A Santa Bag Full of Strife - Apples of Gold - June 25, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 25, 2008

“A Santa Bag Full of Strife”

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

So we were sitting around the dinner table the other night, and I noticed the young man to my right was horking down his food.

I said, “Does it taste good?”

“Yep.”

“How do you know?  It’s going straight down your throat.”

I told him to slow down, then I decided to show him how it should go.  I made a big production out of taking a bite and saying, “Mmmmmmm.  Enjoy the flavor of every bite.”

Then I did it a couple more times, you know, to drive the lesson home.

“Mmmmmmmmmmm,” I said.

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!”

Well that last “Mmmm” finally crossed my wife’s irritation threshold.

“Alright,” she said, “You made your point and now you’re killing it.”

Then my youngest daughter piped in, “Yeh, Dad, really…”

So I turned to my wife, and I wasn’t smiling.  I waved my hand toward my daughter and said, “See – you start it and she just reflects your attitude.”

The little Christian family dinner was turning into the Sopranos.

Then a little sound changed everything.  We all stopped when the young man to my right, with food in his mouth and a twinkle in his eye, said, “Mmmmmmm!”

And that was that.  Peace was restored and we went on to enjoy a nice meal and a happy rest-of-the-day.

Now listen to the role that young man played.  He played the role of peacemaker.  It was a bit of genius really, and we can all learn a lot from what he did.

So here’s the question.  What do we do when suddenly the peace is broken?  How do we respond?

Well here is how God wants us to respond.  He wants us to make peace.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

There are a host of scriptures that tell us to be peacemakers. .

First Corinthians 7:15 says, “…God has called us to live in peace.”

First Peter 3:11 says, “…seek peace and pursuit it.”

Romans 12:18 says, “…as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Romans 14:9 says, “…make every effort to do what leads to peace…”

Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men…”

So it’s obvious that peace is a high priority for Christians. 

The biggest question is always, “How can I be a peacemaker with someone who constantly stirs up strife?”

I don’t know.

(roll music)

Comments?

E-mail me, Doug Apple…

(stop music)

Just kidding.  :  )

But seriously, is there a way to be a peacemaker around someone who seems to carry a big Santa bag full of strife and every day is Christmas?

I think the first step is to make sure you start with peace in your own heart, and that comes from the Holy Spirit within you.  Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, so if you can let the Holy Spirit rule in your own heart, that’s half the battle.  That will keep you from reacting poorly when they hand you a big box of strife.

Then what you need is what James 3:17 calls, “the wisdom that comes from heaven.” 

Really, when you are dealing with a peace-wrecker, you can’t deal with it off the top of your head.  You need wisdom from God.  You need to pray for what I call “keen insight.”  I pray that often, “Lord, give me keen insight into the situation.” 

James says that wisdom from heaven is impartial and sincere.  It doesn’t choose sides.  It doesn’t react or fly off the handle.  It doesn’t burst forth in a rage.  James says it is full of mercy and good fruit.

Yes, the Bible stresses our role as peacemakers, and there you have two ways to step into that role.  First, keep the peace in your own heart through the fruit of the Spirit, then second, ask God for wisdom from heaven to deal with stressful situations when they occur.

And the next time things take a Corleone twist at the dinner table, you can snatch it from the jaws of misery and end up with an enjoyable rest-of-the-day.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2008 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-

Set Apart for the Service of God - Apples of Gold - June 24, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 24, 2008

“Set Apart for the Service of God”

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

Set apart for the service of God.

We need to be more like that.

Christianity is not a tack-on, something we tack onto our regular lives.

Christianity is a fire that consumes our life. 

When you become a Christian, the fire of the Holy Spirit sweeps in and consumes. 

“Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”* 

This is the sanctified, set apart life God is calling us to.

Our life is no longer about our careers or our money.  It’s not about our trips or our clothes or our degrees on the wall.  It’s not about getting people to respect us or like us or say how good we look.  It’s not about having fun or feeling good or chasing the next thrill.  All of that is consumed in the fire.

When John the Baptist preached about Jesus he said, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

When you are baptized with fire, everything burnable burns.  It is consumed, leaving only the fire.

Look what happened to Paul.  When he became a Christian, his old life was consumed.  It was gone.  He was now set apart for the service of God.

Was that only for Paul?  Is that only for super saints or maybe preachers?

No, this is for every Christian, every one of us who has had our sins forgiven by the blood of Christ.  Revelation 1:6 says Jesus has made us to be priests to serve His God and Father.

Each and every Christian is set apart for service, as a priest.

When the devil tempted Jesus with many wonderful things, Jesus was not even phased.  He said, “It is written:  ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”

But what happens when the rest of us our tempted?  Here is what should happen.  Nothing!  It should have the same impact as spitting on a forest fire.  You can’t even hear it sizzle over the roar of the blaze!

Like every Christian, Paul was set apart for service to God.  In Romans 1:9 he said that he served God with his whole heart.

One day Paul had the incredible privilege of preaching to some high Roman officials.  In Acts 26:22 he said, “…I stand here and testify to small and great alike.”

