To listen to the radio version, click here.
To search archives, click here.
Apples of Gold
Radio Script for December 28, 2009
“Real Freedom in 2010”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I was sitting in the lobby of the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
It’s the home of the Chicago Tribune as well as WGN radio.
It’s a beautiful old neo-gothic building, and the lobby has these high walls with sayings carved in stone.
Well it caught my eye that one of the sayings was a Bible verse.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” St. John 8:32
That’s a good saying for a newspaper. Reporters should be uncovering truth and reporting it to us. What are government officials up to? What about corporate giants? What is going on behind closed doors that affects us all? We need to know the truth.
And the truth shall make us free.
Well how does the truth make us free?
Think of it like this. Knowing the truth is like walking through a building in broad daylight. You can see where everything is and easily get around. Your choices are easy and obvious.
In broad daylight, you can move about freely.
But not knowing the truth is like walking through a dark building. You run into things, you stub your toe, you whack your knee; and your choices are not clear.
In the darkness you cannot move about freely.
So how does the truth make us free? It tells us how things really are so we can make decisions accordingly.
I remember as a kid when a TV show came on called “Scared Straight.” It started with some kids who basically thought it was cool to be bad – but the road they were on was headed for prison – so they actually took the kids and introduced them to prisoners.
The prisoners then painted a terrible but truthful picture of prison life, and for most of the kids, it worked. They were scared straight.
What happened was, the truth set them free. They learned how things really were, and their choices became easy and obvious.
Now back to the lobby of the Tribune Tower. Like I said, right there on the wall it quotes John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
The problem is, that is only a partial quote.
Isn’t that interesting? Their own quote about the truth is only a partial truth!
Here is that quote of Jesus in its entirety. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Okay, so the truth will set us free. That’s a good thing. But how can we know the truth? Can we trust the newspaper to tell us how things really are when they didn’t even give us the full truth on that quote?
Well Jesus told us how we can know the truth. He said, “If you hold to my teaching…then you will know the truth…”
It’s described as a three-step process. First you hold to Jesus’ teaching, then you will know the truth, then the truth will set you free.
So as I ask so often, what is my part in that process?
My part is to hold to Jesus’ teaching.
I understand why the Tribune Company left that out. It got real religious real fast.
But nonetheless, it’s true. We have to start with Jesus’ teaching. We believe it and put it into practice.
This is an act of faith. We simply trust Jesus. We take Him at His word.
That’s what I’ve tried to do with my life. That’s what I’m trying to do, to hold to Jesus’ teaching.
And this is what I’ve found. It sets me free!
For example, we were talking the other day about people who hold on to petty grievances, which leads to the question, “Why don’t I hold on to petty grievances?”
I think it’s because, by holding onto Jesus’ teaching, I can see the truth and the truth sets me free.
Now I’ve certainly not arrived, but I can sure see this at work in so many areas. As I hold to Jesus’ teaching, it brings about more and more freedom. It’s like fresh air for the mind and heart. It’s like walking through a house on a clear sunny day.
This is the time for New Year’s resolutions, so here is one I highly recommend. Study the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Dive into the teachings of Jesus, then put them into practice.
And as you move through 2010 you will find a wonderful thing happening. You will be coming to know the truth, and the truth will be setting you free.
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