthankful.  And they were definitely willing to bite the hand that was feeding them.

And this is how the Lord responded.  He sent venomous snakes among them.  Numbers 21:6 says, “…they bit the people and many Israelites died.”

This is a national disaster.  It’s like they camped on top of an ancient poisonous snake burial ground.  The snakes are coming on them with a vengeance, poisoning them and killing them.

So what did they do?  What would we do today?

We would form a task force.  One group would handle the vaccines.  Another would handle snake control.  We would take action and eliminate the problem.

But the Israelites realized that their snake problem had spiritual roots.  Verse seven says, “The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you.  Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.’”

So Moses prayed for the people.

Okay, first of all it’s curious enough that the Lord sent poisonous snakes to get the people.  And now what He does next is even more curious. 

He doesn’t just make the snakes go away.  And He doesn’t just heal all the people.

Instead, if the people want to be healed, they have to do something.  It’s a simple something, but it something they must do.

The Lord told Moses to “make a snake and put it up on a pole.”

So Moses fashioned a replica snake out of bronze and put it on a pole.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Run it up the flag pole and see if anyone salutes”?

Well Moses put this snake up on a pole, and the test was to see what the people would do; because God told them they had to do something, just a little something.  If they wanted to survive the poisonous snake bite, all they had to do was look at that bronze snake.

So break it down.  Here I am, an Israelite, and I’ve been snake bit.  First of all, someone has to tell me about the bronze serpent deal.  I have to hear about it somehow, or I won’t even know my options.

Then when I hear about it, I have a choice.  I can either continue to try to deal with this snake bite on my own (which isn’t going well, by the way), or I can believe the story I’ve heard and go look at the bronze serpent.

So what do I do?  I decide to put my faith in the bronze serpent story.  I go look at it, and I live.

Now that makes a really dramatic story in Sunday School.  It looks great up on the flannel board.  But don’t miss the depth.

Fast forward to Jesus speaking to Nicodemus in John chapter three.  Just before Jesus delivers His famous John 3:16, in the two verses before that He says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

I look at it like this.  The world has been snake bit by sin.  It’s destroying people; but there is deliverance. 

And we don’t have to form a task force.  We just need to look to Jesus.  When we look to Jesus, we will live.

Jesus Himself brought up the parallel between Him and that bronze serpent in the desert, so take a close look at the story.

Just like the bronze snake, Jesus was lifted up, and now everyone who “looks” to Him, everyone who believes in Him, will have eternal life.


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 
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-

Don't Cry For Days in Argentina - Apples of Gold - June 25, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 25, 2009

“Don’t Cry For Days in Argentina”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“It began very innocently, as I suspect many of these things do.”

That’s what South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford said yesterday.

At a press conference.

About his affair.

This is the governor that was missing for a few days and was supposedly backpacking.

Turns out he was in Argentina with his lover.

While his wife and four sons and everyone else wondered where he was.

So was it the rip-roaring good time he had anticipated?

You know, that’s the funny thing about sin.  It just never quite delivers on its promise.

Listen to what Governor Sanford said.  “I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina.”

Wreckage is the word that comes to mind.

Wreckage.

This man’s life is wreckage.

And it all could have been avoided so easily.

Proverbs 11:5 says, “The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them…”

When your way is straight, you don’t end up as wreckage.  You don’t end up crying for days in Argentina.

Well the governor said it began very innocently, and I can believe that. 

Now did you know that the press has released some e-mails that these two sent each other?  Interesting how what’s whispered in the house ends up shouted from the housetops.

Anyway, in one of the e-mails this is what he wrote to the woman:  “As I have said to you before, I certainly had a special feeling about you from the first time we met…”

Okay, this is where it began.  It started when he had that special feeling.  Yes, that’s innocent enough.  He was probably minding his own business, not looking for trouble, then he met this woman and whoops, there’s that special feeling.

It could happen to anyone.  Probably happens to everyone.  But the question is, what do you do with it?

Well here is my advice.  To avoid crying for days in Argentina, to avoid becoming wreckage, you just have to label some people as Dangerous People.