As he testified about Christ, one of the Roman officials interrupted him and shouted – he shouted – “Paul, you are out of your mind!  Your great learning is driving you mad!” 

That’s the way the world sees Christians who are on fire for Jesus.  They think we are nuts. 

When that happens, we are tempted to turn down the burner.  But you know what that means?  It means we are trying to please men. 

Look what Paul said in First Thessalonians 2:5, “We are not trying to please men but God…”

When we are on fire, our eyes are fixed on Jesus and nowhere else.  We want to please Him and we aren’t concerned about pleasing people.  And we aren’t concerned about pleasing ourselves, either.

Here is something that grieves me, and I am sick and tired of it.  It’s Christians who turn down the flame of the Spirit in their lives.  They want to please themselves and others.  They want to enjoy some of the worldly pleasures.  They want to have some good times.  They still want to be Christians, but they want to simply tack Christianity onto a regular, worldly life. 

This won’t work.  Christianity is not a tack-on.  Yes, you can turn down the flame, but what do you do when temptation calls?  You will answer!  Temptation will make an offer and you will accept.

Of course temptation is nothing more than a tiger pit, and you end up crashing to the bottom.  No good ever comes from turning down the flame of the Spirit in your life.  It just makes you lukewarm and disgusting.

It’s time we all turn up the flame!  We do that by selling out to God.  We say, “You know what?  Everything else goes.  Lord, I want all of You.  Take over my life.  I want to be set apart for Your service.  Nothing else matters.  This world has nothing to offer.  I want to be the priest of God you have made me to be, starting right now.”

Yes, some of your old crowd might think you are nuts.  But it’s time to build on the firm foundation and stop building on sand.  It’s time to be sold out and stop wimping out.  It’s time to be hot, not lukewarm. 

Let it ring out loud and clear.  Tell your flesh.  Tell the devil.  Tell the world.  “As of today, as of this very hour, I am set apart for the service of Christ my King!”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

*  2 Corinthians 5:17

© 2008 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 World Changes in Big Ways As We Make Our Little Decisions - Apples of Gold - June 23, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 23, 2008

“The World Changes in Big Ways As We Make Our Little Decisions”

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

When I woke up that Saturday morning, I didn’t know that by noon the course of my life would be changed.

But the world changes in big ways as we make our little decisions.

On that day I was living in a college dorm.  I walked down to the room of some friends, and we decided to go out for a late breakfast.  We picked a booth and piled in.

Meanwhile, a couple young ladies came in and someone asked them to join us.  And there she was, the girl that has now been my wife for over 20 years.

The decisions you make that lead up to meeting your spouse – those are obvious life changers.  But think about all the decisions that led up to that day.

For example, how did we both end up at the same college in the first place?  I was there primarily because my aunt worked there.  So my aunt’s decision to take the job at that college effected who I married.

I don’t know what all went into her decision, but I doubt she thought, “This is important.  It will change my nephew’s life in a big way.”

And that’s the way our decisions are.  The ripple effect just keeps going and going.  The world changes in big ways as we make our little decisions.

Recently I wrote about the twin 13-year-old boys that are living with us for the summer.  Last night we pulled out all the home videos that included them.  They said, “You’ve known us most of our lives.”

So how did they end up in our lives?  Let’s trace the ripples back to their origin.

Years ago I was praying earnestly about landing a job in Christian radio.  God finally opened the door, and my wife and I spent our honeymoon moving to a new town. 

On our first visit to the town, we drove down the street and saw a church sign.  We saw a lot of church signs, of course, but this one stood out to us, so we stopped by and met the pastor and his family.  We ended up joining the church and getting involved. 

My wife led a group for young girls, and one particular girl my wife went out of her way to reach out to.  She often drove far into the country to pick her up and bring her to church. 

Eventually this girl grew up a little and found herself the single mother of twin baby boys.  Well, my wife’s outreach never stopped, and that’s why these boys are in our house 13 years later.  And it all goes back to our decision to seek the Lord about where I should work. 

That little decision changed the world in a big way for these boys.

This is kind of a fun little exercise.  Just stop and think about the people in your life, and then try to rewind back through the decisions that brought them into your life.

See, our decisions do matter, and they have ramifications far beyond what we can even imagine.

Now I’ve seen some people take the burden off their shoulders by saying, “Well, the Lord’s in control.”

Some people think their decisions don’t matter.  They think God has scripted their life all out ahead of time.  It’s a done deal.  They don’t really have any choices because God already made them.

I don’t believe that, because the Bible is full of “if-then” statements.  If we make certain decisions, we get certain results.  Our decisions do matter.

Does that mean God just turned us loose and walked away?  No.  He is still deeply involved in our lives. 

Let me use a weak analogy.  God is like the manager of a baseball team.  The manager has a game plan.  He has goals and plays and signs and training.  He chooses the players and their positions.  He prepares them and works with them.  The manager is intimately involved with the team.

However, the players still have free will.  They can make their own decisions, but the manager still runs things.  The shortstop can drop the ball or skip practice or get fat over the winter.  That’s his choice.  But then the manager will handle him according to his overall plans for the team.

