Rights vs. Righteousness - Apples of Gold - October 29, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 29, 2009

“Rights vs. Righteousness”

 

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

Last night, Tallahassee City Commissioners voted unanimously to extend employee benefits to all domestic partners, not just married couples.

Why did they do that, especially when the city is under tremendous financial pressure?  We have underpaid police officers, and many city positions have been cut out entirely.  But now they have agreed to pay benefits to a new group of people – people who aren’t married but are living together.

Well as far as I can tell, the main reason is that they don’t want to discriminate against gay couples.  After all, don’t they have the same rights as straight couples?

And if you are going to pay benefits to gay couples who aren’t married (because, so far at least, the law doesn’t allow them to be married), then you can’t really deny benefits to straight couples who aren’t married, can you?

So city commissioners are simply trying to do what seems logical and gives the same rights to everyone.  Isn’t that the American way?

Well, yes, that is the American way.  We are all about people and their rights.

But there is a higher calling, and that is righteousness.

Yes, that means there is a dividing line, some things are righteous and some things aren’t.

It is unrighteous to steal from your neighbor, or to kill him or to attack him.  Those actions are unrighteous, and they are also illegal. 

It is also unrighteous to cheat on your spouse, have an abortion and carry out homosexual behavior – but those actions are currently legal because, after all, everyone has their rights.

And looking ahead I can easily see laws changing to make more unrighteousness legal – prostitution, drugs, gambling – after all, if you want to sell your body or take drugs or gamble, it’s your right . . .right?  And I can see them lowering the age of consent.  I mean, if 14 year olds want to, you know…

Well anyway, why were these things ever made illegal in the first place? 

Because of the standard of righteousness.  Here is the line, righteousness on one side and unrighteousness on the other.  And in the past certain leaders decided that the righteousness line was also the legal line. 

Prostitution is unrighteous, so it should be illegal.  Sex outside of marriage is unrighteous.  Gay sex is unrighteous.

“Whoa!  Where on earth do you get off saying something so hateful as that???”

I’m just telling you how they passed those laws in the first place.  It wasn’t because they were all a bunch of homophobes.  They simply said, “Here is the standard of righteousness, and we will pass laws that fit that standard.”

There are laws against adultery still on the books all across the country, though I can’t remember the last time someone stood trial for committing adultery. 

Now you might be thinking that I’m proposing some sort of Gestapo state, which I am not.

And keep in mind, we are passing more and more laws about things like cigarette smoking and seat belt wearing.  We are forced to buy car insurance, and it looks like we might be forced to buy health insurance.

And yesterday President Obama signed a new hate-crimes law, and what’s a hate crime but a thought crime?  The crime is already illegal, but what were you thinking when you did it?

To me, thought crimes sound more Gestapo-like than passing laws based on righteousness.

And listen, I am in no way advocating hate crimes.  I am advocating no crimes.  What I am advocating is a nation built on the solid foundation of righteousness.

When it comes to rights vs. righteousness, I think righteousness should prevail, and here’s why.

Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

If you want your nation to be exalted, than promote righteousness.

How does that play out in real life?  Picture this, even though in today’s climate it seems unimaginable.  Picture a Tallahassee City Commissioner saying, “I am voting against extending marriage benefits to gay couples and couples who aren’t married, because those are unrighteous lifestyles.  In our nation they are free to live that lifestyle, but it is unrighteous and therefore the city will not use taxpayer funds to support that lifestyle.”

Sounds unthinkable, doesn’t it?  Why?  Because some protestors would go nuts.  The media would go nuts.  That commissioner would be tarred and feathered. 

Well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time someone was persecuted for righteousness, but here’s some good news.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness…”

Isaiah 32:17 says, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness…”

Psalm 85:10 says, “…righteousness and peace kiss each other.”

Proverbs 16:12 says, “…a throne is established through righteousness.” 

Peace in a nation is a fruit of righteousness.  The more we can steer our nation toward righteousness, the more peace we will have. 

But when we put rights ahead of righteousness, even if it seems like the most logical and even nice thing to do at the moment, it still leads our nation away from peace and towards disgrace, for yes, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”


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-

Purim - Apples of Gold - October 28, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 28, 2009

“Purim”

 

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

King Ahasuerus was also known as King Xerxes, which I’m going to use because it’s spelled with two X’s, and it’s easier to pronounce.  (ZERK-zeez)

About 460 years before Christ, King Xerxes was a big dog, ruling over 127 provinces stretching from India into Africa.

At one point he held a six month long session of his top leaders and advisors, and it was a grand, royal affair.  At the end he threw a week-long celebration.  And his wife, Queen Vashti, threw a party for all the women in the royal palace.

There was a lot of drinking, the king was loaded, and on the seventh day he sent for his wife to come and show off her great beauty.