That’s right.  In your life there will be a handful of Dangerous People that you simply have to avoid.

Now I’m talking to you married folks out there.  You are married.  You have a marriage covenant with your spouse, until death do you part.  You are all their’s, and they are all yours.

That means you must beware of that “special feeling.”  It’s the tingle.  It’s the fairy dust.  Cupid.  Whatever you want to call that little romantic charge.  That attraction. 

As soon as you feel that toward someone, and you are already married, then you must label that person a Dangerous Person and avoid them.

“But Doug, that’s kind of rude.”

Look.  Protecting your marriage requires boundaries.  Walls.  And walls can seem rude, but without walls, attacks come too easily.

The governor did not throw up a wall.  Instead, he made friends with this woman who gave him that special feeling. 

Now that may still seem innocent enough, but actually it just makes him a simpleton. 

Now I’m thinking of the phrase in Proverbs about a rod to a fool’s back.  If you’re going to be foolish, you will end up with the rod.

Governor Sanford has a rod to his back right now.  And even when the publicity dies down, he will forever be dealing with the turmoil within his marriage and family.  And it’s probably wrecked his chances to advance in politics – bad news for a man whom some considered a presidential candidate.

Well it’s too late for him, but let it be a warning to you.

There are some people who will come into your life that, as a married person, you simply must label them as Dangerous.  You must avoid them.

To protect your marriage, you need solid boundaries, and one of these boundaries is staying away from anyone who gives you that “special feeling.”  As soon as you notice it, label them as Dangerous and stay away.

This is wisdom.  This will help keep you blameless before the Lord.

And instead of dealing with so much wreckage, like it says in Proverbs, the righteousness of the blameless will make a straight way for you. 


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 
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-

My Dentist Is Doing Something New - Apples of Gold - June 24, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 24, 2009

“My Dentist Is Doing Something New”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

My dentist is doing something new. 

He did it yesterday, and he did it the last time I went.

It surprised me, really, but it was very effective.

I mean, there he is, revving up his little machines of torture.  He reaches for one of those hand tools and I’m sure I hear a shiiinnggg, like a Japanese warrior drawing a sword.

He says, “Now you’re going to feel a little…” Too late.  A jolt of pain causes my knee to jerk up. 

Honestly, in real life if someone did this to you, you would bop them upside the head.

But this is different.  You are paying for this.  But you still feel like someone needs to be bopped.

And now comes the amazing part, the moral of the story.

He knows he hurt me, and he says, “Sorry about that.”

Well let me tell you, it worked like a charm.  I relaxed.  The anger drained away.  Oh it still hurt, but he acknowledged it, and said he was sorry about it.

I don’t remember him saying that in the past, but the last couple of times he has, and it works.

So advice to all you dentists out there.  When you hurt someone, just say you’re sorry.  It lets us know that you know and that you care.

Now you might say, “Well Doug, I’m a dentist, and I’m not sorry.  I mean, I’m not sorry that I hurt you because sometimes that’s just what it takes to get the job done, and I’m certainly not sorry about doing my job.”

Well look at it this way.  You are trying to reach a goal, and a simple, heartfelt “I’m sorry” will get you there.

Saying “I’m sorry” causes people to relax.  They settle down.  The tension drains. 

See, before that, there is a wall going up.  It’s you against me.  You are on that side and I am on this side.  There is discomfort.  There is pain.  There is unhappiness.

But as soon as someone says they are sorry (and I mean a real “I’m sorry,” not a spiteful “Well I’m sorry then!”) – as soon as they say it, the wall starts to go down.

And that’s the goal – to stop the escalation, to stop the brewing hostility.

From a biblical perspective we would say it this way:  the goal is to make peace.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Saying “I’m sorry” is a great tool for making peace.

As newlyweds, let’s say my wife wanted me to take out the trash and I didn’t.  By the next day it would smell up the kitchen, and this would annoy her.  And she would let me know in no uncertain terms.

Well back then I was prone to pepper her with all the great reasons why I didn’t do it.  And I might have lectured her for not taking it out herself.  After all, I married a fit young woman, what’s the problem?