I think God works the same way.  Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  See, the shortstop can make whatever plans he wants.  So let’s say he plans to get fat over the winter, and he plans to be the starting shortstop.  Yes, he can get fat.  But no, he won’t start.  The manager’s purpose prevails. 

I think our decisions work the same way.  We make important decisions, then the Lord takes it from there to carry out His purposes.

So what should we do?  We should do what it says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

So let me wrap all this up.  We make decisions every day, and we don’t know the long term effects.  Yet those decisions matter, and can change the world in big ways.

Since we can’t possibly know all the ramifications, we follow Proverbs 16:3 and commit to the Lord whatever we do.  We submit to His will.  We offer up our bodies as living sacrifices.  We surrender all decisions to Him. 

Then He will lead us to make good decisions that will ripple out good things into all the world around us. 

Yes, our decisions matter, so we commit them to the Lord.  It’s important that we involve Him in all of it, because the world changes in big ways as we make our little decisions.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

When God's People Turn Down Leadership Positions - Apples of Gold - June 20, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 20, 2008

“When God’s People Turn Down Leadership Positions”

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

Listen to this scenario and see if you think Gideon made a mistake.

We read about Gideon in the book of Judges.  God used Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites.

After the mighty victory, Judges 8:22 says, “The Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us – you, your son and your grandson – because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.’”

The people were ready to make Gideon king and start a monarchy, with his ancestors ruling over them.  Now why did they suddenly want to make Gideon king?

Because before Gideon, their life was wretched.  They were worshiping idols instead of the true God, so God allowed their enemies to plunder them.  The Midianites ravaged the land and killed their livestock.  The people hid in caves.

Israel was impoverished before Gideon came along.  But through God’s power he raised up an army and defeated their enemies.

Gideon was a war hero!  No wonder they wanted him to be king.

But now here is where I wonder if Gideon made a mistake.  Listen to what he told them.  “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you.  The Lord will rule over you.”

Now don’t get me wrong.  I agree that the Lord is the ultimate ruler.  We should follow Him and do things His way. 

But let’s face it, people need leaders, flesh and blood leaders.  For example, God was certainly the power behind the great exodus from Egypt, but Moses was the flesh and blood leader. 

Christ is the head of the church, but the Bible spells out the roles of flesh and blood leaders.

So it’s not like having a human leader means you are pushing God off the throne.  God is always on the throne.  The question is, are we recognizing His authority and submitting to it?

Gideon certainly recognized God’s authority, so there was little danger that he would try to steal it.  So why did he turn down the chance to lead the nation?

Maybe he lacked the confidence.  Remember when the angel called him to deliver Israel in the first place – his response was, “How can I save Israel?  My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

But in spite of his low self esteem God raised him up to deliver the nation.  That should have given Gideon incredible confidence – confidence in the Lord to work through him.  When God is with you, how could you not lead well?

I don’t know why Gideon turned down the role as the nation’s leader.  But I do know what happened after that.

Gideon returned to his hometown as a hero.  It sounds like he took advantage of his hero status by marrying many wives, and he kept them busy.  He ended up with 70 sons. 

But even that wasn’t enough for Gideon.  He had a cute little slave girl that became his concubine, and by her he had another son named Abimelech. 

As long as Gideon, the champion, was alive, the Midianites stayed away and the land enjoyed peace.  That was fine while it lasted, which was only about 40 years.

But here is where I suspect that Gideon just blew it.  What I think he should have done was led the nation in a time of revival, a national turning back to the Lord.  He could have reestablished God’s law as the law of the land.  He could have turned the hearts of the people back to the Lord.

He could have established an education system, training the children in the ways of a Godly nation.  He should have reestablished all the religious customs the Lord gave Moses, such as the Passover.  He could have organized the military so that the nation was safe long after he was gone.

But no.  He just went back home and built a harem and started cranking out kids.  He probably told and retold the stories of “back when we crushed the kings of Midian.”  It was like a state championship quarterback who never made it in college. 

As for the nation, it doesn’t look like Gideon established anything.  As soon as Gideon died, the people roared back into Baal worship, and the Bible says they showed no kindness to Gideon’s family.

Then the son of the slave girl rose up and slaughtered Gideon’s other sons and set himself up as the leader – the leader Gideon refused to be.

The generation after Gideon was a national disaster.  Why did it happen?  I think it could have been prevented if Gideon would have stepped up to the plate.  I wonder if his statement that the Lord would be their ruler was just a way to pass the buck.  “I don’t have to do the work of leadership.  That’s God’s job.”

Well listen to this.  Some flesh and blood is going to lead.  They may be Godly, or they may not, but someone is going to fill the shoes of leadership.  We can’t pass the buck and say, “Let God take care of it.”

God wants Godly people to step forward and use the leadership gifts He gave them. 

What will America look like 50 years from now?  What will the world look like? 

Let me tell you, it’s going to take on the shape provided by its leaders. 

