To listen to the radio version, click here.
To search archives, click here.
Apples of Gold
Radio Script for July 21, 2009
“The New Guy Stands Out”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
We had a young man over for dinner after church Sunday.
The house was lively with a lot of people, but he was the only newcomer.
All of a sudden my daughter screamed. Someone had put something in her drink.
Now what this young man didn’t know is that, at our house, no one puts things in people’s drinks.
Oh, we do plenty of other things, but that’s one thing no one does. So when it happened, well, it was pretty obvious who did it.
Have you ever noticed that? When someone new comes along, and suddenly something very different happens, you can usually bet it’s the new guy.
Here’s another example from our house. No one throws candy wrappers on the ground. Well one day I started noticing candy wrappers and gum wrappers, seemingly just thrown down. And wouldn’t you know it? It was right after the arrival of someone new.
You’ve probably seen this at work, especially if you are in a smaller workplace. You already know everyone’s quirks and habits. For example, my daughter always leaves pens lying on the computer keyboard. For some reason she thinks that spot just above the “F” keys is a great place to keep a pen.
To me that pen is just in the way, and at first it was annoying, but now I know – that’s what she does.
So after a while you get to know all the quirks of the people around you.
And then someone new comes along. And suddenly you start seeing new things.
Like, maybe the door on the microwave is left open. Or you start finding magazines in the bathroom or coffee rings on the copier lid.
And it’s not always negative. Maybe the coffee pot is clean everyday where before people just let the gunk build up.
I remember working at one radio station when we hired a new secretary. Suddenly we had pretty flowers in the bathroom.
I’ve seen new employees bring their habit of supplying everyone with Germ-X.
And you know what? The new person doesn’t realize how these things stand out because they don’t know what things were like before.
Now here’s the point. You are a Christian and you are coming into a new situation. And whether you like it or not, the new guy stands out.
This is true whether you are starting a new job, or a new school, or even moving into a new neighborhood. Everyone around you has their ruts and habits, and then there is you, the new person. You will stand out.
The question is, will you stand out in a good way?
A while back we moved into a new neighborhood. We had lived there a few weeks before I finally spoke with the man next door. When I finally did he said, “Yeh, I see a lot of activity at your house. I guess you’re having a Bible study or something.”
Now what made him think it was a Bible study? Because actually, even though we have done home Bible studies in the past, at that time we were not. So why did he think that?
So I asked him, “What makes you think we’re having Bible studies?”
And I loved his answer. It’s because he kept hearing people talking about “The Word” he said.
We weren’t going out of our way to stand out. We were just doing what we normally do and it stood out on its own.
That’s the way it is when we live for the Lord. Unless we go out of our way to hide it, the light just shines.
In Matthew 5 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
So keep this in mind when you move into a new situation. As the new person, what kind of new things will people notice? Will they be negative things or positive things? Will they be worldly or godly?
Well if we are living for the Lord, His light will shine through us. We will stand out in our new situation as a point of light.
So as a Christian, let your light shine! Don’t hide it. Yes, be tactful and appropriate, but when you arrive on the scene as the new person, this is what should happen.
At your new job, your new school or even your new neighborhood, this is what should happen.
They should see your good deeds, and praise your Father in heaven.
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-
No comments:
Post a Comment