Well you can see how that might throw up a little wall between us.  And that’s exactly how it happens.  I’m telling you, marriages have been destroyed over just such little things.

But since those early days I have learned the power of saying I’m sorry.

I am sorry.  I am sorry because I should have taken out the trash.  I’m sorry because the kitchen stinks.  I am sorry she’s upset.  I am sorry about the stress.  So instead of justifying my actions, I just say, “I’m sorry.”  And I am.

I first saw the power of saying I’m sorry by observing a former co-worker.  He was not a man of details, and it drove the boss crazy.  But guess what?  He was always sorry.

The boss would try to rail on him, but he would just stand there and say, “I’m sorry.”

What can you say to that?

Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath…”

And it’s hard to find a more gentle answer than “I’m sorry.”

A good way to feel that sorrow is by putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.  Something upset them.  Something hurt them.  You may not think it’s justified, but put yourself in their shoes, not as yourself but as them. 

Then you can feel their pain, and that makes it easier to say “I’m sorry.”

My old co-worker kept his job a lot longer than he would have, simply by his liberal use of the phrase, “I’m sorry.”

James 3:18 says we are to “sow in peace.”

First Peter 3:11 says “…seek peace and pursue it…”

And when it comes to making peace with someone, try this and you’ll see how effective it is.

It’s just a humble, genuine use of the phrase, “I’m sorry.”


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 
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-

Are You Feeling Down and Out Today? - Apples of Gold - June 23, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 23, 2009

“Are You Feeling Down and Out Today?”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Are you feeling down and out today?

Well you are never down and out as long as you can think.

Because if you can think, you can learn.

If you are learning, then you are moving forward.

If you are moving forward, then you’re not down and out.

I met a man recently named Simon T. Bailey.  He is a speaker and author and founder of The Brilliance Institute.

Now what kind of man would you expect to find at The Brilliance Institute? 

A college dropout?  A minimum wage worker?  A man who lives in the junkiest part of town?

Well that’s where he was.  He was.

He said his parents sent him to college, but then almost immediately ran out of money.  They said they couldn’t even afford to bring him home.  So he scraped by in dreadful, poverty conditions. 

If anyone was ever down and out, it was Simon.

And he knew it. 

Of course it’s hard to miss when you’re down and out.  It’s like you can’t get a break.  And that’s all you need, isn’t it?  One lucky break.  Just one person to come along and save you.

That’s kind of what Simon was waiting for – for something to give, something to break open.  Meanwhile he lived in what many would call squalor.

So how do you go from squalor to international speaker?  Well it started with thinking.

Remember, you’re never down and out as long as you can think.

Because if you can think, you can learn.

If you are learning, then you are moving forward.

If you are moving forward, then you’re not down and out.

So Simon began to think about his situation. 

And listen to this.  When you think, you end up with what I call “breakthrough thoughts.”

One of Simon’s breakthrough thoughts was that, “Hey, no one is going to come along and do this for me.  If my life is going to improve, I have to take control and make it improve.”

He started at the bottom, but he started thinking.  As he thought, he learned; and as he learned, he moved forward.

“But Doug, I’m just waiting on the Lord.”

Well the Lord has already given you a brain and he wants you to use it.

In fact, God has given us a world full of raw materials, and he wants us to use our brains to figure out what to do with them.

So think.  Think.  Think until you have some breakthrough thoughts.

Ponder things.  Roll them over in your mind – not to obsess about them but to gain insight.

Look at Proverbs 24:32.  “I applied my heart to what I observed…”

The King James says, “Then I saw, and considered it well…”

The New American Standard says, “When I saw, I reflected upon it…”

It means that you do more than observe.  You think about it.  You think of the various angles.  You think how it got there in the first place.  You think of where it’s headed.  You think of how it can be improved. 

So do you think you are down and out?  Then closely observe your situation.  Consider it well. 

Here’s the entire verse of Proverbs 24:32 – “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw…”

So look hard at your situation – and learn a lesson from what you see.