She refused to come.

And the word spread like wildfire.  “The king called for the queen and she refused him.”

So the king turned to his advisors and said, “Now what?”

“At this rate,” they said, “women everywhere will disrespect their husbands.  Better make an example of her.”

So the king declared that Queen Vashti would never again enter his presence, and that men everywhere are the rulers of their own household.

Then the king sobered up and realized that he basically had no queen, so he turned to his advisors who said, “Let’s get all the prettiest girls in here and you can pick the best one as your next queen.”

One of the girls chosen was named Esther, who quickly found favor with the king’s servants.  Esther was an orphan who was raised by an older cousin named Mordecai. 

Now Mordecai and Esther were Jews, but when the king’s men came calling Mordecai told Esther to keep that Jewish part on the down-low.

Well Esther “won the favor of everyone who saw her,” the Bible says, and she was crowned the new queen by King Xerxes.

So life went on, and Mordecai stayed in touch with his young cousin, the queen.

Then one day Mordecai found out about a plot to assassinate the king.  He told Esther, who told the king, who had the men executed.  And the queen made sure that Mordecai got the credit.

Then there was a guy named Haman who quickly rose up in the ranks and next thing you know he was the right hand man to the king.  The king ordered everyone to honor Haman, even bow down to him.  And everyone did . . . except Mordecai.

So Haman hated Mordecai, and when he found out he was a Jew he came up with an evil plan – to eliminate all the Jews throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.

Haman told the king, “There is a certain people scattered throughout your kingdom that do not obey your laws.  I advise that you not tolerate this behavior.”

“Fine,” said the king, “do with them whatever you please.”

So Haman sent forth the order, in the king’s name, that every single Jew, young and old, male and female, would be killed, and all of their possessions plundered, on one specific day.

As the word got out, Jews everywhere wept.  And fasted.  And that included Mordecai. 

Then Mordecai sent word to the queen, “You need to go into the king’s presence and beg for the life of your people.”

“I can’t,” she said.  “Everyone who goes into the king’s presence without his invitation is killed, unless he extends the golden scepter.”

Mordecai replied, “Don’t think you will be spared just because you are in the king’s house.  If you remain silent, deliverance for the Jews will come from somewhere else, but you will perish.  And who knows?  Maybe you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this.”

“Okay,” the queen replied.  “Have all the Jews in the city fast for three days, and I and my maids will fast as well.  Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.  And if I perish, I perish.”

After three days of fasting the queen got all dressed up and went to the king’s hall.  When he saw her he was very pleased with her and held out the golden scepter.

She approached and touched the tip of the scepter, and the king said, “What is it, Queen Esther?  What is your request?  Even up to half the kingdom.”

Well the queen invited the king, and Haman, to a banquet.  And Haman was very excited, until he walked past Mordecai who, as always, did not bow. 

Haman went home and complained to his wife and friends who said, “Build a huge gallows, and go ask the king to hang Mordecai.”

Meanwhile, the king discovered that he had never properly thanked Mordecai for uncovering the assassination plot.  As the king was thinking of how to honor Mordecai, Haman walked in.

“How can I honor someone who truly needs to be honored?” the king said to Haman.  Well Haman thought he was talking about him, so he laid it on thick, listing all the great things the king should do to honor that man.

“Good,” said the king.  “Go and have all those things done . . . for Mordecai.”

Then came the queen’s special banquet with the king and Haman.  And the queen spilled the beans about Haman’s evil plot to kill the Jews. 

In the end, Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai.  And Mordecai was elevated to second in command under only the king himself.

And instead of being annihilated, the Jews declared a time of rejoicing.

And Jews to this day celebrate Purim each year, remembering the day they were delivered and their weeping was turned to joy.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

(Close with chorus from the Purim Song.)


© 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-

Jerusalem Will Be Trampled On Until... - Apples of Gold - October 27, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 27, 2009

“Jerusalem Will Be Trampled On Until…”

 

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

In Luke chapter 21, Jesus’ disciples marveled at the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem.

It was an awesome structure, built just a few years before by King Herod, with huge chiseled blocks of stone weighing around 30 tons each.

As they raved about the temple, Jesus sobered them up with this statement, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

That was a little hard to fathom, considering how massive the temple was, and that Jerusalem was a thriving city.

Then in verse 24 Jesus made this cryptic statement, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

What exactly did Jesus mean by that?  Well what we do know is that Jerusalem was thoroughly trampled on in 70 AD when Titus and his Roman legions destroyed much of the city, including the temple.

Around the year 135 the Roman Emperor Hadrian began to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city.  When the Jews revolted, he killed about half a million of them, then forbid all Jews from even entering Jerusalem except for one day a year.  That ban stayed pretty much in place for hundreds of years thereafter.

