The Days Are Evil - Apples of Gold - February 11, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 11, 2009

“The Days Are Evil”

 

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

Okay, this is weird.

Today’s Apples of Gold is entitled “The Days Are Evil.”

At the exact same time I was writing this about evil, someone smashed out a window in my wife’s van and stole her purse.

The old family van was in broad daylight in the parking lot.  Most of the van windows are so dark you can’t even see inside.  Yet someone was bold enough to shatter the window, grab the purse and a witness got a good look at him as he drove off like mad.

It’s a crime.  It cost us and I’m not happy about it.  But I must say it’s a perfect illustration of my point, which is “the days are evil.” 

That’s what it says in Ephesians 5:16, “…the days are evil.”

Can a day actually be evil, even the very day you are a crime victim?

Not really.  What that verse means is that evil is being done these days.

People are doing evil all over the world.  That includes heinous crimes and petty thievery. 

James 1:21 uses this phrase:  “…the evil that is so prevalent…”

Have you ever seen a map of troop movements in World War II?  As the Germans and Japanese invaded other countries, the black places on the map grew, like ink spilled on a desktop.  Then as the Allies fought back, the black ink receded.

That’s the way I see evil in the world.  It ebbs and flows each day as people do more or less evil.

And now the black ink has spread into a little Tallahassee parking lot. 

And it spread in a thousand other places, too.

Yes, the days are evil.  But there’s nothing new about that, is there?

Now back to Ephesians 5:16.  The whole verse says, “…making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Now don’t miss this.  Because the days are evil, we must make the most of every opportunity.

See, we have a limited number of opportunities.  Our time is limited.  We only have so many shots at making a difference.  Are we making the most of them?

Because here’s the thing.  Evil will.  Evil wants to advance.  It recruits and plunders and gains ground.  If we don’t fight it, that blank ink will spread and will eventually engulf the world.

We, as Christians, need to make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  So what should we do?

First of all, focus on the fact that it’s people doing the evil.  So if we could just get them to stop.  Easier said than done, right?

Second, realize that this evil comes from within, from their sin nature, from their heart.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:19 that evil thoughts come out of the heart.  So if we want to stop people from doing evil, we have to deal with their heart.

In this war on evil, I see three main fronts.

The first front is where people are deciding to do evil or not.  We need to make the most of every opportunity to encourage people to avoid evil and do right. 

This means teaching people right from wrong.  It means moral instruction and character training.  For people to do right, they need to know what right is.

And they also need leaders and role models.  We can’t just babble on about it.  We must live it.  We must deny our own evil desires, avoid sin, and live holy for the Lord.

You know that black ink of evil on the map?  It would recede quite a bit if we could just get the Christians to stop doing evil.  We need to help each other and hold each other accountable.

And by evil I don’t just mean capital crimes.  I mean anything that is a sin in God’s eyes. 

The second front in the war on evil is where people are already doing evil.

How can we stop them?  As Christians, we go right to their heart.  We share the Gospel and call for repentance.  We pray for them and trust the Holy Spirit to work on them.  We shine our light, and we show them love.

Only the Lord can change a heart – and He will!  And as people come to Him, that black ink will recede.

And the third front in the war on evil is where the victims are.

Evil always leaves behind victims, and this is where the body of Christ shines.  We reach out as the hands and feet of Jesus, just like the Good Samaritan, loving and nurturing those who have been robbed and beaten by evil.

And this is a crucial front in the war because so many victims of evil turn right around and become the purveyors of evil.  We can help break that cycle.

Can you see it?  Can you see that evil like black ink, spreading across the map of the world?

We can turn the tide.  We can make that blank ink recede, but it means getting involved. 

And we only have so much time.  Yes, we must make the most of every single opportunity, because like the Bible says, the days are evil.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

What About Athletes Thanking God? - Apples of Gold - February 9, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 9, 2009

“What About Athletes Thanking God?”

 

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

“You’re not going to like this, but you’re the third oldest quarterback ever to play in the Super Bowl.  How does that make you feel?”

“You know, everyone’s going to be tired of hearing this, but I never get tired of saying it.  There’s one reason that I’m standing up on this stage today, and that’s because of my Lord up above.  I gotta say thanks to Jesus!  You knew I was going to do it, and I gotta do it.”

That’s what Kurt Warner told Terry Bradshaw after the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC Championship Game.