That’s what Simon T. Bailey did.  He looked at his situation, and learned from what he saw.  He thought about it until he had a breakthrough thought.  Then he took action and was able to rise from squalor to success.

So, do you feel like you are down and out today?

Well you’re never down and out as long as you can think.

And if you can think, you can learn.

And if you are learning, then you are moving forward.

So look at your situation and think about it.  Think until you have at least one breakthrough thought. 

Then take action!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

Here is Simon T. Bailey’s website:  www.simontbailey.com
 
© 2009 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-

It's Time to Drown a Few Voices - Apples of Gold - June 22, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 22, 2009

“It’s Time to Drown a Few Voices”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“There’s a Nazirite in our house.”

That’s what I told my wife yesterday, and it’s true.

We have a young man living with us who just turned 19 Saturday, and Sunday he began a “Nazirite vow.”

It’s his way of separating himself unto the Lord.  He shaved his head, and now he won’t cut his hair for the length of the vow.  He is fasting from all meat and from all sweets, and he is fasting from media such as television, movies and video games.

In short, he is denying some things of the flesh in order to tune into the things of the Spirit.

Right now we also have two boys staying with us, plus the five in our family, which makes eight people in a small four-bedroom house.  Throw in all the guests coming and going and the place is a regular circus.

And now we have this Nazirite, and I noticed last night, in the roar of all this activity, there he sat, at the dining room table, studying his Bible. 

I told my wife, “Just think of all the things 19-year-old boys are doing to celebrate their birthday, and here’s this young man, separating himself to the Lord.”

He also preached his first sermon yesterday, to a kid’s group at church.  He was quite nervous, but he did a fine job.

This is a young man on the fast track.  He is drawing near to God, and God will draw near to Him.  He is seeking wisdom, and he will find it.  He is asking for more of the Holy Spirit, and that’s exactly what he will receive.

If you are a Christian, then you have the Spirit of Christ living in you.  And the Spirit is leading you and teaching you and nudging you, guiding you in life.

The question is, are you listening?

Galatians 5:25 uses this phrase, “…let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

How can we keep in step with the Spirit? 

One way is by drowning out the competing voices.

When our young Nazirite is not watching TV, he is drowning out those TV voices competing with the Holy Spirit for his attention.

When he avoids video games, he is drowning out that voice that is vying for a piece of him.

When he is fasting from certain pleasurable foods – yes, at first those voices will cry out more loudly.  But then they will die out. 

And as these competing voices die out, it is easier to hear the Holy Spirit, and easier to keep in step with the Spirit.

Here is a competing voice that I have drowned in my own life:  the voice of chocolate.

Oh yes, chocolate used to speak to me.  About once a day it would scream, “You need me!  Come and get me!  Drop everything right now!”

But starting on New Year’s Day 2007 I began fasting from all sweets.  And before long the competing voice of chocolate was completely drowned in my life. 

Before it was like the voice of chocolate had a little fishhook in me, and it would give me a yank whenever it wanted and I would obey.  And off I would go.

But see, that’s the path of the flesh.  I was pleasing my flesh.  I would hear the voice of the flesh, and give in. 

Add that to so many other voices making demands on our flesh and you can see how that drowns out the voice of the Spirit.

I mean, think of all those voices.  “Wow, I feel like seeing a movie.  Wow, I feel like some popcorn and soda.  Wow, I feel like chatting on the internet.”

My daughter has Twitter on her cell phone, and it goes off every time one of her friends Tweets.  Talk about a demanding voice!  “Hey, I am Twitter!  You must stop everything and listen to me right now!”

We are supposed to stay in step with the Spirit, but how can we do that when the voice of the Spirit is being drowned out by so many competing voices?

Now I’m not saying you have to take a Nazirite vow, but I am saying we all need to think about drowning out a few of those demanding voices.  And it usually takes a strong measure of some kind to simply cut them off cold turkey.

So think about it.  What are some of the demanding voices in your life that need to go?

Why not make a vow to silence them for a period of time?

When we silence the demanding voices, it is so much easier to tune in to the voice that truly matters – the voice of the Holy Spirit.