So who will step forward and lead?  Who will fill the vacuum?  Will it be power hungry people with selfish motives?  Or will it be righteous people with a heart for God and for the people?

Some flesh and blood is going to shape this world.  The only question is…who?

 
Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

Jesus Just Spilled His Drink - Apples of Gold - June 19, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 19, 2008

“Jesus Just Spilled His Drink”

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

Devion and Damari turned 13 Sunday.

They are twins who are living with us for the summer.

Now I know that Jesus said if we do something for the “least of these,” it’s just like doing it for Him.  But have you ever felt like telling Jesus to pipe down because you’re trying to sleep?  Or what do you do when Jesus starts chasing dragon flies around the pool with a broom handle, takes a swing and rips a hole in the screen?  Or what about when Jesus swings a golf club in the house…by the light?  Sometimes Jesus even wants to play the punching game.

And then there’s the eating.  Jesus doesn’t seem to care that food prices are up.  He just won’t stop eating.

And in spite of all this, no matter how much I coax, I just can’t get Jesus to do the chicken noodle soup for me.  

See, this idea of doing something for the “least of these” can seem very romantic on the surface.  But when you get down to actually doing it, it gets messy real quick.

“What?  Jesus just spilled his drink?”

Oh.  It’s “just water” he says.  It’s okay.

“Can I stop thinking about them as Jesus now?  I’m not seeing the similarity.”

And that’s exactly why Jesus brought it up.  If Jesus Himself walked in, we would give Him the royal treatment.  We would feed Him the best food, and He could eat all He wanted.  If He wanted to stay, we would be thrilled to have Him.  “Please, stay forever.”

But the “least of these,” now that’s a different story.  We try to keep them at arm’s length.  It’s one thing to give them some money now and then, but we certainly can’t have them disrupting our lives.  It’s costly and messy, and you’re not even sure you’re doing any good. 

And that’s why Jesus said what He did in Matthew 25.  If we do good for the “least of these,” we have done it to Him.  And if we neglect the least of these, we have neglected Him.

When needy people come into your life, how you treat them is how you treat Jesus. 

Now let’s take a look at an incredible teaching in Luke 14.  Jesus was invited to a dinner party at the home of a prominent citizen.  It sounds like there were several big wheels there as well.  Fancy people.  Fancy house.  Fancy food.  Probably a guy in a tux playing piano over by the fountain.

Anyway, at one point Jesus turns to his host and says, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Look at how Jesus addressed one of our core motivations:  the payback.  They invite you over.  You invite them over.  It’s a closed loop, and the needy are left out because they have nothing to offer.  I mean, who wants to network with the needy? 

Now I wish that Jesus said, “Help the needy, and the next day you will be blessed.”  Oh, He did offer a carrot, but it’s on a really long stick.

Look what He said, “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

“Say what?  I won’t be repaid ‘til after I’m dead?”

That’s what He said.  That’s the way He said it in Luke 14, and that’s the way He said it in Matthew 25.  We are to do good for the needy now, and we will be rewarded after we die.

This, my friend, is storing up treasures in heaven.

If you ever wanted to know how to store up treasures in heaven, this is a good way to do it.  You invest in helping the needy here.  Meanwhile, the interest on that investment is piling up in heaven.

This helps me, because to be honest with you, sometimes I feel foolish helping the needy; foolish as in maybe it’s not a wise use of my limited funds.  I think things like, “Boy, I could sure use that money elsewhere.”

Yet I know that God’s way is the best way.  And if this is what He wants me to do, then I will.  There is no better way.  He provided what I have anyway, and I must use it for His purposes.  And one purpose close to His heart is helping the needy.

And for us right now that looks like twin 13-year-olds who need a place to live and eat and burn off amazing amounts of energy. 

So I need to keep a couple things in mind.  First of all, that’s Jesus in there pouring himself up another big bowl of Honeycomb.  And second, when I begin to wonder if it’s all worth it, I trust that it is – that it’s a wise investment towards treasures in heaven. 


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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
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What Do You Do While Singing at Church? - Apples of Gold - June 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 18, 2008

“What Do You Do While Singing at Church?”

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

What runs through your mind as you sing at church?

I know, there are thousands of things to think about, right?

You can think about the song leader, or the worship team.  Your thoughts can range from admiring to bored to downright critical.

And what about the song selection?  “Why is it the same old songs?  Oh, wait a minute.  What?!  I don’t even know this song!”

“And why do they sing so long anyway?  Then when you finally get into it, they quit.”

Where do you get the song lyrics at your church?  From a song book?  In the bulletin?  On a big screen?  This alone gives you a lot to think about while you sing.

Here’s a favorite pastime:  watching other people sing.  It goes from how they are dressed to their hair to their movements.  Are they stiff or animated?  Do they look like they love God when they sing, or do they look all sour and scrunchy?  Must be some secret sin…

And that’s just the beginning, because we all know how the train of thought takes off from there.  It starts with, “Hey, this song reminds me of another song.  What is it?  Oh, yeah, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’  That was my cousin Frankie’s favorite song.  Oh, man, he did it karaoke at that wedding!  Bob and Sally’s wedding.  They didn’t make it, though.  Bob got married but forgot to stop dating.  I wonder if he still works at the newspaper?  Oh!  I need to get our ad in for the yard sale.  I better write myself a note right now.”