Actually that’s what a variety of athletes say after a big game.  Some people hate it.  One guy even wrote that he is glad when Kurt Warner loses so he won’t have to hear about God. 

Some people criticize them for not thanking God when they lose.  Of course, when you lose the general public doesn’t really care what you have to say.  When the Cardinals lost the Super Bowl they sure didn’t ask Kurt Warner to come up on the big stage and share his thoughts.

But when you win, that’s when you get that live microphone.  That’s when the nation’s ears perk up.  And that’s when you get the chance to do this one important thing.

Acknowledge the Lord.

Now what does it mean to acknowledge the Lord?  It basically means to recognize that He exists and that He plays a role in our lives.

And you know, you don’t have to wait until you are on national television.  Yesterday we ate at Red Lobster.  My dad told the waitress, “We’re getting ready to pray before we eat.  Would you like us to pray for you?”

He acknowledged God before an audience of one – our waitress.

Now I’ve had people tell me to keep my faith to myself, or to keep my religion at home.  And a lot of people live by that credo, that faith is a private matter between you and God.

But Jesus didn’t see it that way.  He wants us to bring Him up in front of other people – and He said He would reward us for it.

In Matthew 10:31 Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”

The King James uses the word “confess.”  “Whosever…shall confess Me before men…”

It means that we publicly recognize that Jesus exists, and the role He plays in our lives.

Proverbs 3:6 says we should acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways.

That doesn’t meant that everyone is going to like it.  In fact, even while Jesus walked the earth it caused a lot of people trouble.  John 9:22 says that the Jews decided to kick everyone out of the synagogue who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ.

Acknowledging Jesus publicly comes with a price.  You are saying that you are on Jesus’ team, and that means anyone not on His team might turn on you.

In Jerusalem, the Jewish leaders told the early church to stop with all the Jesus stuff.  But they wouldn’t.

And there are people today who want us to stop bringing up Jesus.  But we won’t.

Jesus is Lord and God.  He is our Savior. 

And as Christians, we need to let that be known.  We need to acknowledge Jesus before men.

No, it’s not politically correct.  It might cost you some opportunities.  It will make you unpopular in certain circles.

But let me tell you, there is really only one circle that I’m concerned about, and that’s this one in Matthew 10:32.

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”

So what would you do if the microphone was suddenly thrust in your face on national television? 

For Kurt Warner, it was so important to acknowledge Jesus before men that he skipped right over the question.  He jumped right to the part about Jesus.

Most of us will never get such a huge opportunity, but we all get many smaller opportunities.

So watch for them.  Look for opportunities big and small to publicly acknowledge your 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.


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

The Excitement of the New - Apples of Gold - February 6, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 6, 2009

“The Excitement of the New”

 

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

Isn’t it exciting to get something new?

Here I am, a middle-aged man, but I feel that little kid buzz when I remember that, “Oh yeah!  I have new clothes!”  Or it might be a new watch, or for crying out loud, I even get a little excited about having a new saw blade.

And it’s not just new things.  I remember feeling that excitement in college at the start of every new semester. 

Speaking of college, the girls used to do this thing where, for example, a whole floor from a girl’s dorm would reserve a restaurant for the night, then each of them would get a date for their roommate.  See, maybe there was a guy the roommate liked.  This was a way to get them together.

I went on a few of those dates, and for the guy they were blind dates.  When you walked in that restaurant you had no idea who your date was.  Talk about exciting!  It was the excitement of limitless possibilities.  Anything could happen!

That’s kind of the way I feel when I read about the early days of Jesus’ ministry.  Like when he called his first disciples.  I picture them all as sunny days!  The future was bright, the possibilities endless.  It was the start of something new and man, it’s gonna be great!

The Bible doesn’t exactly spell it out in chronological order, but here’s the best I can figure it.

It started in John chapter 1.  There was John the Baptist and two of his disciples out by the Jordan River.  John saw Jesus walking by and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

Then those two disciples of John the Baptist walked over to Jesus.  One of them was Andrew, and apparently the other was John.  And they ended up spending the day with Jesus.

So that’s two disciples now in contact with Jesus – ten more to go.  I’m telling you, something new and exciting is starting to unfold!

Well after meeting Jesus, Andrew just could not contain his excitement.  The first thing he did was go and tell his brother Simon, “Hey, we have found the Messiah!” 

So Andrew brought Simon to Jesus, and Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John.  You will be called…Peter.”

Three down, nine to go.