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 
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-

Isaiah 40...Freestyle! - Apples of Gold - June 19, 2009 -vi-

***This is one that was truly designed to be heard.  The music and effects are what make it “freestyle!”***

 

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 19, 2009

“Isaiah 40…Freestyle!”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Isaiah 40 . . . freestyle!

(begin music)

Doug

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been told from the beginning?

Have you not understood?

To whom shall we compare Him?

Who is His equal?

He is the Creator!

The creator of the ends of the earth!

He stretches out the heavens like a canopy.

He spreads them out like a tent to live in.

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth.

The people are like grasshoppers.

The nations are like a drop in the bucket.

The islands are but dust on the scale.

Before Him all the nations are as nothing.

He sits enthroned!

(musical transition)

Ashlyn

To whom shall we compare Him?

The people are grass.

The grass withers.

And the flowers fall.

But the word of God stands forever!

Prepare the way of the Lord.

Make straight a highway for our God.

Raise up the valleys.

Bring down the mountains.

Level the rugged ground.

All mankind will see it.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed!
           
(musical transition)

Bushnell

Who has understood the mind of the Lord?

Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten Him?

Who taught Him knowledge and understanding?

He brings princes to naught.

He reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

No sooner are they planted than He sweeps them away.

So lift your eyes to the heavens.

To the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He gives strength to the weary!

He gives power to the weak!

So put your hope in the Lord.

And He will renew your strength!

You will soar on wings like eagles!
           
You will run and not grow weary!

You will walk and not faint!

(musical transition)

Doug

So let us lift up our voice with a shout!

Let us shout the good news from the hills.

Our Lord is coming with power.

The glory of the Lord will be revealed.

We are His people. 

And He is God forever!

(music trails off)

Do you not know Him?

Have you not heard?

The End



© 2009 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-

A Most Unusual Flame - Apples of Gold - June 18, 2009 -vi-

***You might want to listen to the radio version of this one.  The music sets the tone.***

 

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 18, 2009

“A Most Unusual Flame”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

(begin music and nighttime sfx)

I saw the torch a mile away, from my position on the hillside.

It burned a most extraordinary orange and blue, like a regal flame.  I’d seen nothing like it before.

Night had fallen, and the roar of our busy camp had quieted.  The men were in their tents, and the animals were calmed by the sound of the pipe, probably Eliezer.

So I decided to discover the source of this unusual flame.  As I walked I saw the torch flare up as it moved, and the light revealed something else, a smoking firepot.  They were both moving, but I couldn’t see who carried them.

They moved in the direction of my master’s tent.  I doubted it was him, however.  I had gone to see him just after sundown and he was already in a deep sleep.  Deep yet restless, because even though he stirred, I could not wake him.

I wanted to ask him if I should clean up the animals.  Earlier in the day he said the Lord had spoken to him in a vision, and he told me to bring him a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a pigeon.  But he didn’t say why.

Yes, you could say it had been a strange day.  Master had been irritable, which was unusual for him.  He was a very successful man and had most everything anyone could want.

Except one thing.  A son.  He had no son, no heir.  What good was it to accumulate if he had no son?  His legacy would end when he drew his last breath.  He would be forgotten, one grain in the vast sands of time.

But today he said the Lord had spoken to him.  And the message was clear.  He would have a son of his very own.  And not only that, but he would inherit this land as well.

“So the Lord told you this?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“And did you speak in return?”

“Yes, but not well.  I said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’”

“And did He respond?”

“Yes, and that’s why I called you to bring these animals.  I’m going to cut them in half and arrange the halves opposite each other.”

“Oh,” I said.

Now I wasn’t sure what Master was planning, but I know the custom.  It’s an oath.  You slaughter an animal and cut it in half.  Then you separate the halves and walk between them which confirms the oath, and you say, “May it be so done to me if I do not keep my oath and pledge.”

It’s a chilling, unforgettable reminder to keep your word.

So Master had arranged the halves, but then…nothing.    The sun went down and so did he, into that deep but restless sleep.

