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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for July 15, 2009
“Dílis”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
There was a note on the door.
A date, a time, and a street he had never heard of.
He likely would have ignored it, but there was one more word that piqued his curiosity.
Dílis.
So at the appointed time, he got on his horse and rode into town. It was basically an alley, and there he met three other men, all with the same note.
No one knew why they were there, and just as they began to introduce themselves a large, intimidating man opened a door.
He ushered one man through the door into a small room. There at a little wooden table sat an unkempt, impatient man.
He slid a new book across the table.
“What’s this for?”
“Dílis,” said the man at the table, and the intimidating man ushered him back outside.
Each of the four had a similar encounter.
The second man was given two beautiful sterling silver bracelets.
The third man was told that something would be waiting for him when he returned home.
And the fourth man received a map for a piece of property.
And the only explanation given was that one word: Dílis.
The man who received the book was very excited. He had always liked books, but this was the first one of his very own. And just as he suspected, he loved it! He loved reading it, and he loved owning it. He built a special shelf in his little home just for the book.
One day he told a neighbor about his book and discovered that the neighbor had several books, so he worked out a deal. “I will let you read my new book, if you will give me one of your old books.”
He made similar deals with other neighbors, and soon he had dozens of books in his little home. Some of them he sold in the city, and eventually he used the profits to actually build a home with its own library. He became known as both a great book dealer and enthusiast.
The second man took home the beautiful sterling silver bracelets. He placed them on his mantel, and there they sat. Soon they were so tarnished you hardly noticed them on the mantel.
The man was a drinker, and one night, while drunk, he got the idea of putting the bracelets on his goat. He laughed and laughed at the bracelets on the goat. And even when he sobered up, he still thought it was great fun that he had a goat with bracelets.
The third man went home and found a pony. He knew a thing or two about horses, and this pony just looked wild. He really didn’t have time to mess with a wild pony, so he didn’t. Oh, he fed it, sort of. But mostly he just let it roam around wild in a fence out back.
The fourth man took the map and found the piece of property, which was adjacent to his own. It was a thicket, full of thorns, and upon exploration he discovered some water in the middle of it.
One day while working on his own property he decided to clear out a path to that water. Another day he widened the path. With just a little extra work, a day here and a day there, he eventually cleared it all out. It turned out to be a beautiful scenic spot around a nice pond.
Then one day there was a celebration in the city. A new king had ascended to the throne, and now he was to be married.
He chose for his wife a beautiful and brilliant young woman. And she liked surprises.
So on their wedding day a kingly procession formed, and instead of carrying her to the palace, they marched right out of the city.
Down the road they went, until they arrived at the home of the first man. He ran out to meet them, and bowed low before the king.
“Sir,” said the king. “You do not recognize me, but one day I gave you a book.”
The man’s eyes widened in recognition, and again, he bowed.
“That book belonged to this young woman. Now tell us, what did you do with it?”
And the king and his lady were delighted to see the beautiful library which had sprung from just one book.
“Congratulations,” said the king. “He who is faithful with little can be trusted with much. I now make you the chief librarian of the entire kingdom!”
The procession moved on to the second man’s house. He, too, bowed low before the king, but when asked about the bracelets, he began laughing. He brought out his goat, still wearing the bracelets, which he thought was the funniest sight he had ever seen.
But the king did not laugh. “These bracelets were for my queen on her wedding day. And to think I had actually considered placing you in charge of the silver of the kingdom. But he who is unfaithful with little cannot be trusted with much. Men, take the bracelets off that goat. And this disgraceful man, remove him from my sight!”
A similar fate awaited the third man. The king was hoping he could take charge of the royal stables. But instead, all the man heard was, “He who is unfaithful with little cannot be trusted with much. Remove him from my sight.”
And finally the procession arrived at the fourth man’s house, and there the wedding was held, on the most finely manicured property any of them had ever seen.
“And you,” said the king, “You are in charge of beautifying all of the king’s land!”
“Oh thank you, my king,” said the man. “Thank you. And may I ask the king one question.”
“You may!” said the king.
“One word, you gave us. That one word, Dílis, what is that?”
“That is my guiding principle. That is how I decide who is worthy for advancement in the kingdom. Whoever is faithful with little can be trusted with much. And it can all be summed up in this one little word, Dílis.”
“Dílis,” he said. “An ancient word which simply means faithful.”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
Inspired by the parable in Luke 19, written just for Devion.
© 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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