John 2:43 says, “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.  Finding Philip, He said to him, “Follow me.”

Wait a minute.  Where did Philip come from?  Well all I know is that he was from the same town as Andrew and Peter, which was Bethsaida.

Four down, eight to go.

Philip got all excited like Andrew did, and he found Nathanael and told him about Jesus, of Nazareth.

“Nazareth!” said Nathanael.  “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see,” said Philip.

So he did.  And Nathanael was impressed and that makes it…five down, seven to go.

Now you need to know that Nathanael also went by the name Bartholomew.  So when you read the lists of disciples in the Bible, just remember that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same man.

Anyway, there is definitely an excitement in the air as these men are being drawn into Jesus’ circle.

Apparently some time passed after their first encounter with Jesus, because we find Peter and Andrew, plus John and his brother James, back at their fishing job.  At this time, however, Jesus gives them a more formal call.  He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  At that point they left the fishing business to follow Jesus.

That’s two sets of brothers, Peter and Andrew, and now John and James.  James makes it six down, six to go.  And by the way, John and James (the sons of Zebedee) also got a nickname.  Jesus called them the Sons of Thunder.

At some point Jesus saw the tax collector Levi sitting at his tax booth.  Jesus said, “Follow me,” and Levi got up and left everything to follow Jesus.  And he ended up being called Matthew.

That’s seven down and five to go.  And in the Bible we kind of see Matthew paired up with Thomas, but we don’t find the story of how Jesus first called Thomas, or the other four for that matter.  They were James the son of Alphaeus, Judas the son of James (who was also called Thaddaeus), Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.  When the twelve are listed, Judas the traitor always comes last, and Peter is first, by the way.

Actually Jesus had a lot of other disciples.  He was stirring up a lot of excitement, and a lot of people were drawn to Him. 

Then one night He went up on a mountainside and spent the night in prayer.  Then in the morning He gathered His disciples and picked out twelve of them to be His apostles.

I just love reading about those early days of Jesus’ ministry, so full of excitement, of possibilities!

But with Jesus, it never does get old.  The next thing you know they were in that upper room on the day of Pentecost.  The next thing you know the Gospel was turning the world upside down. 

And it still is today.  I see it in my own life.  Following Jesus means a continual supply of new things.

I think God created us to enjoy new things, and I think as we live for Him, He continually brings new and exciting things into our life.

So what are you waiting for?  Heed the call to follow Jesus today.  Like those first disciples, leave it all to follow Him.

Then watch in amazement as the Lord continually brings into your life the excitement of the new!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Who Is Most Successful In Your Family? - Apples of Gold - February 4, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 4, 2009

“Who Is Most Successful In Your Family?”

 

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

Do you want to be successful?

Who doesn’t, right?

Donald Trump is successful.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are successful.  Barack Obama is successful.

Now let me ask you a question, and I want you to think for a second.  In your family – just off the top of your head, the very first person that comes to mind – who is most successful?

So who came to mind?  I’m going to guess that it was the person with the most money. 

Or maybe you have a family member that is famous to some degree. 

Or maybe it’s someone with a lot of education, or a business owner, or maybe even just someone with their own office.

But when I asked that question, “Who is most successful in your family?” someone came to mind, right?

But why that person?  What criteria in your head made you think of them as most successful?

This is important because it will tell you something about your definition of success.

And I suspect that most of us, especially when making a quick decision, have a worldly definition of success.

So if we all want to be successful, and our most prominent definition of success is worldly, then we are prone to value worldly success; or what I will call “success in the eyes of men.”

However, as Christians, our priority should be success in the eyes of God.  And let me tell you, they are not the same thing.

Take Jesus, for example.  When He walked the earth, He enjoyed little success in the eyes of men.  There was the magnificent Roman Empire, and then there was this little nothing Jew walking around little nothing Israel.

Jesus never went to Rome.  He had no trophy wife.  He did make a little splash around Jerusalem, but did not maximize the publicity.  And just when the ball would get rolling He would do something to kick it off course.

How would you have liked to have been Jesus’ publicity agent?  He didn’t write a book.  He didn’t bounce from city to city on speaking engagements. 

You know what?  He just wasn’t interested in being successful in the eyes of men.

In John 4:34 Jesus told us what He considered successful, “…to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.”

We need to plug this into our heads.  This needs to be our definition of success.  Someone is successful to the degree that they do the will and the work of the Lord.