Suddenly I was aware.  Sensing but not physically.  My eyes widened, absorbing the scene but seeing nothing more than the brilliant torch and the smoking firepot.

An awe settled on me.  The sky was full of stars.  I took a couple more steps but stopped.  I slipped to my knees in the tall grass.  And watched.

The torch and the smoking firepot moved gracefully, by whose hand I could not see.  Then I noticed what the light of the torch revealed.  There on the ground . . . the animals.

The flaming torch and the smoking firepot gracefully moved, purposefully moved between the pieces.

A solemn oath was being made.  A pledge of one party to another. 

And I knew.  The Lord had spoken to my master.  He had promised a son.  He had promised the land.  And now He was confirming His . . . covenant.  Yes, a covenant.

On this night the Lord made a covenant with my master – Abram.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.

A story based on Genesis 15

© 2009 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-

IntelliGender - Apples of Gold - June 17, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 17, 2009

“IntelliGender”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

My wife and I never did find out our baby’s gender ahead of time.

It’s like opening your gifts early and spoiling Christmas.

And after all, it’s more fun to fight about two names instead of one.

But really, there’s nothing quite like waiting until the thrill of the moment, after all the excitement and labor and breathing and pushing and – oh, oh, there it is!  It’s a . . .

Well for us, three times they said, “It’s a girl!” and one time they said, “It’s a boy!” and every time it was the most thrilling moment in life. 

So I can’t relate to this rush to know your baby’s gender.  Even when we had sonograms we said, “No, don’t tell us.”

And don’t forget all the old wives tales.  For example, they say you’re going to have a girl:
--If you are craving sweets.
--Or if you are moodier than usual.
--Or if your hair develops red highlights.

But now there is a company called IntelliGender selling what they call an in-home gender prediction test.  For $35 you can run your own urine analysis and find out if you have a boy or a girl.  They say it’s 80 to 90% accurate.

Well the other day I heard a Catholic leader talking about it, and he warned that some mothers might go get an abortion if the baby wasn’t what they wanted.

Now I see his point, and I hope and pray to God that no mother would do that.  It’s sick to even think about.

But I really like the idea of this early gender test, and here’s why.

It instantly humanizes that thing growing inside you.  As soon as you take that test, you no longer have some nonspecific “fetus.”  You have a boy.  Or you have a girl.  Either way, it’s a real live human being in there.

Do you see how that instantly humanizes the unborn child?

It stirs up visions of pink frilly dresses, or tiny Superman outfits.

Yes, I don’t doubt that there might be a few sick people who will decide to abort – probably their little girl – to hold out for a child of the other kind.

But I think that far more people will get it.  Their eyes will be opened that “Hey, that’s not just some fetus.  That’s not a little blob of tissue.  That’s my little girl!”

It’s one more window into the womb, and the more windows we have, the more pro-life we become.

A major strategy among pro-lifers is to provide sonograms to pregnant women.  Why?  Because it’s a window to the womb.  It’s a picture that says a thousand words.  Look at the hands.  Look at the feet.  Look at that precious face. 

But I will admit, I am naïve.  I remember when I first saw the beautiful full color photographs they were able to take of living babies inside their mothers.  Those pictures are simply jaw-dropping in beauty and clarity.  When I saw those I thought, “This is the end of abortion.  Soon every young woman will have seen these pictures and will know exactly what they are doing and who they are doing it to when they have an abortion.”

And I’m sure those photos have caused many to choose life.  And yet somehow we are still knocking out thousands of abortions each day in America.

“But Doug.  It’s legal.”

Laws must sit on a foundation of truth.  Our current abortion laws do not.  They are built on the notion that children have no rights until they are outside their mother’s womb.

It’s as if they are not human beings.  Is that scientific?  We Americans, we love our science.  But science says that at conception a unique human being is created with their own unique DNA. 

Yes, they are inside their mother, but they have their own blood type and their own brain waves.  If you could scan heartbeats in the room, you would get two:  the mother’s and the child’s.

I think someday we will look back on this time in American history and decry the barbarity of abortion. 