The next thing you know, you are making up a to-do list right in the middle of the singing!

Then later when someone asks you about your church you say, “Well, the worship’s just not as powerful as it used to be.”

Now what happens if you multiply that across the whole congregation?  Sure, their lips are singing, but where are their hearts? 

It’s like Jesus said in Matthew 15, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain…”

This is what we do when we sing at church but we don’t really engage.  We honor God with our lips, but our hearts are wandering off willy-nilly like undisciplined children.

Now let me use children as a positive example.  With four kids of my own, I have been to countless birthday parties.  Have you ever tried to uber organize a kid’s birthday party?  It’s just not possible.  It’s like herding cats. 

But there is always that one moment when everyone is on the same page.  Can you think of it?  What is that one moment at every kid’s birthday party when there is unity?  All distractions cease.  All other activities halt.  Everyone is unified in this one action.  What is it?

It is the singing of “Happy Birthday!”

Think about it.  As soon as you start singing, the chattering stops and everyone joins in.  Kids even run in from the other room.  They want to be a part.  This is the main event.  Everything else is just prelude and postlude.  Do whatever you want the rest of the day, but when we sing, we all sing together.  We are in unison.  For that moment we are one.

This thing of singing together is a blessed gift.  What brings the most warm fuzzies at a concert?  It’s that moment when the band stops playing and all you hear is the audience singing as a mighty chorus.

I remember signing up to go to Promise Keepers, and they gave me a recording of the songs we were going to sing.  It was important that we all knew the songs ahead of time so that we could sing together in unity.  And how awesome it was to be in the Georgia Dome, full of men’s voices raising the roof together, praising God.

Singing together brings about a certain unity.  In a way, we melt together – from individual parts into one unified body.

But this only happens when we are engaged in the singing.  However, because of a lot of reasons, it’s easy to sing at church and not be engaged.

So what can we do about it?  Here is the key.  When we sing at church, we need to focus our minds on the Lord.  We need to open our hearts directly to Him. 

Remember how He said we honor Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him?  So what we need to do is make sure our hearts are drawing near to Him. 

The good thing is, that’s easy to do simply by paying attention to the lyrics.  So when we sing at church, we push aside all distractions, we open our hearts to the Lord, and we pay attention to the words we are singing.

And the result will be just what we find in Romans 15:6.  When we sing the Lord’s praises together, we will, “with one heart and mouth…glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And our worship will not be in vain.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

Can Jesus Be Just a Wise Moral Teacher? - Apples of Gold - June 16, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 16, 2008

“Can Jesus Be Just a Wise Moral Teacher?”

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

He’s a young man, and here is what he said about Jesus – that he was a wise moral teacher.

Yes, he had many wise sayings, like Confucius, but he was not all that Christians make him out to be.

Here’s the problem with that.  The same book that contains Jesus’ wise moral teachings also contains his outrageous claims.

So who is Jesus really?  Let’s start by looking at what he said about himself.

In Matthew 26 Jesus was on trial before the high priest.  The high priest said, “I charge you under oath by the living God:  Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

So this is not some offhanded comment Jesus is about to make.  It’s not something he whispered to his buddies around a campfire.  He is about to answer the question while under oath in a hearing with the high priest.  His answer will have serious consequences.

Here is what he said when asked if he was the Christ, the Son of God.  “Yes, it is as you say.” 

And if that wasn’t outrageous enough, he added, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

With that answer his trial was over.  He was condemned to death on the charge of speaking blasphemy.

But it wasn’t the only time Jesus made outrageous claims about himself.  He was constantly doing it.

For example, one time he told the Jews, “Before Abraham was born, I am.”  That about got him stoned.

In John 17 he prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Now you need to know that Jesus often referred to himself as the “Son of Man.” 

In John 3 Jesus talked interchangeably about the Son of Man and the Son of God.

He said that the Son of Man came from heaven, and that he was God’s one and only son.

He said, “I am from above…I am not of this world.”

He said that everyone who believed in him would have eternal life.

He said things like, “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

He said that the Son of Man would come in the clouds one day, with power and great glory, and “gather his elect from the four winds…”

He said that the holy angels would appear with him, and that all the nations would be gathered before him.

He said he had authority on earth to forgive sins.

He said, “One greater than the temple is here,” and “one greater than Jonah is here,” and “one greater than Solomon is here.”

He said, “I am the bread of life,” and “I am the living bread that came down from heaven,” and “I am the light of the world,” and “I am the good shepherd,” and “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

He said he was teacher and prophet and Lord.

He said that heaven and earth would pass away, but that his words would never pass away.

So far so good on that one.

Pilate asked him if he was the king of the Jews and Jesus said, “Yes, it is as you say.”  Then he added, “My kingdom is not of this world…my kingdom is from another place.”

He kept talking about how he would be killed, then rise from the dead on the third day.