Take the Apostle Paul and Julius Caesar.  Who was most successful?  Well by this definition, Paul was.  He was immersed in doing the will and the work of the Lord.

Now back to your family.  Who is most successful?  It should be the one who is most doing the will of the Lord.

Look at the kings in the Old Testament.  On what basis were they judged to be successful or not?  It was based on the degree to which they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

See, success has nothing to do with your money or your fame, your power or your education.  It’s not even your reputation or your standing in the church.  No, our level of success is just like the kings of old.  Are we doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord?

As you map out your goals for success, this must be at the top. 

Are you planning the success of your children?  Make sure this is at the top:  doing the will and work of the Lord.

So much of what we call success is really just success in the eyes of men.  But listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 16:15, “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.”

First Corinthians 3 says, “…the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”

So, if we want to be successful, we need to first of all define what that is.

And we need to do away any worldly notions of success because sometimes what men so highly value is actually detestable to God.

Yes, we want to be successful, and it needs to be according to God’s definition.

And that comes down to doing God’s will and God’s work. 

We will be successful to the degree that we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

How Can I Receive All the Blessings God Has For Me? - Apples of Gold - February 3, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 3, 2009

“How Can I Receive All the Blessings God Has For Me?”

 

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

“Dear Doug, how can I receive all the blessings God has for me?”

Great question.

First of all, let me say that all blessings are from God, and if it’s not from God, it’s not a blessing.

James 1:17 indicates that every good and perfect gift comes down from our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 16:11 says that at His right hand are “pleasures forevermore.”

So with God are all the blessings, and apart from Him are no blessings.

In my Bible, Deuteronomy 28 starts with this word in the heading, “Blessings.”  Then it goes on and lists all these wonderful blessings God offered the people of Israel.  Blessed, blessed, blessed – but with one caveat.  They had to “fully obey the Lord.” 

It’s like a giant fire hose of blessings would rain down on them – as long as they obeyed.  But as soon as they didn’t obey the hose would start to kink.

You see, sin is a barrier to God’s blessings.  We will be blessed, unless sin comes between us and God.

And here’s how it played out.  Their sin always came between them and God.  And that meant their sin always came between them and God’s blessings.  They just couldn’t “fully obey” Him.  They didn’t “carefully follow all the words” of the law.  They didn’t revere his glorious and awesome name.  They weren’t able to carefully follow the terms of the covenant.

See, that’s what it was – a covenant between them and God.  It was a great system, but it didn’t do them much good because the people couldn’t be good.  It was their covenant with the Lord, but they couldn’t uphold their end of the covenant.

Skip ahead to Hebrews 8:6.  Jesus came along as the mediator of a new covenant.  It’s superior to the old covenant, and get this.  “…It is founded on better promises.”

Wait a minute.  Better promises than all those promises in the old covenant? 

Yes.  The new covenant is founded on better promises.

Well what are they?

Hebrews 8 goes on to talk about the new covenant.  God says it won’t be like the old covenant.  “They did not remain faithful to my covenant,” declares the Lord, “And I turned away from them.”

But now buckle up for the new covenant.  Listen to these promises starting in Hebrews 8:10.

“I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people…they will all know me…for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Now remember how we started.  With God are all the blessings, but sin separates us from those blessings.

Well this new covenant takes care of that sin.  Jesus Christ paid the price of our sin.  He purchased our forgiveness with His own blood. 

This kicks off the new covenant.  God forgives our wickedness and remembers our sins no more – when we turn to Jesus Christ.  Through faith in Christ we are cleaned and redeemed.  That obliterates the wall of sin that separates us from God.  It unkinks the fire hose of His blessings.

We literally become children of our Heavenly Father, the Most High God.  Galatians 3:26 says we become children of God “through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Now those are two powerful blessings from the new covenant.  First, God takes care of the sin that separates us from Him. Second, we become His children.

Then comes a super powerful aspect of this new covenant.  Galatians 3:10 says that by faith we “receive the promise of the Spirit.”

This is the Holy Spirit of the Living God, coming to be with us, and to actually live inside us.  He becomes our teacher and our comforter.  He leads us and guides us and convicts us.  Not only are we not separated from God, He has now taken up residence within us!

And remember, with God are all the blessings.  So now the source of all blessing is not a million miles away in some spiritual outer space somewhere.  He is right here!

So now what?  Can we just put it on spiritual auto pilot and wait for the blessings to come flying in?

