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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for December 31, 2011
“How to Have a Better Life in 2012”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“I literally pictured my hand grabbing him by the throat.”
That’s what a friend told me about his recent golf outing.
They were together in a golf cart when the other guy started provoking him.
Now you need to know that my friend has a somewhat violent past. He’s not a killer, but he was a fighter – prone to solve problems with his fists.
And now this man was provoking him, and what popped into his head?
“I pictured myself grabbing him by the neck,” he said, “throwing him out of the golf cart and giving him the beating he was asking for.”
Now you also need to know that my friend is a born again Christian. He has the Spirit of God inside of him, so while his flesh was picturing a pummeling, the Spirit of God was steering him towards righteousness.
The image in his mind changed. He stopped thinking about throwing the guy out of the golf cart, and started thinking about what would happen if he did, such as going to jail.
He decided to take the righteous path, and spared himself a load of sorrow.
That’s just one example of what I call “the blessings of the righteous.”
David wrote in Second Samuel 22, “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.”
If we keep our hands clean, so to speak, God blesses us.
That sounds obvious, I know, but a man asked me just the other day, “Does God really bless people for being good?”
I said, “Of course He does. The Bible says it over and over.”
I’ve been reading through the book of Proverbs and, as expected, I found many references to wisdom and knowledge. But another word kept coming up, too; the word “righteous.”
Even the secular world appreciates wisdom and knowledge, but righteousness?
Here’s one example. Proverbs 13:21 says, “...to the righteous, good shall be repaid.”
I just heard about yet another couple going through a divorce. It’s causing great sorrow, but they didn’t build their home on God’s righteousness, and now the family is being torn apart.
Recently I received a kind of backward compliment about my family. A woman said, “Your family is not dysfunctional.”
If my family is not dysfunctional, I think one reason is the blessing of the righteous. We aren’t as righteous as we ought to be, but to the degree that we are, we are receiving the blessing of the righteous.
Proverbs 11:28 says, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.”
Psalm 92:12 says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…”
Righteousness means living according to God’s rules and principles. If we deal in truth instead of lies, for example, we are taking the righteous path, which is the blessed path.
If we deal in love instead of hate; if we deal in morality instead of immorality; if we deal in justice instead of corruption, we will be blessed.
Psalm 5:2 says, “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous…”
I just heard about a men’s accountability group, and they really take it to the next level. They are so serious about holding each other accountable that they even go into each others’ homes and interview their wives and children.
Why? To find out what is really going on. The goal is to find any cracks in the spiritual foundation so they can be fixed before they get worse.
This is voluntary, by the way, so don’t be picturing some church Gestapo. It’s just serious Christian men who want to prevent problems and receive the blessings of the righteous.
“But Doug, no one is righteous.”
That’s right. In God’s eyes, on our own, none of us is truly righteous. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one...”
It is through faith in Christ that righteousness is imparted to us.
And then what are we supposed to do?
Romans 6 tells us to make ourselves instruments of righteousness.
First John 3:7 says, “…let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous…”
First and Second Timothy both say to “…pursue righteousness…”
Second Timothy talks about being instructed in righteousness.
We are to practice and pursue and instruct and make ourselves instruments of righteousness.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
So do you want a better life in 2012?
Then pursue and practice the righteousness of God in all areas of your life, and you will receive the blessing of the righteous.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2011 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
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 926-8000
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