In Luke 24 he referred to himself as “the Christ.”

So in addition to Jesus’ wise moral teaching, he also made many outrageous claims about himself.

And this is where it gets sticky.  How can you call Jesus a wise moral teacher, when so much of what he taught was outrageous?

I like how C.S. Lewis broke it down.  He said we have three choices about Jesus, that he is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.  Either he made all those claims falsely, knowing they weren’t true, making him a liar, and not very moral.  Or he made all those claims falsely, but actually believed them, making him a lunatic.  Or the third option is that his claims were true, and that he really is the Lord, the Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the World.

So make your choice:  liar, lunatic, or Lord.  Jesus is one of those.  But here is one category he just can’t be put in, and that’s the category of just a wise moral teacher.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

Jasmine in the Air - Apples of Gold - June 12, 2008 -vi-

This is one you will really want to hear.  Listen on our website:  www.wave94.com

 

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 12, 2008

“Jasmine in the Air”

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

And now…the radio drama entitled:  “Jasmine in the Air.”

(open with eerie dramatic music)

An evil wind.
He’s unaware.
He smells jasmine in the air.

A woman bathes.
He is staring,
Captured by what she’s not wearing.

He sends to find out more about her.
Uriah’s wife.  Eliam’s daughter.

“Send for her.”
The night was wild.
A price was paid.
“I am with child.”

“Joab, send Uriah home!”
“Uriah, go, don’t sleep alone!”

“I will not while the rest are fighting.”
“Fine, I’ll make her more inviting.
Have some food, now drink, drink up!”
Uriah, have another cup!
Your wife must think you’re quite a hunk,
Oh just go home.  You’re drunk!”

Uriah, honorable as he was,
Did not go play the man.
And from the king’s dishonorable mind
Sprang a more grisly plan.

“Dear Joab, here’s your man Uriah.
Less a lover and more a fighter.
Push him right up to the line
Then pull ‘em back and let him die!”

So Joab and his fighting men,
The city under siege,
They drove right up there to the wall,
Uriah in the lead.

“The city’s greatest warriors?
Put Uriah over there.”
The odds were stacked against them
And their shouting filled the air.  

The enemy was winning big.
Uriah wouldn’t run.
He was fighting for his king.
The battle must be won.

Some men were killed around him,
And he noticed something weird.
No more were sent to help them,
And he felt a stab of fear.

“Dear David,” Joab’s message said,
“The Hittite…is dead.”

Bathsheba grieved her husband’s death,
Then married with great speed.
A little boy was born to them,
But God was way not pleased.

He sent the prophet Nathan by
To tell the king a story.
It started with a couple guys
And ended kind of gory.

A rich man stole a poor man’s lamb
And cooked him up for dinner.
The king exploded at the thought.
“Condemn that wretched sinner!”

“That’s right, he must be punished.”
Nathan played his clever plan.
He pointed at the king and said,
“Thou art the man!”

King David sinned against the Lord,
God judged the whole affair.
And men should all take heed
When they smell jasmine in the air.

(fade out intro music reversed)
 
Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

A Core Belief, The Resurrection - Apples of Gold - June 11, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 11, 2008

“A Core Belief – The Resurrection”

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

One of the core beliefs of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In First Corinthians 15 Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:  that Christ died for our sins…that he was buried, (and) that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…”

Now listen as Paul spells out his evidence for the resurrection.  He said that Jesus “appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time…then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me…”

This is a key reason why we believe in Jesus’ resurrection – because so many people witnessed it personally.

Paul went on to say that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then the Gospel is useless and the apostles were liars.  And if Christ wasn’t raised, then we are still in our sins, and every Christian who has died is lost.  If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, then we are to be pitied above all men, he said.

But we believe Christ did rise from the dead, and we believe for two reasons.  First of all, like I said, we believe the testimony of the witnesses who actually saw the risen Savior.  And second, we believe because of the new birth and the living hope God has placed within us.  First Peter 1:3 says that our living hope comes “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Because Jesus is alive, we have hope for life beyond the grave, eternal life with him.

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and one proof of that was his resurrection.  Romans 1:4 says that Jesus was “declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead…”

While Jesus walked this earth, several times he predicted his resurrection.

Matthew 16 says that Jesus explained to his disciples that he would go to Jerusalem, be killed, and “on the third day be raised to life.”

One day the Jews demanded Jesus give them a miraculous sign to prove his authority.  Here is the proof he offered them.  He said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”  He was talking about his body, and his resurrection.

After the transfiguration in Mark 9, Jesus told Peter, James and John, “Don’t tell anyone about this until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”  Then they discussed among themselves, “What does he mean, ‘risen from the dead’?”

Even on the night of his betrayal he told his disciples, “…after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Even though Jesus taught his disciples about his resurrection, they just didn’t see it coming.  In Matthew 17, after Jesus explained his death and resurrection, it says his disciples were filled with grief.  All they seemed to hear was the part about his death.

Luke 18:34 gives us a reason why the disciples didn’t pick up on the resurrection part.  It says, “Its meaning was hidden from them.”  Luke 24 says it wasn’t until after his resurrection that Jesus “opened their minds so they could understand...”

