Apples of Gold

Don't Glorify Old Sins - Apples of Gold - January 9, 2012 -vi-

2012-01-09T12:18:00.001-05:00

Click here to listen to the radio version.

Apples of Gold

Radio Script for January 9, 2012

“Don’t Glorify Old Sins”

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

I dreamt that my children were children again.

There was a variety of people in someone’s home, a family-friendly affair.

I was sitting at the head of a table with two men on my right, two of my children on the left, and others milling around.

I and my children were listening as the two men, a bit younger than I, were bantering. Suddenly one of the men said to the other, “You did drugs.” The other said, “Well so did you,” and off they went, telling tales of the glory days, about run-ins with police and all the excitement and fun they had during the drug period of their lives.

Meanwhile, my children were soaking up the stories. I said, “Hey guys, let’s talk about something else,” as I nodded toward the children. They took the hint and that was that.

It was just a dream, but it tapped into some things I feel strongly about.

First of all, I don’t believe in glorifying old sins. If it was sinful, if it grieved the heart of God, if it grieved your parents, don’t revel in it. If God saved you from it, don’t rehash it like it was the good old days.

Look, I’m sure some funny things happened when you were drunk and high. And I’m sure some sad and pathetic things happened, too. My advice is to apply the advice of Paul in the book of Philippians, forget what is in the past, and press on towards what Christ Jesus has for you. (Philippians 3)

I know a Christian man who inexplicably went back to drinking after he had been saved and sober for many years. He had even been a teacher and a worship leader. How does that happen?

I think one reason can be the glorifying of old sinful behavior. If you tell the old tales like it was the best days of your life, at some point you may start believing it.

“Well Doug, why would a Christian talk about the old days like they were so good if they weren’t?”

I think there are several reasons. One is selective memory. Sometimes we gut the bad parts out of our memories – the empty feelings, the betrayals, the hurts, the shame, the sense of going nowhere.

Another is not filling your life with something better. If you used to party hardy on Friday nights, and now you just sit at home with an afghan on your lap, the old life can seem pretty attractive.

God has better plans than that. There is a world to change, a gospel to share, light to be shone, people to love. The Lord wants to make massive changes in this world through us, and sitting at home isn’t going to cut it.

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop, according to the old saying, and idle hands are the devil’s tools. That’s not in the Bible, of course, but there is some truth to it.
There really is a devil, and he really is a liar, a cheat and a killer. That’s what Jesus said in John 8:44.

I don’t know exactly what the devil and demons are doing, but it’s easy to picture them tempting Christians to go back to the old slop; and this sounds like a good formula for it:

1. Laugh a lot about the old party days while leaving out the sad parts.

2. Don’t fill your life with more worthy, Godly pursuits.

3. Listen to the lies that sin actually has something good to offer.

Now let’s go back to my dream. The men were laughing about their old druggie days. That was the first thing I feel strongly about.

The second thing I feel strongly about is watching what we say in front of the children.

Adult stories impact children. They become bigger than life in their little minds.

The other day I was talking to a detective. He was talking about people literally drowning to death on a dance floor. How is that possible? He said they take certain drugs that are popular these days, and they feel so dehydrated that they frantically drink water in a way that literally fills their lungs and they drown.

As he told me this, I was instantly taken back to a story an adult told me when I was a child. It was a fictional tale about a man who was cursed to drown, so he took a train into the middle of the desert where it would be impossible to drown. He suddenly dropped dead on the train. The cause of death? Da-da-da-dummmmm…drowning.

I’ve heard a million stories since then that I can’t recall, but I’m telling you, the stories we hear as children stick with us.

“Doug, what’s your point?” The point is that we need to watch what we say in front of the children. Lessons and values and truths are passed along through our stories.

If you are a Christian, beware of sitting around and laughing about your party times. You are sending a strong message to your children, whether you realize it or not.

Better to build a great legacy of stories about what the Lord has done in your life, and what He is doing through your life to make a difference in other lives.

And if you don’t have many stories like that, it’s time to get a hold of God and see what you should be doing.

Children are going to soak up your stories and learn from them.

The question is – what stories are you telling?

Comments?

E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2012 Doug Apple
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 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.”)

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

How to Have a Better Life in 2012 - Apples of Gold - December 31, 2011 -vi-

2011-12-31T11:15:00.001-05:00

Click here to listen to the original radio version.

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
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
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic - Apples of Gold - December 26, 2011 *56 singles

2011-12-26T14:59:00.000-05:00

Apples of Gold

Radio Script for December 26, 2011

“Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic”

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

Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Have you heard that before?

It means the Titanic is sinking. You have better things to do than arrange the chairs.

It sounds obvious, but we do it all the time.

I don’t mean the ship is always sinking. I mean that we focus on small things while great things are swirling around us.

For example, that time period between a couple’s engagement and wedding. We spend a lot of time and money preparing for the wedding, while the marriage – which is the big ship in this picture – gets little or no attention.

It’s the little things versus the big things. The wedding is a little thing. The marriage is the big thing.

There are other ways of saying this: “majoring in minors,” “can’t see the forest for the trees,” “seeing the big picture.”

I heard one businessman describe his life this way. He said he spent many years climbing the ladder of success, but when he got to the top he realized the ladder was leaning against the wrong building. He was so busy climbing that he never really asked, “What is waiting for me at the top of this ladder?”

If you get the deck chairs just the way you want them, but the boat sinks, what good is it?

If you clean your dorm room when you should be studying for finals…

If you rack up debt just to buy Christmas gifts…

If you beat up your husband for leaving the toothbrush on the counter…

There are many ways we major in minors.

