4 Simple Prayers to Pray for People - Apples of Gold - August 26, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 26, 2008

“4 Simple Prayers to Pray for People”

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

Can you picture little Suzie kneeling by her bed?

I can hear her little voice saying, “God bless Mommy and Daddy, and God bless Grandma and Pappy.  And God bless little Hermie so he won’t come out of his cage and get killed like our last hamster.”

That’s a fine prayer for a small child.  But now let me ask you, what do you say when you pray for people?  Does it go any farther than, “God bless them”?

Now don’t get me wrong.  That’s not a bad prayer.  I like it.  It’s simple.  I hope you pray, “God bless Doug” every single day.

But now let’s go ahead and add some more simple prayers to your repertoire. 

Here is one simple prayer I pray a lot for people.  “God, please draw them to You.”

I get that from John 6:44 where Jesus said no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him.

I like that word draw.  It means to move by pulling.  Think of drawing water from a well.  You move the water by pulling it out.

No one can come to the Lord unless the Father draws them.  So that is my prayer, which I pray for people all the time, “Lord, draw them to You.”

Now here is another prayer I pray a lot.  “Lord, reveal Yourself to them.”

God is spirit and we are flesh.  Our senses don’t reveal Him.  The only way we can know Him at all is if He reveals Himself. 

I like Matthew 16 where Jesus said, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  In verse 16 Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Well where did Peter come up with that?  Look at verse 17.  “Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”

God revealed who Jesus was to Peter.  The Bible is full of people to whom God revealed Himself.  So when I am praying for someone, that is a prayer I pray a lot, “Lord, reveal Yourself to them.”

Now here is a third prayer I pray a lot for people.  “Lord, fill them with Your Holy Spirit.”  Several times in Acts it says the believers were “filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Paul and Stephen were filled with the Spirit.  John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. 

Well, maybe that’s just for the super saints.  No.  In Luke 11:13 Jesus said to look at it like this.  If we know how to give good gifts to our children, then how much more will our Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

And now a fourth prayer I pray for people a lot.  “Lord make them the man of God You want them to be.”  (Or woman of God, as the case may be.)

I love that phrase, “man of God.”  It means you are not a man of the world.  You aren’t caught up by the things of this world, but your focus, your identity is in the Lord.  You are a man or woman of God.

So I pray that a lot for people, “Lord, make them the man (or woman) of God You want them to be.”

So how do you pray for people?  Are there certain phrases you say a lot?  Now let me ask you, are they Biblical?  I mean, we can make up all kinds of things to pray, but the goal is that our prayers are effective, right?  So let’s pray according to what we find in the Bible.

Now here again are those four simple, Biblical prayers that I pray a lot for people:

Lord, please draw them to You.
Reveal Yourself to them.
Fill them with Your Holy Spirit.
And make them the man of God You want them to be.

Amen.


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-

Cussing Christians - Apples of Gold - August 25, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 25, 2008

“Cussing Christians”

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

I must get a certain look on my face.

I mean, I try not to. 

But when I hear a Christian use foul language, I must just get a certain look.

I know this because sometimes they say, “Don’t look at me that way.”

One Christian man said, “Don’t look at me like that.  I know exactly what I said, and it’s just what I meant to say.”

Another man said, “Oh relax, Doug.  It’s okay to be a little ‘earthy’ now and then.”

In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

So what does it say about your heart if your mouth speaks foul language?

Here’s a good testimony from my neighborhood.  Tropical Storm Fay dumped about 20 inches of rain on us this weekend, and we had a flood scare on my street as the water crept up to our houses.  Neighbors worked together into the night to keep the water flow away from our homes.  It was dirty work and a bit scary, and yet from not one of my neighbors did I hear a single foul word. 

It reminds me of the old saying, “If you want to find out what’s inside a person, watch what comes out when they are squeezed.”

“Well Doug, I’m just waiting for the Lord to take it away.”

Well, He might, and He might not.  I’ve heard of many people who instantly stopped cussing the moment they came to Christ.  “God just cleaned up my mouth,” they said.

On the other hand, I’ve heard baby Christians use foul language even in their testimony.

The burden to clean up our language is ours.  Colossians 3:8 says we must rid ourselves of filthy language. 

So how can we do that?  Let’s start at the source.  Jesus said it’s out of the overflow of our heart that our mouth speaks.  So we need to change what is flowing in our heart.

Colossians 3:1 says, “…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” 

What does it mean to set our hearts on something?  Think about a little girl who has her heart set on getting a new cell phone for her birthday.  That cell phone is her focus, her hope, her joy.  The thought of it excites her.  She thinks about it and imagines it.

So when we set our heart on things above, it is our focus, our hope and our joy.  The thought of heavenly things excites us. 

Then our heart is filled with heavenly things, and that’s what will flow out of our mouth. 

So if you want to obey Colossians 3:8 and rid yourself of filthy language, then set your heart on things above.  Fill your heart with the things of God, and your language will clear up on its own.

“But Doug, I don’t mean anything by it when I use foul language.  It just slips out.  It’s a habit.  I can’t stop it.”