In the 300’s, Byzantine Emperor Constantine rebuilt Jerusalem as a Christian center of worship, and constructed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335.

In the 600’s, Arabs conquered Jerusalem, and Jews were allowed once again to live and worship in the city.

Around the turn of the millennium, the Arabs ordered the destruction of all the churches in Jerusalem.  At this time the Jews joined the Arabs in fighting against the Crusaders.

When the city fell, the Crusaders gathered all the Jews into the synagogue and burned it down. 

Jerusalem was recaptured by the Arabs in 1187, and for a time there was freedom of religion in the city.

In 1219 a sultan ordered the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem, leaving it defenseless.  During that century there was a steady stream of fighting and various factions controlled the city.  Eventually it was captured by the Egyptians. 

In the 1500’s, Jerusalem became part of the Ottoman Empire, and once again there was religious freedom in the city.  Not that they got along with each other, but you could find a church, synagogue and mosque on the same street.

By the mid-1800’s, the Ottoman Empire was declining, and Jerusalem was not much of a city, with maybe 8,000 residents. 

However, more and more Jews became interested in immigrating to Jerusalem, and Christians began sending missionaries.  Soon the city, of only one square kilometer, became overcrowded, and new settlements were formed on the outskirts.  Jerusalem was now a growing patchwork of ethnic communities.

In World War I, the British defeated the Turks in the Middle East, and on December 11, 1917 British General Sir Edmund Allenby took control of Jerusalem from the Ottomans.

The Arabs resented the British rule, and more and more Jews were immigrating to the city.  There were violent anti-Jewish riots in the 1920’s and 30’s, and the Jews organized their own defense forces. 

When it appeared that the British were aligning with the Arabs, the Jews attacked the British, and the violence escalated in the 30’s and 40’s.

After World War II, in 1947, the United Nations decided that Jerusalem would fall under international control.

At one point, however, Arabs cut off all the roads to Jerusalem and placed the Jewish population under siege.  The British grew more and more reluctant to intervene, and finally in 1948 they withdrew.

The British Mandate ended in May 1948, which marked the beginning of the Arab-Israeli War. 

After the war, Jerusalem was divided.  The western half of the new city became part of the newly formed state of Israel, while the eastern half, along with the old city, was annexed by Jordan.

In 1967, East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the Six Day War.  Since then, the status of East Jerusalem has remained highly controversial.

And that’s pretty much where Jerusalem is today.  Now I know that only scratches the surface of the history of Jerusalem, and I got all that information from Wikipedia.

But go back to the words of Jesus.  He said, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Have you ever seen a city that has been so trampled on for 2,000 years?  Yes, most cities have had their times of war, but Jerusalem has been a hotbed of conflict since Jesus walked its streets. 

And it will remain that way.  It will be a city that is trampled on by the Gentiles until…

Until I don’t know when, but Jesus said it.

Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until that fateful and awesome moment in history when “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”


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-

Come to Daddy - Apples of Gold - October 26, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 26, 2009

“Come to Daddy”

 

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

I did the same thing with all my kids.

I would stand them up in front of me, step back and say, “Come to Daddy.”

Then they would wobble and shake and finally plop down on their Pamper-padded posterior.

It took a few times, but finally they would take that first shaky step or two, then fall again.

Eventually they began walking, of course, so what did we do?  We put up little fences in the doorway.  And then what did I do? 

I would stand them up in front of the fence, then hike their little baby shoe up, you know, just to give them an idea, to open their mind to the possibilities.

I did the same with their crib.  “Oh, you don’t like being in the crib?  Here, give me your foot and let me show you something.”

This seems to be more of a dad thing, because as soon as I visit someone’s house and I take their baby’s foot and show them a thing or two it’s always the mom that squeals, “What are you doing?  Don’t give them any ideas.”

But I think this is my role as a dad, to open their eyes to the possibilities, then encourage them to go for it, to learn something, to master it.

It starts with simple things like teaching them to walk and climb out of the crib.  Then it graduates to things like riding a bike and eventually driving a car. 

I remember teaching my son to drive a stick-shift.  It was much the same as teaching him to walk.  “Come on, you can do this.  One step at a time.  Don’t give up.  Just keep trying.  You can do it.”

Do you recognize that pep talk?  We give it to them with their grades and sports and everything else.

It’s called encouragement, and it’s something we must offer our children every day.

In First Thessalonians 2 we find three ways that a father deals with his child, and the first thing it mentions is encouragement.  The King James uses the word “exhort.”  It means we support our kids, we inspire them and build up their confidence.

Dads, are you inspiring your children?  Are you building up their confidence?

How can you build up their confidence?  Well one way is with positive words.  Just last night my wife told our 20-year-old son, “You can do anything you set your mind to.”  Those are confidence-building words.