Jesus’ opponents certainly understood his prediction to rise again.  That’s why, in Matthew 27, after Jesus’ crucifixion, they went to Pilate and asked him to secure the tomb “until the third day.”  Otherwise his disciples might come and steal that deceiver’s body, and his “last deception will be worse than the first,” they said.

So Pilate gave the order, “Make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 

But it didn’t work.  Jesus did rise from the dead.

Angels announced it to the women who came to the tomb.  “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here.  He has risen!”

Luke 24:34 says, “It is true!  The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

Soon the disciples became bold witnesses of the resurrection.  After Pentecost, Acts 4:33 says, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…”

Acts 2:32 says, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

When Peter preached at Pentecost he said, “…wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead…”

When a crowd gathered after a crippled beggar was healed, Peter preached, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this.”

In Acts 4, Peter preached to the Sanhedrin that God had raised Jesus from the dead.

In Acts 5 Peter preached to the high priest that “the God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead.”

At the Gentile Cornelius’ house, Peter preached that “…God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen…by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”

In Acts 13 Paul preached that “God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.  They are now his witnesses…”

In Thessalonica Paul proved from the Scriptures “that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”

In Athens, Paul stirred up the philosophers by telling them about Jesus and his resurrection.

When standing before Festus and King Agrippa, Paul told them that Jesus had risen from the dead.

The epistles are full of references to Jesus’ resurrection. 

Romans 4:25 says that Jesus “was raised to life for our justification.”

Romans 10:9 says that if we confess with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved.

First Corinthians 15:20 says that “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Second Corinthians 4:14 says, “we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us…”

And this is our living hope, that because Jesus was raised from the dead, we, too, will be raised from the dead, and will live with him eternally. 

We do have hope, and we have it because of this core truth:  the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 
Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

Handsome, Brilliant, Who Wouldn't Want to be Like This Guy? - Apples of Gold - June 10, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 10, 2008

“Handsome, Brilliant, Who Wouldn’t Want to be Like This Guy?”

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

I want to be a man like Daniel.

Who wouldn’t?

He was handsome, with “no physical defect” the Bible says.

He was brilliant in many subjects. 

He was just an exile from Judah, but some Babylonian big shots saw that Daniel was something special, so they enrolled him in a three year training course.  The goal?  To prepare him to serve the mighty King Nebuchadnezzar.

A smart young man like Daniel certainly appreciated this opportunity.  But something came first for Daniel, and that was God. 

God had given the Jews dietary laws, but now these Babylonians gave him food that broke those laws.  Daniel could have said, “Ah, just go with the flow,” but instead, look what it says in Daniel 1:8.  “Daniel resolved not to defile himself.”

Now that is a phrase we should all pound into our brains.  “I resolve not to defile myself.”

Look around.  What is it that defiles you?  Now make this your resolution, like Daniel.  “I resolve not to defile myself.”

Daniel didn’t throw a big, stinking fit about it.  He didn’t start a protest in the lunchroom.  Instead, he simply went to the proper official and, get this, asked for permission to eat something else.

What a combination!  He was resolved to do the right thing, but he humbled himself before his authority.

Daniel had a truckload of talent, and Daniel 1:17 reveals where it came from.  All that knowledge and understanding?  God gave it to him, including the ability to understand dreams and visions.

With talents like that, Daniel quickly rose up in the ranks.  The king found Daniel and his friends to be 10 times better than all the rest. 

At one point Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and he demanded that his wise men both tell him his dream, and its interpretation – or he would kill them.  Of course they couldn’t tell him his dream, so he started rounding them up, including Daniel and his friends.

Now look what it says in Daniel 2:14.  When the commander came to arrest Daniel, it says, “Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.”

Again, here is the great Daniel, handsome and wise, with the true ability to interpret dreams, yet he didn’t brag or boast.  He wasn’t full of himself.  Instead he spoke to the commander with wisdom and tact. 

Then it says they pleaded with God for mercy, and that night God revealed to Daniel both the dream and its interpretation.

Then when Daniel stood before the king, he was so humble, he took no credit for himself.  He said that no man could explain the king’s mystery, that only God could do that. 

Even so, after that the king put Daniel in a high position as one of his rulers.

Now once Daniel had this cushy government job, he could have laid low and enjoyed it.  But no, God still came first. 

In Daniel 4:27 we see Daniel speaking so boldly to the king as to say, “Renounce your sins…”  But again, he didn’t do it in arrogance.  He was humble before the king, saying, “O king, be pleased to accept my advice…”

In Daniel 5 he is offered many gifts to interpret the now famous writing on the wall.  But he told the king he could keep his gifts, then he interpreted the writing anyway, which was a message of judgment.

After that scathing report, amazingly the king elevated him to the third highest position in the land.  

Then Darius the Mede became king, and he also recognized Daniel’s leadership skills, and made him one of his three main leaders.  Daniel did his job so well that Darius planned to promote him. 