Oh, you can stop it.  I know non-Christians who stopped cursing just to be more professional. 

Here is one trick you can try.  Every time you use a foul word, immediately apologize.  Don’t justify it or ignore it.  Humble yourself and say, “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have said that.”  Humbling yourself will put you on the fast track to fixing your vocabulary.

Another trick is to ask your friends to hold you accountable.  Just tell them, “I’m cleaning up my language.  If you hear me get off the straight and narrow, tell me.”

I heard about one man who put a rubber band around his wrist.  Then every time he said a cussword he snapped himself and said, “Lord, forgive me.”

I read about some new parents who wanted to clean up their language before their kids picked it up.  They would catch each other, then the other person would have to remake their statement in 10 different ways without the offending word.

Colossians 1:10 talks about living a life “worthy of the Lord” and pleasing Him “in every way.”  And one way to please the Lord is to rid ourselves of filthy language.

I heard about one lady who said, “But sometimes nothing expresses my true feelings like a good cuss word.”

A Christian should not react to situations by blurting out curse words.  Colossians 3 says we should put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature, including anger and rage, malice and slander.  Instead it says we should clothe ourselves with gentleness and patience, kindness and humility.

And again, it comes back to our heart.  We need to set our hearts on the things of God, not on the things of this world.  God and His kingdom and His work become our focus.  Spreading the Gospel and making disciples.  Loving our neighbors and helping everyone we can. 

As we fill our hearts with these things, they will take over our vocabulary. 

So how is your language today?  If it’s not what it should be, then take on the Colossians 3:10 challenge – to rid yourself of all filthy language.


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 Clean Machine for the King - Apples of Gold - August 22, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 22, 2008

“A Clean Machine for the King”

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

“Where are you going tonight?”

“I’m going to the Nut House.  What are you doing?”

“I’m going to the Pumpkin House.”

And that’s the way it was when I was in college.  Students would rent a house together, then tag it with a name.  So instead of saying, “I’m going to Johnny and Billy and Sammy and Wally and Kevin’s house,” you just said, “I’m going to the Flounder House.”

Now my son lives in a house with a name.  It’s called “Simple House.”

Its name comes from the goal of eliminating things that can complicate your life, allowing you to focus on spiritual growth.  For example, they don’t get on the internet or even watch television.  Last night my son told me that they had a meeting and discussed the fact that no one should have any music that they didn’t pay for.  In other words, even the Christian mp3’s you “borrowed” from a friend have to go.

I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:1 which says, “…let us throw off everything that hinders…”

It’s like these Olympic runners.  Notice they aren’t wearing ski shoes and parkas.  To run the best race possible they throw off everything that hinders.

And that’s the way our spiritual life is.  There are things that hinder us, things that slow down our discipleship, and they must go.

I heard a recording of an old sermon by David Wilkerson this week.*  At that time HBO had just come out with The Sopranos.  Wilkerson said how grieved he was that so many Christians were watching that program, and even becoming fans. 

Why was that a problem? 

Wilkerson said it’s watching filth.  How can you draw near to a holy God while being a fan of filth?

Meanwhile, he said, Christians have marriage problems and moral problems as much as non-Christians. 

Why is that?  Back to Hebrews 12:1.  We need to throw off everything that hinders.

Verse two says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”

When our eyes our watching filth, they can’t be fixed on Jesus.

So many of us try to run the Christian race with our eyes not fixed on Jesus.  Then we wonder why we stumble and fall. 

I have been on the Daniel Fast for over a year and a half.  Last week someone asked me what I was fasting for.  I said, “For more of Him and less of me.  He must increase.  I must decrease.”

For me, the Daniel Fast is another way to throw off everything that hinders.  In this case, it sets me free from my appetite.  I am not a slave to every whim of my mouth and stomach. 

When I started the Daniel Fast, I didn’t even know that was a hindrance.  But now, looking back, I can see it.  I was ensnared by impulsive thinking when it came to food.  If I suddenly felt like a Coke, I stopped whatever I was doing and went and got one.  If I suddenly felt like some chocolate or a Big Mac or whatever, off I went. 

No, I’m not saying it was a sin.  I’m saying it was a hindrance.  It hogged up some energies which are better spent elsewhere.

Like the Simple House.  Is it a sin to have an internet connection?  Is it a sin to have a TV?  These are not inherently a sin, but they can certainly be a hindrance.  Like Paul wrote in First Corinthians 6:12, “…not everything is beneficial…”

And what is beneficial?  Whatever helps us fix our eyes on Jesus.  If it pulls our eyes off of Jesus, then it is a hindrance.

Have you seen these signs at the gas pump?  One picture shows your motor all gunked up, and the other shows it all clean.  That’s the way I want to be in my walk with the Lord.  I want to have a clean machine for the King.

I know a guy with a decades-old truck, but it runs like new.  How so?  Because every so often he takes the motor completely apart and cleans it and replaces anything that’s showing wear.  Yes, he’s a fanatic for that old truck, but he sure knows how to run a clean machine. 