But you can use more than just words.  I like to build confidence by having them do something. 

For example, my daughter’s brake light went out.  Now I could have easily changed it for her, but instead I saw a chance to help her grow, to build her confidence.  I handed her the screwdriver and the light bulb.  I told her what to do, but she did the work herself. 

I remember when we bought our middle daughter a shelf for her bedroom, one of those you have to put together yourself.  I gave her the box and the tools and said, “All the instructions are in there.  Figure it out.”

Now some people might think that’s just lazy fathering, but that’s not it at all.  I would gladly have put it together for her, but then she would have only had a shelf.  Instead she ended up with a shelf, plus the confidence that came with doing it herself.  So a couple of shelves ended up backwards.  That only added to the memory!

So we are to encourage our children, and it’s something we never stop doing.

First Thessalonians 2:11 also mentions fathers comforting their children.  That may sound more like a mother’s role, but fathers should do it, too. 

And you know one great way a father comforts his children?  By being there.  I know many fathers end up being away due to their positions, but try to remedy that if you can.  Yesterday I heard of a dad who is gone five days a week.  Saturday I heard of a dad who has been living and working apart from his wife and child for six months.  That is no comfort to the child.  I say Dad, try to find a way to be there.  A father’s mere presence brings comfort to a child. 

It also brings comfort to a child when a dad sets a steady course.  He keeps his word.  He is reliable.  He is a sure foundation. 

So comforting is more than just wiping away a tear when they skin their knee.  Yes, that’s part of it, but it also includes things like listening to their teenage struggles, etc.    

So dads, be a comfort to your children.

And finally it talks about urging them to live lives worthy of God.  Yes, we urge them to walk, but more importantly we urge them to walk with the Lord.

It starts with little Bible stories at bedtime, and carries through urging them to live for the Lord through adolescence and fanning the flame on their own when they move out.

So that’s three points, especially for fathers, but applying to all parents. 

We are to encourage our children.  And we are to comfort them.  And we are to urge them to live lives worthy of the Lord.


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 Voice of the Good Shepherd - Apples of Gold - October 22, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 22, 2009

“The Voice of the Good Shepherd”

 

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

When my feet hit the floor, I say basically the same thing every day.

“Lord, I surrender myself to You today.  I want Your will to be done, not mine.  Please lead me and guide me and help me to follow You in all things.”

Each day is full of choices, so many paths – which ones are right?  Which ones are best?  God knows.  I don’t.

That is why I surrender myself to Him and His leadership everyday.  He is the Good Shepherd.  I am a humble sheep. 

Every day I need divine guidance.  Only God knows what lies ahead.  God sees everything that is going on in all the world, I don’t.  How can I make wise choices on my own when my data is so extremely limited?  That is why I must tap into the Lord’s divine guidance.

Here is one of my favorite stories of divine guidance, from First Kings chapter 17.

The prophet Elijah announced to King Ahab that there was going to be a long drought in the land.  Then God specifically told Elijah to head east and hide by a certain brook where he would have fresh water to drink, and God said, “I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.”

So Elijah stayed there for a while, and I wonder if he ever thought, “God, why do you have me hiding way out here in the middle of nowhere?”

Then Elijah’s source of fresh water dried up.  Now what?

Now the Lord told him to go to another place, and there a widow would provide his food.

If I was Elijah I would have thought, “Good.  A woman to feed me instead of birds.”  I would have pictured a wealthy widow with great means to provide for me during the drought.

But that was not the case.  Elijah went to the exact place the Lord told him only to find a very poor widow who was about to starve to death along with her son.

Now I wonder if Elijah ever thought, “Why am I here, so far from home?  And the woman who is supposed to feed me is about to starve to death herself.”

Well the widow had a handful of flower in a jar and a little bit of oil in a jug.  And long story short, God kept the jar and the jug from going empty for the duration of the drought.

So Elijah was provided for, but certainly not in the lap of luxury.  And he had to move twice, once way out in the country, and once to another country, to a place of poverty.

Can you see any logic in those two moves?  Can you connect the dots?  Could you plot those two places on a map and say, “Oh yes, it makes perfect sense that he went here then there.”

Not really.  In a way they were just two random spots on the map, yet two very specific places chosen by God.  Why?

Remember what I said earlier – God sees everything going on in the world.  We can try to make decisions based on logic and reason, but our data is limited.  It’s hard to make good choices with limited data.  But God has all the data, so to make the best decisions possible we need His divine guidance.

Elijah received God’s very specific guidance about where to go, and First Kings 18 sheds light on the situation. 

Later on Elijah came across Obadiah who had some very interesting news.  He told Elijah that King Ahab had been looking for him everywhere.  “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” Obadiah said, “there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you.  And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you.”