No.  The next step is to start listening to the voice of God’s Spirit within us and walking in obedience.  Romans 8:5 says we “live in accordance with the Spirit,” with our “minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Now we can still choose to sin, but we are no longer bound to sin.  We have the Spirit of God within us and as we listen to His voice we can stay clean before the Lord.  If we do sin, He convicts us and we can quickly confess our sin and repent.  This keeps us walking clean before God and prevents any kinks in that fire hose of blessings. 

So yes, God is the source of all blessings, but sin comes between us and those blessings. 

But thank God through Jesus Christ our sin is removed!  Our sin is forgiven and we are cleansed from all unrighteousness.  We are children of the Most High, and His Spirit lives inside of us.  As we listen to His Spirit we live in such a way that there is no wall between us, no kink in the hose of His blessings.

And that’s how we receive all the blessings God has for us!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Don't Lower the Standard Just to Get a Laugh - Apples of Gold - February 2, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 2, 2009

“Don’t Lower the Standard Just to Get a Laugh”

 

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

I have always been a sucker for laughter.

Growing up I always migrated towards people who made me laugh.

I liked comedies and comedians, cartoons and comics.  I went from Charlie Brown to Bloom County to Calvin & Hobbes to Dilbert.  And don’t forget the Far Side.

And even though I wasn’t really asking for it, a lot of foul things were introduced into my life through comedy.

Just for the laughs I listened to Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx and Rodney Dangerfield.  Throw in Steve Martin and Saturday Night Live.

Oh, I had a lot of laughs, but I got something more.  These people also passed along their values.

The main value they passed along was, “What is acceptable to say?”

See, if they said it, then it must be okay to say.  And they were willing to say most anything to get a laugh.  In fact, sometimes the foul things were the funniest.

But you know what?  As Christians, there are some things we should not say.  There are some things that should never come up in conversation.  Ephesians 5 says these things include filthiness, foolish talking and coarse joking.

It says these are out of place for saints.  They are improper for God’s holy people.

So think about it.  Do you ever say things that fall into the categories of filthiness, foolish talking or coarse joking?

Now here is the danger zone.  I think we are more likely to say these things when we are trying to be funny.

Somehow, when it comes to being funny, we have received the values of the comedians more than the values of God. 

Now there’s nothing wrong with being funny.  Nothing wrong with a good laugh.  But it is wrong if it’s filthy, foolish or coarse.

I’ve seen pastors do this while preaching.  I’ve seen youth leaders do this, and Bible teachers.  All of a sudden they say something in order to get a laugh, but lo and behold, it’s filthy, foolish or coarse.

Most Christians, in their normal conversation, would not be filthy, foolish or coarse.  But somehow that standard gets lower when it’s time to get a laugh.

We are more willing to say something crass in order to get a laugh.

Comedy involves the element of surprise.  And since coarse joking is almost always a surprise coming from a Christian, it can cause the much desired laughter.

In other words, a great way for a Christian to get a laugh is to be coarse.

Laughter makes us feel good.  We’re happy!  Even if it’s a guilty pleasure, we’ll take the pleasure, thank you.

Okay, now let’s pull the lid off this thing.  What’s the difference if we all sit around and tell coarse jokes and have a good laugh?  It’s just talk, after all.  I mean, for example, we can joke about adultery all day long.  It’s not the same as doing it.

Well let me tell you.  Jokes matter.  Jokes change our attitudes.  When we laugh about things that are sinful, then we start to attach positive feelings to things God hates.

It will be hard to feel strongly against racism if you sit around and tell racist jokes all the time.

It will be hard to respect women if you tell jokes that demean women.

It’s hard to have a godly view of sex when you tell dirty jokes.

If you laugh a lot about drunk people, it’s hard to feel the depth of sadness and grief for them that we should.

What we choose to laugh about matters.

The Bible says that filthiness and foolish talking and coarse joking are not fitting for saints.  They don’t belong in our conversations. 

The first step is to stop saying these things ourselves.  We just decide that this is unacceptable and we stop saying them.

The second step is to stop listening to others who say such things, including comedians.

I believe these things grieve the Holy Spirit of God.  So let us examine our lives and work to do away with all communications that include filthiness, foolish talking, and coarse joking.

And let us beware of that oh, so subtle temptation – to lower our standards just to get a laugh.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Welcome Home! - Apples of Gold - January 30, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 30, 2009

“Welcome Home!”

 

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

My wife and I were tucked away in the Seminole Room.