Think about this.  How much dirt can you sprinkle into your engine before it seizes up?  It doesn’t take much. 

And how much dirt does it take in your spiritual life to hinder it?  Not much.

So think about these guys at Simple House, then ask yourself, “What do I need to throw off that is hindering me?” 

Not everything is beneficial, so why put up with it?  Why put up with anything that pulls your eyes off of Jesus? 

It’s time to throw off everything that hinders.  It’s time to fix our eyes on Jesus.  It’s time to get serious about running a clean machine for the King!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
**  http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=3843

© 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-

Is Someone's Sexual Immorality Any of Our Business? - Apples of Gold - August 20, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 20, 2008

“Is Someone’s Sexual Immorality Any of Our Business?”

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

“Two please, nonsmoking.”

“Oh, the whole restaurant is nonsmoking.  In fact, you can’t smoke in any restaurant in the state.”

That’s what we heard when we first moved to Florida.  It was a surprise because it wasn’t that way back in Illinois – until this year.  Now they have smoking laws that are tougher than Florida’s.  Kids can’t even smoke in the dorms anymore. 

Now wait a minute.  With so many preaching that we must keep government out of the bedroom, how can we ban kids from smoking in their dorm room? 

Oh well.  These new laws would have thrilled the old time preachers.  They used to preach against smoking with a vengeance, saying it was a subtle device of Satan to ruin mankind.* 

If there would have been late-night TV shows they would have mocked these preachers for their ridiculous stand against smoking.  Now the tide has turned and society at large sees the damage smoking causes and we’re passing laws to restrict it.

On the other hand, we don’t want to restrict anything that has to do with sex.  Keep government out of the bedroom, they say.  (Unless you are a dorm kid trying to sneak a Marlboro.)

Meanwhile, sexually transmitted diseases are taking their toll.  The New York Times reports that the number of AIDS cases has risen “significantly” among a certain subgroup of men in the last few years.**  But you sure don’t want to be the jerk that tells these men to stop doing that.

Another report in the New York Times shows that one in four teenage girls has an STD, and almost half of the African American teenage girls has one.***  But you sure don’t want to be the jerk that brings up abstinence.

And these statistics don’t show the whole picture.  What about the emotional fallout?  All the entanglements.  All this giving yourself away, sacrificing your dignity, anything to make yourself feel good, if only for a moment.

Society is seeing the light about smoking, and we’re passing laws to restrict it.  I wonder how long it will take us to see the light about sexual immorality?

I know, I know.  There is a tidal wave, and it’s going the other way.  Our culture is more hyper-sexed than ever, and clamoring for more.  And if you dare speak out against it, well, aren’t you the prude?  Why don’t you get off your high horse and join the party?

Instead of passing laws to restrict people’s behavior, there is talk of passing laws to restrict people who speak out against it.  And the funny thing is, it’s called hate speech.

Here you are, trying to help people by teaching them how to be sexually moral, which will help them avoid so much pain and sorrow – I mean sexual immorality causes so much damage and trouble – and yet you are accused of hatred.

So why are we restricting smoking and not sexual immorality?  If we are all about the freedom, then what about the freedom to smoke? 

“Oh Doug, you can’t even compare the two.” 

That’s right.  Sexually immorality causes so much more damage to individuals than smoking. 

“But Doug, you can’t legislate morality.” 

No, what you legislate is actions.  You pass laws against actions that are harmful to society. 

“But you can’t control people like that.”

Look at all the people who are in jail for having marijuana.  You don’t even have to smoke it or sell it.  If you just have it.  If it’s just a decorative plant, you can find yourself in the pokey.

“So are you advocating jail time for sexual immorality?”

What I want to do is call attention to it.  First of all, I want to say that there is such a thing as sexual immorality.  We need to call attention to it, and we need to steer people away from it.

Look at Hebrews 12:16.  It says, “See that no one is sexually immoral…” 

That is a huge statement.  “See that no one is sexually immoral.”  Who is it talking about?  People in the church?  People in your family?  The population at large? 

I think it’s talking about anyone you care about, because sexual immorality hurts people.  It causes damage.  When something hurts someone you love, you try to keep them away from it.

Now how to do that, I don’t know.  I’m not ready to lobby for sexual immorality laws, and our nation certainly isn’t ready for that.  The disease rates will have to skyrocket before our society will dare pass any such restrictions.

But that verse in Hebrews is pretty clear.  We must take responsibility to steer others away from sexual immorality.  They may say it’s nobody’s business, but the Bible says it is.  It is our business to see that no one is sexually immoral. 

It starts with us.  Then it goes to our family.  We must work to keep our family members sexually moral.  We need this in the church.  We need to define biblically what is sexually moral, then work to keep everyone on the right side of the line. 

I know our culture is demanding that it’s none of your blankety-blank business.  But so what?  It is.  The Bible says it is.  And not to be prudish and hateful, but to be loving and caring.  To prevent the damage that results from sexual immorality.