When you smoke…at all!

There’s a great story in First Kings chapter 12. King Solomon died and left his son Rehoboam with an awesome kingdom. The kingdom was built on the backs of the people, however, and when Solomon died they wanted relief.

They pled their case to the king, and wisely he said, “Come back in three days.”

Rehoboam consulted the wise men who served his father, and they said, “If you serve these people today, and give them a good answer, they will be your servants forever.”

The wise men were looking at the big picture. Give them something they want today, and they will serve you forever.

But Rehoboam didn’t like that advice, and turned to his peers, who said, “Tell the people you are bigger and stronger and badder than your old man ever was!”

And they told Rehoboam to use this famous line. “My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!”

So what happened? Rehoboam missed the big picture. For the most part his kingdom became a Titanic. The people rebelled, the nation split in two, and Rehoboam fled for his life.

It’s easy to see when others miss the big picture, but how are we missing the big picture? How are we rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?

Jesus said it this way. “You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

In Matthew 23 He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matter of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

Can you imagine paying tithes on your spices? Can you imagine being given a little free packet of pepper at Wendy’s, and pinching out a tenth of it to pay tithes? But the Pharisees did it. They were tithing on spices – but ignoring justice and mercy and faith.

So the question is, how are we doing that? How are we neglecting the weightier matters? Are we tithing our spices but neglecting our neighbors?

One thing we do is focus on how we look on the outside, while rotting on the inside.

Jesus called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs: white on the outside, but inside full of dead men’s bones.

Proverbs 11:22 says, “A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.”

She’s got it going on on the outside, but without godly character, her beauty is just a little gold ring in a pig’s snout. And you know how Jews felt about pigs.

To look good on the outside but neglect the inside is to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30) Charm and beauty are little things. Fearing the Lord is the big thing.

Have you read about “Corban” in Mark chapter seven? People would take money meant for their parents and give it to the Lord instead. The Pharisees loved it, but Jesus railed against it. They were missing the big picture, which was to honor their father and mother.

In Mark 7:13 Jesus concluded, “And you do many things like that.”

So the question is, how are we doing that? How are we straining gnats and swallowing camels?

How do we major in minors and miss the forest for the trees?

It’s something we need to think about, and pray about.

“Lord, am I rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?”

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
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
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 926-8000

Slave of Sin - Apples of Gold - July 6, 2011 -vi-

2011-07-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

Apples of Gold

Don't Glorify Old Sins - Apples of Gold - January 9, 2012 -vi-

How to Have a Better Life in 2012 - Apples of Gold - December 31, 2011 -vi-

Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic - Apples of Gold - December 26, 2011 *56 singles

Slave of Sin - Apples of Gold - July 6, 2011 -vi-

What Easter Means to Me - Apples of Gold - April 22, 2011 -vi-

I Was 28 and I Owned a Beer Joint - Apples of Gold - April 18, 2011 -vi-

Can You Hear the Prophetic Voice? - Apples of Gold - April 6, 2011 -vi-

Make Your Decisions at the Altar - Apples of Gold - March 25, 2011 -vi-

Living the Most Excellent Way - Apples of Gold - March 23, 2011 -vi-

Thoughts I Refuse to Entertain - Apples of Gold - March 11, 2011 -vi-

Hannah Montana Destroyed My Family - Apples of Gold - February 23, 2011 -vi-

Blessed is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord - Apples of Gold - February 22, 2011 -vi-

He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future - Apples of Gold - February 21, 2011 -vi-

The Cure for Most Arguments - Apples of Gold - February 18, 2011 -vi-

Why Did the World Hate Jesus? - Apples of Gold - February 16, 2011 -vi-

Love is the Power Position - Apples of Gold - February 15, 2011 -vi-

Our Nation's Fabric of Integrity - Apples of Gold - February 8, 2011 -vi-

Alcohol Hinders Holiness - Apples of Gold - February 7, 2011 -vi-

This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life - Apples of Gold - February 4, 2011 -vi-

Are You Like a Kid in a Car Seat? - Apples of Gold - February 3, 2011 -vi-

It's Time to Detassel - Apples of Gold - January 31, 2011 -vi-

Here's Something That Really is "of the Devil" - Apples of Gold - January 27, 2011 -vi-

How Can God Work On You If You Won't Stay Put? - Apples of Gold - January 25, 2011 -vi-

You Might Be Covetous If... - Apples of Gold - January 24, 2011 -vi-

Let's Talk About Your Zodiac Tattoo - Apples of Gold - January 21, 2011 -vi-

How Can You Think Deeply With All That Noise? - Apples of Gold - January 19, 2011 -vi-

Beware What You Pour Into the Family River - Apples of Gold - January 18, 2011 -vi-

What is an Evangelist? - Apples of Gold - January 14, 2011 -vi-

Who Is Your Favorite Theologian? - Apples of Gold - January 12, 2011 -vi-

Purity: Don't Wait Until You Notice - Apples of Gold - January 11, 2011 -vi-

Hard Pressed On Every Side - Apples of Gold - January 10, 2011 -vi-

With the Measure You Use It Will Be Measured to You - Apples of Gold - January 7, 2011 -vi-

Are You Taking This For Granted? - Apples of Gold - January 6, 2011 -vi-

You Can't Unsee Something - Apples of Gold - January 5, 2011 -vi-

The Poison in Your Past - Apples of Gold - January 3, 2011 -vi-

The Termagant Wife - Apples of Gold - December 17, 2010 -vi-

We Thrive or We Wither - Apples of Gold - December 15, 2010 -vi-