That’s a room in our house that is painted in the colors of the Florida State Seminoles.

We heard someone come in the front door, and I said what I always say, “Welcome home!”

I expected to hear the voice of one of our children, but all I got was a giggle.

It was our son’s fiancé. 

Why did she giggle?  I guess because I gave the big “welcome home” to someone who didn’t live there.

“That’s alright,” I said.  “You’re just like one of the family.”

The same thing happened last week.  Someone walked in the front door and went straight to the refrigerator.  “Welcome home,” I called out.  And one of my son’s friends sheepishly poked his head around the corner and smiled at me.  My son wasn’t even there.  Then another young man popped around the corner and said, “Hello, Mr. Apple.”

Why do I put up with this?  Why do I let non-family members walk in the door like that, and go to the refrigerator, no less?

Maybe it goes back to my own teenage years.  I don’t know when it started, but somewhere along the line I started entering my friends’ homes without knocking.  Not all of them, of course.  Just some of them.

And I liked it.  I really, really liked it.

Those homes became a home away from home.  The parents liked you and accepted you and you knew it.  Not that they put up with disrespect.  It’s more like they treated you like one of their own.

Some friends’ homes were like this, and some weren’t.  Some you didn’t dare enter without knocking.  And you certainly never entered if your friend wasn’t there.

But others, it didn’t matter if your friend was there or not.  You could go in and chat with the parents, or the siblings.  They really treated you like a member of the family.

I still appreciate what they did.  I felt their love, and you know what?  On some days you really needed it. 

My wife and I decided a long time ago that that’s the kind of house we would have – a place where our kids’ friends could just come on in.  Not to show disrespect, of course, but to be treated like a member of the family.

Now I’m not saying you have to let people walk in your house without knocking.  That certainly isn’t for everyone.

But what is for everyone is this.  It’s found in Romans 12:13.  “Practice hospitality.”

First Peter 4:9 says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

Recently I was the guest speaker at a church.  Afterward the pastor and his wife invited us to their home where they had prepared a full meal.  A few others were invited as well, and the house was full of joy and laughter.

That is hospitality.

In fact, most of the pastors I have known over the years are very good at hospitality.  They willingly open their homes and usually have a steady flow of traffic.

The people who lived in our house before us – they were given to hospitality.  They welcomed ministers and evangelists, and had an extra bedroom for these special guests.

Both Timothy and Titus say that church leaders should be “hospitable.”

In Acts 10 we read about Simon the tanner.  He lived by the sea, which sounds scenic, doesn’t it?  And verse 32 says that he showed hospitality to a very special guest – none other than Simon Peter.

Acts 18 says that Priscilla and Aquila had the Apostle Paul over to their home.

In Acts 16, Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from Thyatira, invited Paul and his entourage to stay at her house.

Acts 28 says a public official welcomed them into his home and entertained them hospitably for three days.

In Galatians 4:14 Paul said that the people welcomed him “as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself.”

Now that’s hospitality!

And when he got the chance, Paul also practiced hospitality.  In Acts 28 we see that for two years he had his own rented house, and it says he “welcomed all who came to see him.”

So how are you doing at showing hospitality?

It’s about making people feel welcome.  They should feel comfortable. And loved.  And liked. 

We are told to practice hospitality, and to me it kind of all boils down into these words when that front door opens:

“Welcome home!”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

I Fear My Wife - Apples of Gold - January 28, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 28, 2009

“I Fear My Wife”

 

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

I will now say something very odd.

I fear my wife.

How do you picture me now?  A 98-pound weakling?  A pathetic shell-of-a-man who gets beat if he forgets to pick up milk on his way home from work?

Well, that’s not the case at all.  I love my wife.  We have a great marriage and a happy home.  We just celebrated the 25^th anniversary of our first date. 

But I do fear her, and here’s what I mean by that.

I fear having to live without her.  She means so much to me, I don’t even want to think about life without her.  And you know, she could pick up and leave at any moment.  She’s not my slave.  This isn’t the dark ages.  She can just up and go.  And that would be a tragedy in my life.  So I fear her and the awesome power she has to hurt me if she really made up her mind to do so.

Now listen to this.  That fear keeps me in line.  I don’t want to hurt her or grieve her or even disappoint her.  I want her to be pleased with me, not displeased with me.

I want her favor.  I want her blessing.  I want the things she provides for my life.  Yes, if she left tomorrow I could stumble along without her, but I don’t even want to try. 