Look, if it’s the compassionate thing to restrict smoking, then it is certainly the compassionate thing to do like it says in Hebrews 12:16 – to “see that no one is sexually immoral.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

*  From the book “Good Words” edited by Norman Macleod and Donald Macleod, published in 1880.
**  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/health/research/27hiv.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=nyt
***  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E6D6113BF931A25750C0A96E9C8B63

© 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-

Baptism, Just Do It - Apples of Gold - August 19, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 19, 2008

“Baptism – Just Do It”

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

Why did I get baptized?

I believed in Jesus, that He died on the cross and was resurrected.  I repented of my sins and received His forgiveness.  I wanted to leave my old life behind and follow Him.

And as I read the Bible it appeared to me that there was a gate.  Everyone who followed Christ went through this gate – the gate of baptism.

I didn’t understand every nuance of baptism.  I didn’t seek out every possible teaching about it.  I just saw the simple truth that everyone who followed Jesus was baptized.  And since I so deeply wanted to follow Him, my Savior and Lord, I knew that I too must pass through that gate.

While Jesus walked the earth, when people came to Him, they were baptized.  In John 3:26 one man said, “He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

Then when Jesus was preparing to leave the earth, He gave His disciples the Great Commission.  Matthew 28:19 says, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

When Peter preached his first big sermon, he said in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”

Notice that phrase “every one of you.”  They were all to be baptized. 

Then Acts 2:41 says, “Those who accepted his message were baptized…”

Several times in the book of Acts we read of people who believed and were baptized.  Of the jailer in Acts 16 we read, “...then immediately he and all his family were baptized.” 

They didn’t wait around to let it soak in.  They didn’t need a six week class on the doctrine of baptism.  They simply heard the Gospel, believed it, and were baptized.

Sometimes I hear of people who are reluctant to be baptized, and I don’t know what to say because I don’t see that in the Bible – at least not from believers.  Those who believed were eager to be baptized.

For example, look at the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts chapter 8.  Philip explained the Gospel to him as they rode along in a chariot.  Now look at verse 36.  “As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water.  Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 

The Ethiopian was so eager to be baptized that he stopped at the first water hole he came to.  When it was done, verse 39 says he “went on his way rejoicing.”

Some people want to pick baptism apart.  They want to deconstruct it and know exactly what it does and how it works and the reasons for it.  But I love the spirit of the Ethiopian.  Just do it, then go on your way rejoicing.

The Bible tells of no one who believed up to the point of baptism, but then didn’t do it. 

Why would someone who says they believe not want to be baptized?  The only reason I can think of is pride.  The rich young man didn’t follow Jesus because it would cost him his money.  But what does baptism cost you?  The only thing I can think of is pride.  It’s kind of humbling to submit yourself to a strange ceremony with water. 

And I think that’s part of the point.  It’s a step of faith, an act of obedience, a sign of your belief. 

For me it was saying, “I do want a new life in Christ.  I want to be His disciple.  I am willing to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Him.  And if that means getting baptized, then where’s the water?  Let’s do it.”

So have you believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but for some reason put off baptism?

Then this message is for you.  Go through the gate.  Pass through the doorway that’s been entered by all the great believers.  Now is the time.  You say you believe.  It’s time to step forward and act on it. 

Follow the example of the Ethiopian eunuch.  Find some water and just do it.  Then go on your way rejoicing!


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-

Kuriai Doxai de Xristos - Apples of Gold - August 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 18, 2008

“Kuriai Doxai de Xristos”

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

“Dude, why do you have a tattoo of a fish on your neck?”

“It’s not just a fish.  It’s the Pygocentrus Nattereri, the symbol of the Mekong Kuriai.”

“Say what?”

“The Mekong Kuriai.  Haven’t you heard of him?”

“Not hardly.  Has anyone heard of him?”

“Oh yes, he’s a great teacher in Vietnam.  I became his follower three years ago.”

“So you are a follower of the Mekong Kuriai?  What exactly does that mean, besides having a fish tattoo on your neck?”

“It means I follow the teachings of the Mekong Kuriai.  I do whatever he says.  Last year he said all his followers were to prominently display the ‘Symbol of the Centrus,’ and you’ve got to admit, it doesn’t get much more prominent than this.”

“So you do whatever he says?”

“Oh yes.  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be his follower, would I?”

“And what does he tell you to do?”

“It happens once a year, when he publishes his Kuriai Doxai.*  It includes all of his current teachings, and that’s what we focus on all year.  We study it and master it.” 

“And whatever it says, that’s what you do?”

“Absolutely.  Like I said, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be his follower, would I?”

- - - - - - - - - -

Now let that echo through your brain.  “If I didn’t do what he said, I wouldn’t be his follower, would I?”

That’s a lesson all of us Christians need to learn.  We say we are followers of Christ, but do we study what He said?  Do we master it and live it?

I confess, I just made up that whole story about the Mekong Kuriai; but can you imagine someone like that, someone who just dove into someone’s teachings hook, line and sinker?  Some people do that with Eckhart Tolle or Wayne Dyer or Rhonda Byrne. 

But do we Christians do that with Jesus? 

When someone is a fanatic follower, we say, “They don’t even think for themselves.  They just do whatever their leader says.  It’s some kind of cult.” 