When the other leaders heard about it, they decided to cut Daniel down to size.  They checked all the angles, analyzed all of Daniel’s work, and get this, Daniel 6:4 says, “They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

Did you get that?  He was neither corrupt, nor negligent. 

That’s a great example of how we should do our work.  Yes, we have no corruption.  But just as important is this, that we are not negligent.  We are not slack or lazy in our work.

They finally tripped up Daniel over his commitment to prayer, and got him thrown in the lion’s den.  As he was going in, the king said, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.”

What a testimony!  Even the king saw Daniel’s spiritual integrity, that he served God, not just when it was convenient, but continually!

And God did rescue Daniel from the lions, and two reasons are mentioned in Daniel 6:  because Daniel was found innocent in God’s sight, and because Daniel trusted in God.

After that Daniel prospered, both under the rules of Darius and Cyrus.  At times he fasted and prayed and sought the Lord.  He repented of his own sins and the sins of his people.  He studied the scriptures and served the king. 

Daniel 10:12 said he set his mind to gain understanding and to humble himself before God.

In Daniel 9:23, Gabriel told Daniel that he was “highly esteemed.”

In Daniel 10:11, a man who looked a lot like Jesus in the book of Revelation, told Daniel that he was “highly esteemed.”

Daniel 10:19 says it again, that Daniel was “highly esteemed.”

Oh, there are so many reasons to look up to Daniel.  His commitment to God.  His prayer life.  His integrity.  His service to the government.  His humility.  His brilliant mind.  His stately appearance.  And what more can you ask than to be “highly esteemed” by heavenly authorities?

I look at him, and I want to be like him. 

Like I said when I started, I want to be a man like Daniel.

 
Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 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-

Apart From You I Have No Good Thing - Apples of Gold - June 9, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for June 9, 2008

“Apart From You I Have No Good Thing”

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

In Psalm 16:2, David made a powerful statement. 

He said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”

Think of the temptations we would avoid if we only took this attitude:  apart from God I have no good thing.

See, temptations hit us when we look out there and see some nice thing, and we want it.  Then we start scheming to get it.  It takes our time and our effort.  We use our brain power.  We dream about it and plan for it. 

But what if we said, “Lord, apart from You I have no good thing”?

This is a phrase that is constantly rattling around in the back of my brain.  It creates a foundation for all my wants and desires. 

I can look around and see a lot of stuff I want, and things I want to do.  But then I turn back to this foundational phrase, “Apart from You I have no good thing.”

This world has a lot of good stuff, doesn’t it?  Who doesn’t want all the new things?  I admit, I want all the latest, the cell phones and computers and cars and cameras.  Keep me on the cutting edge, baby!

But then I return to these roots, “Apart from the Lord I have no good thing.”

This keeps God first in my life.  This keeps me coming back to the Lord every day, and desiring to walk in His Spirit.  He is first, and everything else pales in comparison. 

It applies to relationships, too.  I can work on having a good family, but apart from the Lord I have no good thing. 

I can have a great job with all the benefits, but apart from the Lord I have no good thing.

Here is one way I think this applies to my life.  If I don’t have the Lord, nothing is good. 

And by “having the Lord” I mean living right, and walking with Him each day. 

Now here is something that amazes me.  Sometimes we will compromise our walk with the Lord in order to get something we think is good.  We will cut corners, or take the low road to get something.  We will push the Lord off into a corner so He doesn’t stop us from getting what we think is good.

And yet apart from Him, nothing is good.  Anything we have to compromise our standards to get is not good.  I don’t care how good it seems, apart from Him there is no good thing.

James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes down from our Heavenly Father.  That means if it doesn’t come from Him, it’s not good.  Apart from Him I have no good thing.

If you have to compromise the Lord to get it, you don’t want it.  It’s not good.  It will end up like sand in your hands. 

So apart from the Lord there is no good thing, but now get this.  With the Lord we get all good things!

Psalm 34:10 says, “…those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

Psalm 84:11 says, “…no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Matthew 6:33 says, “…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you…”

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 103:5 says the Lord “satisfies your desires with good things.”

Psalm 145:19 says, “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him…”

Now you might think that if you put God first, then you will get whatever you desire.

Well, yes, that is true, in a certain way.  When we put God first, then we are walking in the Spirit.  We are in tune with His Spirit every day.  Romans 8:5 says, “…those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

So, yes, we will get what we desire – and those desires are in accordance with what God desires.

But now look, we still have a sinful nature, and it has its own desires.  Galatians 5:24 talks about crucifying the sinful nature and its desires. 

Ephesians 4:22 says our “old self” is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. 

So we have two kinds of desires, the desires of the sinful nature, and the desires of the Holy Spirit inside us.  When we put God first, we are in tune with the desires of the Holy Spirit. 

It is these desires that God grants us in abundance, because these are all good things!

So it’s really a matter of priorities.  When we put God first, then He gives us good things.  But if we ever put any thing before God, then it’s not a good thing anyway, because when you drill down to the foundation of it all, it’s like David said to the Lord in Psalm 16:2.

“Apart from You I have no good thing.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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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
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