So I try to please her.  I want her to be happy.  I want what is best for her, and I will work to get it for her.  I will sacrifice for her.

And if you are married, you know your spouse can punish you, right?  It comes in many different forms, but it’s still a punishment.

Now you might be thinking, “What kind of whacked out situation is this?  That marriage is messed up.”

Not at all.  It’s a healthy marriage.  And one of the reasons it’s healthy is this one ingredient among many – I fear my wife.

When we hear the word “fear” we picture cowering in the corner while some maniac goes on a rampage.  That’s not the kind of fear I’m talking about. 

It’s more like this.  I fear my boss.  That doesn’t make me cower in the corner, weak and unproductive.  It actually strengthens me.  It makes me rise up and get to work.  It motivates me to do my best.

I fear him because, you know, he could fire me.  He could really mess with my life if he wanted to.  So that fear keeps me in line.  I want him to be pleased with me, not displeased with me. 

I want his favor.  I want his blessing.  I want the things he provides me.  Yes, if he fired me I could go find another job, but I don’t want to.

So I try to please him.  I want him to be happy. 

Now I’m not fearful and afraid.  I’m not scared or chicken.  He’s not a slavemaster.  But I do fear him.

Are you starting to see what kind of fear I’m talking about?

The other day I popped the hood on my daughter’s car.  I checked the tension on the belts.  If there’s no tension, it won’t work.  If there’s too much tension it won’t work.  It needs just the right amount of tension to work properly.

That’s how I see the fear I’m talking about.  It’s a kind of tension that keeps things working right.

With my boss, there is just enough tension to keep me working hard.  With my wife there is just enough tension to keep me striving to be a good husband.

And you know what?  The same is true with God.

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…”

First Peter 2:17 says we must “fear God.”

Act 9:31 says the early Christians throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria lived “in the fear of the Lord.”

I know I do.  I fear God.  I am a God-fearing man, and here’s what I mean by that.

I fear having to live without Him.  He means so much to me, I don’t even want to think about life without Him.  That would be a tragedy in my life.

That fear of the Lord keeps me in line.  I don’t want to hurt Him or grieve Him or even disappoint Him.  I want Him to be pleased with me, not displeased with me.

I want His favor, His blessing, the things He provides for me.  So I try to please Him.  I want Him to be happy with me.  I want each day to end with Him saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I fear the Lord, but that doesn’t mean I’m cowering and fearful.  I love my walk with Him, my life with Him.  He fills my life in every way with wonderful things.  I can’t go on without Him.  I don’t want to.  I won’t.

So my fear keeps me in line.  It keeps me on the straight and narrow.  It keeps me away from sin and drawing near to Him.

I fear the Lord, and you know what?

That’s a really, really good thing.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Why Settle For Gravel When You Can Have Diamonds? - Apples of Gold - January 27, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 27, 2009

“Why Settle For Gravel When You Can Have Diamonds?”

 

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

Absalom hated Amnon.

Amnon didn’t realize it, I guess, because when Absalom invited him over for dinner, he went. 

Absalom hated Amnon because he had attacked his sister.  And now it was time for revenge.

So Amnon went, and what do you know – free wine!

If Amnon had his guard up at all, it didn’t stay up long.  The wine did exactly what Absalom wanted. 

The more Amnon relaxed, the more in danger he became.

And as soon as his tipping reached the tipping point, they killed him.

So how many drinks did Amnon need before his judgment was impaired?

One.

Impairment begins with the first drink.

Because it is so common, and because the alcohol industry spends billions of dollars on advertising, we tend to forget that alcohol is a psychoactive drug.

Now here’s what I’ve noticed.  There are a lot of people who would never, ever use recreational drugs, but they do use alcohol.  Even some Christians.

To me this is like keeping a pet rattlesnake.  Even if you are very careful, everyone in the house is at risk. 

Have you ever read the book “John Adams” by David McCullough?  The Adams’ had alcohol in their home, and their son John Quincy Adams was still an amazing success. 

And their son Charles became a drunk and died at 30 of alcoholism. 

When I read that I thought, “If they could do it all over again, I wonder if they would decide that they could have lived without the alcohol after all?”

Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”

How many drinks until the leading astray begins?

The King James says alcohol is a deceiver.  It is “raging.”

Habakkuk 2:5 uses this phrase:  “…wine betrays him…”

A traitor.  A liar.  A mocker.  A brawler.  Who would allow this in their home? 