But you know what?  Those cults are a counterfeit of something real.  The real thing is to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

In a cult, you lose your freedom.  But followers of Christ find freedom.  Listen to what Jesus said in John 8, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Follow that progression to freedom.  It starts by holding to the teachings of Jesus.

That means we must know what they are.  We need to study them and master them.

Have you been studying the teachings of Jesus?  It never ends.  We constantly look into the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice.  It’s a life long pursuit.

I said I made up the Mekong cult, but what about the name of his teachings, “Kuriai Doxai.”  That means “principal doctrines.”

Do you know the Kuriai Doxai of Jesus?  Do you have notebooks where you have written down the Kuriai Doxai and how it applies to your life?

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”  But do we even know His teaching? 

It’s time to dive into the teaching of Jesus.  We need to study it and memorize it.  We need to compile it and organize it and learn it inside and out. 

So get out your Bible and let the learning begin.  Be a radical follower of Christ.  And it starts with a thorough study of His master teachings – the Kuriai Doxai de Xristos.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
*  Pronounced COOR-eee-eye DAWKS-eye, according to Dr. John Marincola, professor of Greek historiography and rhetoric at Florida State University.  He said the phrase means “important or principle doctrines.”

© 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-

Take the Shopping Fast Challenge - Apples of Gold - August 14, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 14, 2008

“Take the Shopping Fast Challenge”

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

It was the first time I ever heard of Bose speakers.

My high school buddy Bill invited me over to check them out.

He put on an album by Mannheim Steamroller just to show off the pristine sound, and I was impressed.

Then I went back home to my 8-track player and one speaker the size of an ant.

Hey, at least I had the sweet new 8-track from the Commodores.

Did you ever stand in line to buy a group’s album on the first day it came out?

Did you ever go see a movie at midnight on opening night?

Did you ever pour over a Christmas catalog and go ga-ga over all the new toys?

What about the iPhone?  Or the PlayStation? 

Come on ladies.  Have you ever walked through a clothing store and gotten excited by the new clothes?

Men, have you wandered through Home Depot and lusted over the new tools?

There is just something about new.  Like the new ride at the theme park. 

Who wants to play with Woody when you’ve got Buzz Lightyear?

I just read a new study and here’s what it said, “When you are faced with something new or thrilling, the brain’s pleasure centers get fired up.”

Then it said this, “When you shop, everything you see is new.”

Let me go over that again.  It said when we find something new, we experience pleasure.  And when we shop, everything we see is new. 

It’s human nature to get excited about new things.  And when we go shopping, everything we see is new, so it’s only natural that we get excited about shopping.

The study went on to say that, for that very reason, shopping can become an addiction.  They say shopping makes you feel good by flooding your brain with dopamine.  It gives you a “shopping high.” 

But then what?  When the shopping high wears off, the study says you end up with a somewhat empty feeling a few hours later. 

“But Doug, I don’t like to shop.”

I think the main reason people don’t like to shop is because they can’t have everything they want.  Or they put it on credit cards or break the bank or whatever, and the money problems kill the shopping high.

But would you like to shop if you could buy what you wanted? 

That was King Solomon’s situation.  He could have what he wanted, and listen to what he said in Ecclesiastes 2:10, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired…”

Every time the shopping high wore off, Solomon got another fix.  Whatever he wanted, he got.  He said, “I refused my heart no pleasure.”

Wow, he must have been the happiest person on earth! 

Now look at Ecclesiastes 2:11.  After living from one shopping high to the next, Solomon finally said, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done…everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

How could that be?  He gained everything he wanted under the sun.  Why did he say he had gained nothing?

Because once the “thrill of the new” wears off, you realize it didn’t really matter. 

Two years ago I went on a shopping fast.  For two years I bought myself nothing.  No clothes or shoes or books or CDs or tickets or trinkets or electronics.  Nothing new for two years. 

First of all, I realized that, even though I was never a big shopper, my desire for new things did have a bit of a grip on me.  I’m excited by new stuff as much as the next guy. 

But my shopping fast broke that.  I realized that it didn’t really matter.  It made no difference at all that I wore all the same clothes for two years.  The only difference was that shopping lost its hold on me.  I was set free in an area in which I didn’t even know there was a problem.

What it boiled down to was self denial.  I was denying myself the pleasure of shopping in order to draw near to God.  It was setting aside one big thing in my life, pushing it aside to make room for more of the Lord.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

So let me ask you, do you think you could do the shopping fast?  It means denying yourself for a period of time. 

Pray about it.  Say, “Lord, would you want me to do a shopping fast, to buy myself nothing for a period of time?”  Then ask Him how long He wants you to commit to. 

It’s not a matter of self improvement.  It’s not for your budget or anything else.  It is simply a way to deny yourself; a way to set aside one thing in your life in order to pick up your cross and follow Jesus.

So there it is.  Your question of the day – will you take the shopping fast challenge?


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-

What Was John Edwards Thinking? - Apples of Gold - August 13, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 13, 2008

“Sin Will Sell You Down the River”

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

What was John Edwards thinking?