So with the resources of the whole kingdom behind him, why couldn’t Ahab find Elijah?  Because God Himself told Elijah exactly where to go!

That is the glory of divine guidance!

On his own Elijah probably would have been easy to find.  But as he listened to the Lord and did what He said, he was tucked away safely from the king’s manhunt.

Look, I know how limited I am.  I understand why I am called a sheep. 

But the good news is, we have a Good Shepherd in Jesus Christ.  And according to John 10, He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.  And He goes on ahead of them and they follow Him because they know His voice.

That’s what I want to be – a sheep that knows His voice and follows Him as He leads.

And that’s why I hit the floor every day and say, “Lord, I surrender myself to You today…Your will be done, not mine…”


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-

How Did I Know Which Church to Join? - Apples of Gold - October 21, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 21, 2009

“How Did I Know Which Church to Join?”

 

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

My wife and I came to Tallahassee so I could interview for the job at Wave 94. 

We had never been here before, and didn’t know a soul.

The station owners took us out to eat and drove us around on a Saturday afternoon.  And they pointed out several churches along the way.

That night my wife and I drove around on our own.  This would be our new home. 

Have you ever moved your family halfway across the country to a place where you don’t know anyone?  It’s a really big deal.

And part of the big deal is finding a church.  In a city full of churches, how can you possibly know which one is best for you and your family?  Do you write out your list of demands then go on the hunt? 

Yes, you should find a Bible-believing church that shares your core beliefs.  That knocks out a lot of them, but still leaves plenty to choose from. 

Then there is the worship style and kids programs and the preaching and the facility and location and service times.

Listen, you could go on and on with your demands, “Things you must have if you want me to come to your church.”

You know what?  That kind of thinking concerns me, because at what point am I making my decision in the flesh rather than the spirit?

Oh, that just changed the tone of the whole conversation, didn’t it?

But if anything is a spiritual matter, then choosing a church should be, right?  I don’t want to go where I want to go, I want to go where the Lord wants me to go.  He knows what is best, where my family’s needs will be met, and my family will be able to meet the needs of others.

So how did we do it when we rolled into Tallahassee?  Well here’s how it went.

That day that we drove around, I felt drawn to one particular church.

Okay, what does that mean, “drawn”? 

Well our entire move was a spiritual experience, surrendered to God.  We wanted His will, and His will alone.  We bathed our decisions in prayer.  We were seeking God’s wisdom in every detail, and expecting to receive it.

And honestly, and I know this won’t sound very spiritual, but I hadn’t given a minute’s thought to choosing a church.  I was only concerned with discerning if this was really God’s will for me to take this job and move to Tallahassee.

But I really had a sense that God was orchestrating things.  You might say it was kind of a “hyper-spiritual” time in our lives.  So my heart and mind were really sensitive, really open to this big thing that God seemed to be leading us into.

So like I said, I felt drawn to one particular church, so that Saturday night, as we drove around town, we drove back to that church and pulled in the parking lot.  As we sat there we saw people going in, so I said, “Well, let’s just go inside and take a look.”

People were going in, carrying food, so there was some kind of a get-together, but it was not a regular service.  We stepped inside and just stood there.  The people were going off to the back somewhere, but we didn’t dare venture in too far for fear of someone actually speaking to us, or worse yet, inviting us to join them.

We saw no sanctuary or auditorium.  All the doors were closed.  We heard no preaching or singing.  We met no leaders or greeters or ushers or deacons. 

And yet, as we were just standing there in that hallway, I heard a little voice say, “This is it.”

I believe that was the voice of the Holy Spirit inside me, letting me know that this was the church for us.

And just to show the impact of that decision on my family, my son ended up marrying a fine young lady from that church that he met in the youth group, and my oldest daughter is getting married next month to one of the worship leaders – their lives forever changed because of those three little words I heard in that hallway, “This is it.”

Earlier this week I talked about the Holy Spirit coming to live inside us when we are saved.  And one advantage of this is that the Holy Spirit actually speaks to us.

In the book of John, Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would be inside them and live with them.  He would teach them all things and testify about Jesus.  He would speak to them and guide them into all truth and even tell them what was yet to come.

Repeatedly in the New Testament we read things like, “The Holy Spirit said” and “compelled by the Spirit” and “sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,” and “The Spirit told me,” and “The Spirit clearly says.”

This is one of the most exciting and dynamic things about being a Christian.  This is not just another religion with a holy book.  This is Jesus making us right with God so that we can receive the Holy Spirit inside of us, and now the Spirit is there teaching and leading and guiding. 

The Holy Spirit speaks to us, leading us into the perfect will of God.

The only question is, are we listening?


