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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for November 6, 2009
“Master and Commander”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
As I write Apples of Gold, I really, really don’t want it to be my ideas.
I don’t want to travel the usual routes for inspiration.
Sure, I could make stuff up everyday. I could pick a verse, any verse, and expound on it; and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
But what I hope and pray and seek God for is His inspiration. I want that divine spark of creativity.
I don’t want the feeble spark that comes from the flick of a Bic. I want the blazing spark from the Lord’s hammer on the anvil!
I don’t want to paddle around the pond in my little skiff. I want to sail the seas with orders from the Master Commander!
And I love that title for the Lord: Master Commander. There was a movie out a few years ago called “Master and Commander” and I thought, “Boy, that guy must really be in charge.”
But you know, there really is someone that is that much in charge, Master with a capital M. Matthew 23:8 says, “…you have only one Master…”
Colossians 4:1 talks about our “Master in heaven.” God is the Master Commander, and we are accountable to Him.
Second Timothy 2 indicates that we should make ourselves “useful to the Master.”
Now here is a new word for you: Epistates. It’s a Greek word for master which only shows up in the book of Luke, and it points out the Lord’s authority. So let’s see what we can learn from this handful of times Jesus is called Master.
The first time is in Luke 5. Peter and his fellow fishermen had worked all night and caught nothing. They came ashore and cleaned their nets and I’m sure they were beat.
Then Jesus – a carpenter not a fisherman, by the way – said to Peter, “Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.”
Peter said, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
And they ended up catching so many fish that they had to call out a second boat to hold them all.
And it all came after Peter recognized Jesus as “Master.” The Master told him what to do, and even though it didn’t make sense to him, he did it. Why? Because Peter recognized Jesus as Master. And we should do the same.
The second time Jesus was called Master in the book of Luke is in chapter eight. The disciples were sailing, Jesus fell asleep in the boat, and a squall swept over them. It was so bad that the veteran fishermen feared for their life.
They finally woke Jesus and said, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Jesus got up and showed a new facet of His authority. He rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and the storm subsided.
And the disciples said to one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water…”
Maybe they lacked faith, but they knew enough in their distress to call on Jesus, the Master and Commander. And we should do the same.
Later on in chapter eight Jesus was again called Master. It was after the woman with the issue of blood pressed through the crowd to get to Jesus. She touched His garment and was immediately healed.
What I get out of that story is that I should press through to the Master who can help me with my problems.
Jesus is called Master again in Luke nine when, miraculously, Elijah and Moses showed up in what we call the Transfiguration. It surprised the daylights out of Peter, James and John because, for all they knew, it was just another normal time of prayer with the Master.
And that’s the way it happens sometimes. You spend time with the Master and you just never know what’ll happen!
In Luke 9:49 Jesus is again called Master, this time by John. He said, “Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
What I get out of that is, when we have problems and we take them to the Master, He can put things in perspective and help us see the big picture. He knows what’s important and what isn’t.
And finally we have some lepers in Luke 17 who called out “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
And we can do the same. In our distress we should humble ourselves and call out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
So are you tired of Christian-life-as-usual? Well maybe it’s time to stop paddling around in your own little skiff.
Maybe it’s time to set sail on the high seas, live the adventurous life that comes from really following the Master and Commander!
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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