He wanted to be the next president of the United States.  He had a family – a wife who battled cancer, a daughter at Harvard, and two little ones at home.  And yet he had an affair.

With whom?  Not a celebrity.  Not a national leader or rich young heiress.  No, it was just some woman.

Why did he do it?  To what advantage?

He must have seen some advantage to having this affair. 

But now listen to this.  An affair is sin, and when we sin, we enter into a master-slave relationship.  Sin is the master and we are the slave.*

Now let me ask you, in a master-slave relationship, things are done to whose advantage?  It’s always to the master’s advantage.  If you are the slave, you can count on this.  Things are not being done to your advantage.

The instant John Edwards gave in to sin, he became a slave.  But I’ll bet he didn’t see it that way.  I’ll bet he still thought he was in control.

What does a master do when his slave thinks he’s in control?  He knocks him down a peg or two, lets him know who is boss.

John Edwards has been knocked down a few pegs.  He stands humiliated before the whole world.  And it all goes back to the moment he surrendered to sin. 

I’ll bet he thought he could just get in and get out and walk away.  That’s like thinking you can sign up for slavery, but quit anytime you want.  It may be your choice to get in, but once you are a slave, you no longer have the power to get out.  The master has all the power.

John Edwards is a warning for everyone else.  There is no such thing as tinkering with sin.  As soon as we agree to sin, we become a slave. 

Here is a word I like:  talons.  Imagine a huge falcon sinking its talons into its prey. 

Sin does that.  Sure, you may reach your hand in the cage for a quick thrill, but then it has you.  You can feel the talons sinking in.  You don’t have a grip on your sin.  Sin has a grip on you.  It is the master and you are the slave. 

And sin is not a good master.  It will sell you down the river.

Do you know what that means, “sell you down the river”?  I’m reading “Pudd’nhead Wilson” by Mark Twain.  In the book there are some slaves in Missouri, and one day their master threatens to “sell them down the river.”  They considered that to be like sending them to hell because conditions were so much worse for slaves farther south.

And that’s what sin will do.  It won’t leave you where you are.  It will sell you down the river.

So is there a sin in your life that has a grip on you?  Can you see that it has become the master and you have become the slave?

Now what?  What can you do?

As you probably know, you can’t get out on your own.  You must appeal to a higher power, someone with power to break the bondage of sin.  And that someone is Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:15 says that Jesus died as a ransom to set us free from our sins.

Revelation 1:6 says that Jesus frees us from our sins by His blood.

Romans 8:2 says that through Jesus we are set free from sin.

So cry out to Jesus.  Repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness.  Ask Him to be your Savior.  Ask Him to set you free from the bondage of sin.  Then offer yourself up to serve Him.

Now you might say, “But Doug, I’ve done all that.  I am a born again Christian.  I’ve repented of my sins time and again, but this one sin keeps sinking its talons into me.”

Then I urge you to study Romans chapter six.  Here are some highlights:

It says, “…you have been set free from sin…”

It says, “…count yourself dead to sin…”

It says, “…do not let sin reign in your mortal body…”

It says, “…do not offer the parts of your body to sin…”

It says, “…sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace…”

When you come to Christ, you are set free from sin.  Sin is no longer your master.  The problem is, it will still insist that you obey.  But as a child of God, you are not bound to sin.  You don’t have to do it.  God says, “Don’t do it.  I have set you free!”

“But Doug, I feel like I’m bound to do it.”

If you are a saved child of God, you are not bound to do it.  You have been set free.  The chains have been broken.  It’s time to walk away from sin and walk towards God.

Romans 6:13 says, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God…and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.”

That’s the key – offering ourselves up to God as instruments of righteousness.

Have you ever heard that idle hands are the devil’s tools?  It’s not in the Bible, but it makes a point.  If you are struggling with a certain sin, don’t just try to not do it.  Instead, replace it with something good, something for God.  The time and effort you’ve been spending on that sin, instead offer that same time and effort up to God for His purposes.

Sin is a terrible master.  It will humiliate us then sell us down the river.  To overcome it we need a higher power, and thank God we have just that.  We are set free from the slavery to sin by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

 
*  Romans 6:16, “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

© 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-

Did We Evolve From Single Cell Organisms? - Apples of Gold - August 12, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 12, 2008

“Did We Evolve From Single Cell Organisms?”

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

To me, the idea that humans evolved from some single cell organism is ridiculous.

Just think about this whole idea of eating. 

Don’t you just love to eat?  I mean, just think of all the food you have enjoyed in your lifetime.  Isn’t it marvelous? 

First of all, it’s amazing that we have taste buds and actually enjoy food so much.  Second of all, it’s amazing that our bodies take that food and use it for energy.  In addition to the pleasure, food literally keeps us alive.

And you’re trying to tell me that just sort of happened randomly, a really lucky accident?  Think of the odds of that happening.  A mouth develops on its own?  A mouth that eats and tastes?  And it just so happens that it eats things that energize the body?  The odds are so staggering that it’s actually impossible.  It is impossible that such a thing happened without a creator.