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-

Christ Redeemed Us So That We Can Receive the Holy Spirit - Apples of Gold - October 19, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 19, 2009

“Christ Redeemed Us So That We Can Receive the Holy Spirit”

 

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

Why did you get saved?  Why did you become a Christian?

Was it to get your “fire insurance?”  Was it because you had a “heaven to gain and a hell to shun?”

Was it to take care of your sin and guilt and find forgiveness?

Was it for the fresh start, to be “born again?”

Or maybe you aren’t even sure why.  Maybe you were at a service and you just felt strangely drawn.

Well let’s look at Galatians 3:14.  Look at the opening words to this verse:  “He redeemed us in order that…”

When you see the phrase “in order that,” you know that what’s coming up is a reason.  Why did Christ redeem us?  Here is the reason. 

Now I’m going to share the entire verse, and it gets convoluted, so bear with me.  Galatians 3:14 in its entirety says, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Yes, there’s a lot packed into that verse, about like the MapQuest directions from my house to the capitol.  So instead of following every turn, let’s focus on the start and the finish.

That verse starts with, “He redeemed us in order that…”  And it ends with, “…we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

So here it is, in a simplified way.  “Christ redeemed us so that we can receive the Holy Spirit.”

Have you ever thought about it that way?  Why did Jesus save me?  So I could receive His Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4:6 says, “…God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts…”

This was foretold by Jesus in John 14.  The Holy Spirit is called the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, and Jesus said He “will be in you.”

The Bible talks about being filled with the Spirit and baptized with the Spirit and receiving the Spirit.  Acts 10:45 talks about “the gift of the Holy Spirit” being “poured out.”

In Acts 19:2 Paul asked the Ephesians, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

Ephesians 3:16 talks about God’s Spirit in our “inner being.” 

Second Corinthians 1:22 says that God “put His Spirit in our hearts…”

First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

First Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

So think about that simplified version of Galatians 3:14, “Christ redeemed us so that we can receive the Holy Spirit.”

Now let me talk about my goals in raising my children.  In the long run, I’m not going to be around to help them make wise decisions.  I can’t follow them everywhere.  I can’t advise them in every situation. 

And even if I was, I don’t know the best thing to say, or the best way to say it.  A dad can easily give a lecture that young ears don’t hear.

Plus, they grow up and move out.  Then they make almost every decision on their own, only consulting you once in a while.

And eventually I will be dead and gone.  I couldn’t give advice even if they wanted it.

So what is my goal?  What is my hope that their lives will turn out all right?

It is that the Holy Spirit of God dwells within them. 

Christ redeemed them so they could receive His Holy Spirit – and that is the best hope I could have for my children – that the Spirit of God would live inside them!

And the same is true as we make disciples in our churches.  The best thing that can happen to them is to receive the Holy Spirit. 

And the same is true for me.  I need to be filled with Holy Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to live by the Spirit.  We need to be led by the Spirit in all things.

The Spirit of God will give us wisdom.  Jesus said in John 16 that the Spirit will guide us into all truth.

Listen to this list of good things we will have through the Holy Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Galatians 5:22 calls these the “fruit of the Spirit.”

In John 7 Jesus said the Spirit will be like streams of living water flowing from within us.  Yes, from within us, because that’s where the Holy Spirit is – inside us!

Have you ever heard someone talk about having a personal relationship with God?  This is what it is – the Holy Spirit living inside you. 

This is what I want for my children, my best guarantee that they will have all they need.  This is what I want for new believers who are trying to figure out what to do with their new Christian lives.  It’s what I want for everyone – for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

It’s a main reason we were redeemed in the first place.

Just like it says in that simplified version of Galatians 3:14, “Christ redeemed us so that we can receive 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-

It's Hard to Play the Harmony (But It Makes For Beautiful Music) - Apples of Gold - October 16, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 16, 2009

“It’s Hard to Play the Harmony (But It Makes For Beautiful Music)”

 

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

Have you ever heard “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond?

You know that’s not the only version of the song.  There was another version by the Waverly Elementary School Band.

I doubt that version is on iTunes, but I remember it well.  I was just learning to play trumpet – and let me just say to all those parents out there who go to elementary school band concerts:  “What are you thinking?”  Is there anything worse than a grade school band concert?

Well actually, there is.  It’s listening to your child practice his trumpet part at home.

And there’s even something worse than that.  If he was playing a nice little chorus of “Sweet Caroline,” well at least you would recognize the tune.

But in my case, since I was not a “first trumpet,” I didn’t even get to play the melody.  It was just some awful, unrecognizable harmony part.

And let me tell you, I hated that.  I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t like it.  It said “Sweet Caroline” at the top of the page, but when I played the notes it didn’t sound anything like “Sweet Caroline.”  It just sounded dumb.

In my heart I rebelled against the whole idea.  If I’m going to play a song, then I want every note to sound just like the singer on the radio.