But for now we must continue to educate women about what is really going on – that what is inside them, starting at conception, is their very own, very real child.

And I think that education will be advanced with this little test that will open a window to their womb and announce, “It’s a . . .”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.


I wish the company was not calling this a “gender prediction test.”  It’s not really “predicting” anything.  Rather, it is revealing what is already so.

© 2009 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-

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight - Apples of Gold - June 16, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 16, 2009

“Nothing Good Happens After Midnight”

 

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

“Nothing good happens after midnight.”

That’s what I used to tell my teenagers when they wanted to stay out late.

I’d say, “When was the last time you heard a bunch of teenagers standing around a parking late in the wee hours of the morning planning good deeds?  ‘I know!  Let’s pick up trash in front of the school.’”

“Oh Dad, you act like we’re a bunch of bad kids.”

“No, I don’t think you’re bad kids at all.  But the later it gets, the more likely you are to go along with some hair-brained idea.”

And actually, I think that’s true for all of us, not just teenagers.  When we stay up too late, our inhibitions go down.  Our guard falls. 

I’ve told my kids that staying up late has a similar effect to drinking alcohol.  You start to get loopy.  You say things you wouldn’t normally say. 

“But Doug, nothing fun happens before midnight!”

That’s only if you are talking about foolish fun. 

A key to living a godly life is to be self-controlled.  It means you are in full control of yourself – your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

But there are certain situations in which our self-control falters.  And a huge one is when we are fatigued.

I have said this before.  It seems like I start each day on fire for the Lord.  I want to serve Him and love Him and walk in His ways.  I will sacrifice my desires for His desires.

I start the day holy, but by the end of the day I’m capable of anything.  Not really, but I definitely feel my batteries going down.

It’s like batteries for my force field that keeps sin and foolishness at bay.  As the day progresses, I feel those batteries draining.

Proverbs 25:28 says that a man who lacks self control is like a city whose walls are broken down.

When a city’s walls are broken down, it is open to invasion.  It can be plundered.  The walls of protection are down, allowing invaders to come and do harm. 

That is a man without self-control.  He has no barrier against foolishness and sin. 

So we are to be people of self-control, as the Bible says repeatedly.

For example, First Thessalonians 5:6 says “…let us be alert and self-controlled.”

It’s hard to be alert and self-controlled when you are tired and staying up too late.

I wonder how many things have been viewed on the internet late at night that would not have been viewed in broad daylight. 

How many conversations have strayed off into off-limit territory? 

Have you ever overreacted to a situation just because you were tired?

Over the years I’ve heard my wife say this a thousand times.  She will see a child throwing a fit and what will she say?  “They need a nap.”

Well grownups aren’t much different.  When we are tired, our inhibitions go down.  We become more selfish.  We cave to our cravings.

If self-control is a force field, then it must have fully charged batteries.

“But Doug, I just have too much to do.  I can’t get enough sleep.”

Well part of self-control is getting enough sleep. 

“But I go to bed and I can’t sleep.”

Well I can’t diagnose every sleeping problem, but let me pick out one:  stress.

A lot of people lie down and can’t sleep because all their pressures rush in and dance on their brain. 

Well I found one verse years ago that really calms my brain at bedtime.  It’s Psalm 4:8 which says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

There are many great ways to get to sleep without medicating yourself.  You can start by getting up earlier.  Make sure you get enough exercise.  And many people find reading a great way to relax and go to sleep.

You may not think this is an important spiritual issue, but it is.  God tells us to be self-controlled.  First Peter 5:8 tells us to be self-controlled because our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

We drop our guard to the devourer when we lack self-control, and we lack self-control when we stay up too late.

No, there’s technically nothing wrong with staying up late.  And yes, I realize that good things do happen after midnight.  It’s not a literal truth.  It’s more like a proverb.  I say nothing good happens after midnight to make a general point.

And the point is that we lack self-control when we get tired, and it is wrong to lack self-control.

So get your rest.  It is a spiritual issue because we need rest to be the kind of people God wants us to be:  people of self-control.


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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