When I think about such things, all I can do is look up and marvel at our great God.

Now try this.  Try slipping the Adam and Eve story in on your science teacher.  They will likely laugh you right out of the building.  But take a good, hard look at what they believe instead.

Let’s say by some miracle we did evolve from a single cell organism.  If so, how did they reproduce?  Oh, they just divided, you say.  They just multiplied.  Oh.  Okay.  Then let me ask you this.  If that system worked so well, why did it switch over to requiring two people to procreate?  If you had an efficient system of procreating by simply multiplying yourself, why would it ever evolve into requiring two organisms?  And how did it make that leap? 

I’m telling you, asking these questions is like taking a machine gun to a football.  It rips it full of holes and lets all the air out.

Oh, but throw in millions of years.  That’s our answer to everything.  Gee, that’s a really long time.  I guess anything could happen if you give it a million years.

Now let’s go back to that Adam and Eve story.  What an incredible and beautiful thing, this idea of a man and a woman.  Without them both, there is no procreation.  One can’t produce babies without the other.  And it’s not some scientific duty.  The whole man/woman thing is an amazing cocktail of excitement and thrills.  Take a look at the internet.  What websites dominate?  Things having to do with men and women, everything from dating sites to sex sites to relationship advice, and on and on.  I’m not saying it’s all good.  I’m just saying it dominates the internet, showing how powerful the man/woman thing is.

Some will say that “evolution” gave us that great desire for one another in order to propagate the species.  Oh really?  Which came first, the desire or the mechanical ability to procreate together?  You know what?  It better have happened all on the same day!  Otherwise how would it have happened at all?

I’m telling you, it makes no sense.  It is impossible.  It couldn’t have slowly evolved from one thing to another.  It all had to happen at once, all of a sudden.  The mechanics.  The ability.  The desire.  The pleasure.  The results. 

I know many otherwise intelligent people scoff at the idea of Adam and Eve, but to me it makes perfect sense.  All of the billions of wonderful details that had to be in place at the same time to make the whole man/woman thing work.  Again, I just look up toward heaven and say, “God, You are awesome!”

Now let me ask you, have you ever studied about the earth’s “magnetosphere”?  It’s a magnetic shield around the planet that protects the earth from the sun.  Now I’m no sun expert.  I just saw this on a DVD from the library.  But it pointed out how powerful the sun is (remember, they say at the core it’s like 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.)  It’s so powerful that it would hammer the earth – if it weren’t for that magnetic shield.

Now, are you going to try to tell me that we have evolution to thank for that shield?  And evolution to thank for the sun?  And, praise evolution, it all happened at once, because the sun sustains life on this planet, yet at the same time we must be shielded from the full affect of the sun.  It all had to happen at exactly the same time.  What are the odds of it happening by chance?  It’s impossible!

There is only one way that we could have the infinite complexity of life we enjoy on planet Earth, with all these things clicking along simultaneously.  It could not possibly have happened by chance, and it could not have evolved from some simple organism.  It had to be designed and created and kicked off at the same time.

So, yes, many people scoff at the story in Genesis and the whole idea of God creating the world and Adam and Eve.  But all I can say is, compared to evolving from a primordial soup, the creation idea makes much better sense to me.
 

Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

For more reading on this subject, here is a good website:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/wow/did-humans-really-evolve

© 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 Word to Christian Communicators - Apples of Gold - August 11, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 11, 2008

“A Word to Christian Communicators”

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

Mark 12:37 says that the large crowd listened to Jesus “with delight.”

Can the same be said of us?

If you are a Christian communicator, would you say that the crowd listens to you with delight?

Cicero was one of Rome’s greatest orators, and he said great communication needs three elements.  It should teach, it should motivate, and it should delight.

We Christian communicators are usually pretty good at teaching.  We can pass along facts all day long.  We lecture and preach, and we feel like we are doing our duty as long as we are communicating Godly truth.

But Cicero said in addition to teaching, great communication should also motivate.  He’s saying that it’s not good enough just to state the facts.  We should state them in such a way that it moves people.

Many Christian communicators are also great motivators.  Congregations are moved to action by great preaching.  Millions of Christians have been motivated by great speaking and writing and various uses of the media.

But what about Cicero’s other point?  Yes, we teach and even motivate, but what about this thing he called delight?

When I think of delight, I think of children when they see puppies.  I think of teenagers when they have a crush on someone.  I think of grownups planning their dream vacation.  Or, like it says in Mark 12:37, I think of an audience listening to Jesus.

When was the last time you were delighted by some form of communication?  I am often delighted when I hear a great new song.  I’m delighted when I hear a truth stated in a way that really turns on the light.  I’m delighted when I read a story that is so well written that I’m just sucked into it.  I’m delighted by a clever turn of phrase and by a creative video.  I’m delighted by the painting of Christian artist Ron DiCianni.

Now let me ask you.  If you are a Christian communicator, what are you doing to delight your audience?

When I think about delighting an audience, I think of the shepherds in Luke chapter two.  There they were, watching their flocks by night, and suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  He announced the birth of Christ, then was joined by a great company of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Did God have to go to all that trouble to announce the birth of His Son?  Of course not.  He could have just passed on the facts.  But instead He made it a grand spectacle!