Obviously I had no understanding of the word harmony.

And it took quite a while to sink in, that my part was just one part of the overall presentation.

The first time I remember actually appreciating harmony was when our family went to a show at a high school and there was a barbershop quartet.  I was fascinated by what those guys did with their voices.  One would sing, then another would join in, then one went real high, then another went real low – all different parts, but all sounding great together.

On the flip side, have you ever heard people get up and sing and there is no harmony, everyone just sings the melody together?

Yes, maybe that means that everyone gets to sing their favorite part, but listen to this.

Without harmony there is no depth.

The melody may be catchy, but the melody alone is thin and shallow. 

I remember a guy playing a song for me one time.  He wrote it and produced it, and he admitted he was no music producer.  Well the first thing I noticed was that the keyboard was playing the melody even as the singer sang the melody.  Instead of the keyboard complementing the singer, they just played the same thing.

Music is really shallow when there is no harmony.  It’s limited.  The melody alone can be good, but add harmony and it becomes awesome.

Go see the best singers in the world.  Do they stand up there alone and sing?  No, they bring along back up singers and musicians.  The place is full of people adding depth to the presentation.

And notice this.  There are always a lot more harmony parts than there are melody parts. 

Now why am I going on and on about this?

Because it applies so well to our lives. 

First Peter 3:8 says, “…all of you, live in harmony with one another…”

Back in my Waverly days there was a popular song:  “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.”

It wasn’t so much about singing, but about living in harmony. 

Living in harmony doesn’t mean we all become identical.  We still have our individual parts, but we work to blend them all together.

And it is work.  Anyone who has ever played in a band or been part of a concert can tell you, it’s a lot of work.  That barbershop quartet put in untold hours of work to create that pitch-perfect harmony.

Playing a harmony part doesn’t come naturally.  It’s harder to learn and you don’t get the recognition.  You aren’t front and center on the stage.  But when we willingly and skillfully play our harmony parts, it adds so much depth to our lives.

We need harmony in our home and harmony in our marriage.  Parents and children need to be in harmony.  We need harmony in our churches and businesses and government. 

But that’s hard to do if everyone wants to be the melody.  It’s the old cliché, “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”

Yes, sometimes your part is the melody.  You take the lead.

But most of the time we are playing along with the band, finding just the right harmony part to turn the whole thing into beautiful music.


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-

There Were Impurities in the Marriage - Apples of Gold - October 15, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 15, 2009

“There Were Impurities in the Marriage”

 

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

Here is what God would say to you today.

“Please be holy.”

First Peter 1:15 says, “…be holy in all you do…”

This week I received a depressing e-mail.  There is an old friend of mine that I lost contact with many years ago.  I asked someone who lives in his town, “Whatever happened to so-and-so?”  She said he got married and had four kids.  Then they divorced and he married another woman.

For some reason that news has been following me around like a little black cloud all week. 

We were childhood friends.  When you’re a kid, your whole life is before you and the future is bright.  There’s a purity, an innocence, and lots of hope.

It’s kind of like that at the start of a romantic relationship.  It’s exciting!  There are high hopes.  The sky’s the limit!

And then what happens?  What happened to my friend?  How can we fast forward 40 years to a broken home, a broken marriage, a broken family?

I don’t know any details, but I do know this.  Impurity sneaked in.  There were impurities in the marriage. 

Impurities weaken. 

It’s something we all learned in chemistry class.  Impurities weaken crystal structures and lower their melting points. 

Now don’t miss that.  I know you may have slept through chemistry class, but listen.  If you have a pure metal on one side, and a metal with impurities on the other side, the metal with the impurities can’t stand as much heat. 

The same is true in our own lives.  If we allow impurities into our lives, we melt faster.  It takes less heat to break us up.

Second Corinthians 7:1 says, “…let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates…”

Do you want to be strong?  Do you want a strong marriage?  A strong home?  A strong family?  Do you just want to be a strong person?  Then purify yourself from everything that contaminates.  The more pure you are, the more heat you can take without melting into a pathetic puddle of ruin.

There are some things I can’t listen to because I can feel them contaminating me.  There are things I can’t watch and things I can’t read.  There are thoughts I can’t think.

Now I know that the American way is freedom.  And I know that what I’m advocating sounds like – now here comes a dirty word, at least what some Americans consider the dirtiest word of all – censorship. 

Yes, I believe in personal censorship.  We censor out of our lives the things that contaminate. 

When we don’t, then impurities sneak in, and we grow weak.

First Timothy 5:22 says, “Keep yourself pure.”

Well you can’t let impurities in and keep yourself pure at the same time.  Yes, we live in a very impure world, but James 1:27 warns us:  don’t be polluted by the world.

And remember, impurities don’t just come from “out there” somewhere.  We can come up with impure thoughts all by ourselves, with no help from anyone.  Back to James 1 where it says that we are dragged away by our own evil desires.

So what can we do?

James 4:8 has good advice.  We should draw near to God, and He will draw near to us.  Then in His presence we will clearly see our impurities and be able to purify our hearts.

How?  By confessing our impurities.  First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

And how can we keep our lives pure?

Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to Your word.”  Then verse 11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

I want to be a Psalm 24 man, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart…”

Hebrews 12:14 tells us to make every effort to be holy.

Second Peter 3:14 says we should make every effort to be spotless and blameless.

These impurities in our lives, we allow them in…to our peril.  They weaken us.  They lower our melting point. 

So strengthen your marriage.  Strengthen your home.  Strengthen your family.  Strengthen yourself and your walk with God.  Be the strong person you are meant to be.

Do it by purifying yourself from everything that contaminates.

This is what God would say to you today.

“Please be holy.”


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-

For Those Who Did You Dirty - Apples of Gold - October 12, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 12, 2009

“For Those Who Did You Dirty”

 

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

My son is teaching a series on spiritual training.

He sent me a text message asking what I thought were the most important areas of spiritual training.

I sent him a list of all the usual suspects.  I mean, what do you think of when you think of spiritual training?  Bible study.  Prayer.  Worship.  Fasting.  Giving.  Loving your neighbor.  Obedience.

And then I mentioned a subject that I think is super important in spiritual training:  forgiveness.

Recently Shane Little, who owns Papa Johns here in Tallahassee, was in the studio talking about the changes the Lord has made in his life.  And he said the biggest change as far as relationships go is that he now has the desire and the ability to forgive people.

Before, he said, he was very prone to hold a grudge.  If you did him wrong, then he was going to remember it and hold it against you.  There was basically a bitterness toward those who he thought did him dirty.

But becoming a born again Christian changed that.  “The people in my life will tell you,” he said, “there’s a dramatic, drastic change.”

What makes him so willing to forgive now, where it was so difficult before?

“It’s a very simple reason,” he said.  “I can’t imagine why God would forgive me for what He’s forgiven me of, He’s forgiven me for so much.  So based on that, I don’t know how I couldn’t forgive.”

And that’s exactly how we are supposed to feel about it.  As Christians, the Lord has forgiven us so much, how could we do anything but forgive others?

Colossians 3:13 states it very simply.  “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32 tells us to forgive each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us.

So it’s pretty clear what we are supposed to do.  Forgive people.

But that’s not enough for some people.  They want more guidelines, maybe even some loopholes.

And maybe that’s what Peter was looking for, because in Matthew 18 he asked Jesus, “How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?  Up to seven times?”

This was the springboard for Jesus’ “Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.”  A man owed the king more than he could possibly repay, so the king ordered that the man and his family be sold as slaves to repay the debt.  The man begged for mercy, and the king forgave his entire debt and set him free.

So far so good.  But the man turned right around and demanded payment from another man who owed him much, much less.  That man begged for mercy, but he refused and had him thrown into prison.

Well the king heard about this, called that first man back in, and restored his debt!  He was thrown into prison and tortured until he should pay back all he owed.

That’s the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, and what’s the lesson for us?  That we must forgive as we have been forgiven.

So back to spiritual training.  How can we train people to forgive?

One key is to never forget that God has forgiven us.  We must keep one eye on that.  We didn’t deserve forgiveness from God, and we certainly didn’t earn it.  Jesus Himself paid the price for our forgiveness, not us.  And the price was His own precious blood. 

So we receive forgiveness simply because of the grace and mercy of God.  And that is how others should receive forgiveness from us.  Not because they deserve it or earn it, but simply out of grace and mercy.

And one thing that will help us be gracious and merciful to others is to keep one eye on God’s grace and mercy toward us.  It’s a pay-it-forward kind of thing.  God forgave us, so we forgive others.

And if we don’t forgive?

Jesus answered that in the Sermon on the Mount, right after the Lord’s Prayer.  In Matthew 6:15 He said, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

In Mark 11:25 Jesus said, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

In Luke 6:37 Jesus said, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Does that mean if I don’t forgive someone, then I won’t be forgiven by God?  Well, there is a lot of teaching that dances all around that subject, but if you take it at face value, in plain English, what does it sound like?

But I say, why look for loopholes?  Why try to drill down into it and figure out if Jesus meant this, that or the other?

It’s completely obvious what God wants us to do.  He wants us to forgive people who have sinned against us.

And when we do, we open the door for so much more joy and peace and blessings from the Lord!

So when we talk about spiritual training, I think this belongs in the foundation somewhere.

Based on the immense debt that God has forgiven us, we must teach people the importance of forgiving others.


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-