Think of the Day of Pentecost in the upper room, with the tongues of fire and the rushing wind. 

Think of Moses and the burning bush.

Think of Paul on the road to Damascus.

Think of Jesus’ baptism, with heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending like a dove and a voice from heaven declaring, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Let me tell you, God knows how to delight His audience!

And you know what?  So does the world.  In fact, the world thrives on it.  When they make a hit movie, it’s all about delighting the audience.  They are so delighted they can’t wait for the next one.

Is that the way our audience feels about us as Christian communicators? 

Now listen, I’m not talking about watering down the Gospel.  We still communicate Christ in all His glory, and we do it in such a way to delight the audience.

What’s the difference between delighting the audience or not?  I think it comes down to work.

Have you ever had a Sunday school teacher who simply read the book to you?  They did no work on the lesson, and it delighted no one.  And with no delight, is anyone listening at all?

Compare that to a Sunday school teacher who studies the lesson, then thinks of ways to delight the class – while teaching the lesson. 

One time I was asked to teach a seminar for school teachers.  Instead of lecturing them, I took a lot of extra time to write out a skit to illustrate the point.  Then I had the teachers get up and read the script.  It really brought the lesson to life and delighted the audience in the process. 

This applies to preaching and teaching.  It applies to all forms of Christian communication.  If you have a website, does it delight?  If you have a radio show or a TV show, are you working to delight your audience?  If you are a writer, if you’re in a singing group, what are you doing to delight your audience?

Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

We can do that poorly, or we can do that to the best of our ability.  And if we want to do our best, then I think we need Cicero’s three elements of great communication.  We need to teach, we need to motivate, and we need to delight.


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-

What Should I Look For in a Spouse? - Apples of Gold - July 31, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 31, 2008

“What Should I Look For in a Spouse?”

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

“What is the most important thing I should look for in a spouse?”

The question was kind of abrupt, and I answered off the top of my head.

“Faithfulness,” I said.  “Look for faithfulness.  It doesn’t matter how wonderful someone is, if they are not faithful, your life will be a wreck.”

So what exactly is faithful?  I think someone is faithful if, first of all, they consistently love you.  First Corinthians 13 says love is not self seeking.  Instead of always looking out for themselves, a faithful person looks out for you. 

Second of all, someone is faithful if their character is consistent.  They aren’t one way today and another way tomorrow. 

The perfect example of faithfulness is God.  Over and over the Bible describes God as faithful.

Second Thessalonians 3:3 says, “…the Lord is faithful…”

Lamentations 3:23 says, “…great is Thy faithfulness…”

Isaiah 25:1 talks about His perfect faithfulness.

Psalm 33:4 says the Lord is faithful in all He does.

Psalm 108:4 says His faithfulness “reaches to the skies.”

And Psalm 146:6 says the Lord remains faithful forever.

What does it mean that the Lord is faithful? 

To me that means He is looking out for our best interest, and His character is consistent.

God doesn’t change.  In Malachi 3:6 He declared, “…I am the Lord, I change not…”

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

So when you are looking for faithfulness in a spouse, watch to see if their character is consistent.  If they operate by situational ethics, look out.  If they change their behavior based upon who is watching, look out.  This is not a faithful person.

And when you are looking for faithfulness in a spouse, watch to see if they consistently look out for your best interest – or are they just in it for themselves?  If they spend all their time looking out for number one and don’t seem to care much about looking out for you – look out.  This is not a faithful person.

Why is faithfulness so important?

Because you must marry someone you trust.  If you don’t trust them, to marry them is to pour yourself a heaping bowl of agony.

It won’t matter how good they look or how much money they have.  It won’t matter how smart they are or fun or successful.  If you can’t trust them, you will wake up every day to the feeling of maggots in your gut.

Sound extreme?  Talk to a few people who don’t trust their spouse.  It’s misery. 

That’s why it is so crucial to find this out before you get married.  Can you trust them?  Are they faithful?  If they aren’t faithful before marriage, that little ceremony is not going to change them.

This thing of faithfulness goes beyond marriage.  It’s something to look for in your friends as well, even business partners.

Listen to what King David wrote in Psalm 101.  “My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me…” 

Who was going to get close to the king?  Faithful people.  People who had his best interest at heart.  People whose character was consistent.

You have to look beyond someone’s words.  Proverbs 20 verse 6 says, “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?”

Now let me ask this.  Are you a faithful person?  Do you truly care about the interests of others, or are you looking out for number one?  And is your character consistent, no matter who is watching?

The good news is, if you are a Christian, and you let the Holy Spirit work in you, then you will have the fruit of the Spirit which includes faithfulness.*

Like I said, this all goes back to the person who asked me one day, “What is the most important thing I should look for in a spouse.”

My answer came off the top of my head, but the more I think about it, the more I see the truth in it.  One primary quality you absolutely must have in a spouse is this:  faithfulness.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

 *  Galatians 5:22

© 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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