Have you seen the ads for medicine, with all the disclaimers?

Can you imagine the disclaimer for alcohol?

Yet many Christians drink. 

Now today I’m not going to dive into shoulds and shouldn’ts, what’s a sin and what isn’t.

Instead, here’s what I think.  I think that alcohol is a cheap substitute for being filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

It’s interesting that the Bible contrasts the two – alcohol and the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit…”

“But Doug, I don’t get drunk.”

Forget about the “don’t” right now.  Focus on the “do.”  “Be filled with the Spirit.”

Luke 1:15 talks about John the Baptist.  The angel said, “He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit…”

In Acts chapter 2 the disciples were filled with the Spirit.  And what were they accused of?  Drinking too much wine.  And Peter said no, they weren’t drunk.  It was actually the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all people.

It’s interesting, this contrast between the Holy Spirit and alcohol.

Here is what I think.  Some Christians drink because they hope to get something positive out of it.  However, far and away the better thing, the real thing, is to be filled with the Spirit. 

So I say throw out the bottle and pick up the Bible.

Get rid of the “spirits” and be filled with the Spirit.

Don’t be led astray by the cheap, pathetic substitute, the lying traitorous mocker.  It’s fool’s gold.  It’s settling for gravel when you could have diamonds.

Alcohol has risks for you and your children, maybe especially your children. 

But being filled with the Spirit of God is all positive, all rewards – real peace and love, wisdom and knowledge, joy and no regrets.

So if you think alcohol is okay, then stop settling for okay. 

Clear it out.  Make room for nothing but the best.

It’s time to draw near to God and be filled with His Holy Spirit.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

First Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober, vigilant, self-controlled and alert, because our enemy, the devil, is on the prowl, looking for someone to devour.  I often say this to Christians who say that one drink is okay:  One drink simply means you are one drink less sober.  You are one drink impaired, one drink less alert.  And if there really is a lion waiting to ambush you, how alert do you really need to be?

© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

A Tomato Fight Could Break Out Any Moment - Apples of Gold - January 22, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 22, 2009

“A Tomato Fight Could Break Out Any Moment”

 

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

Bash!  A tomato hit me right in the neck.

I turned to hurl a tomato in response but I threw it so hard it broke apart in mid air.

Bam!  Now I could feel tomato soaking down my back.

My vision narrowed in rage, locking on a target.  Every muscle tightened, poised to fire a fastball at my friend.

Yes, my friend.  They were all my friends.  But not anymore.  Not ever again.  I would rather have no friends than this pack of freaks and losers. 

A horn sounded out front.  “Your mom’s here!”

Good.  Get outta here.  I hope you die.

Believe it or not, just the day before, we were all best friends.  Everyone came over for my birthday.  I was nine.

It was a great party, really.  A sleepover.  The problem was…we didn’t sleep.

And you know what happens to 9-year-old boys when they don’t sleep.  They go insane.

Fast forward a few years to the summer of ‘98.  My wife was out in the yard playing wiffle ball with my son and his friends.  Suddenly our usually laid back son was over-the-top competitive.  He was bickering about rules.  He was arguing with his friends.  He finally swirled himself into a tizzy and ran off. 

My wife said to one of the boys, “What is his deal?” 

And the boy admitted that, well, they stayed up all night. 

Of course it’s not just 9-year-old boys.  Have you ever seen little kids who just need to go to bed?  They are liable to throw a fit about anything.

So what should a parent do with a child like that?  Argue with them? 

No.  Why bother arguing or even reasoning with them?  They are overtired and out of control.  The main goal is just get them to sleep.

And you know what?  This applies to grownups, too.

No, we usually don’t throw fits and start tomato fights.  But we do get cranky.  We don’t think straight.  The world gets darker when we don’t get enough rest.

There’s a neat story in the Bible about Jesus and His disciples.  In Mark chapter six, Jesus noticed that his disciples needed a little r-n-r.  In fact, verse 31 says that because so many people were coming and going, they didn’t even have a chance to eat. 

Now Jesus could have just told them to “cowboy up.”  You know, tough it out.  But listen to what He said:  “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Then verse 32 says, “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”

See, Jesus knows the importance of rest and relaxation.  There is a time for activity, then there is a time for no activity.  There is a time to put your mind and body at ease.

God Himself set the example for us at creation.  Genesis 2:2 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.”

Years ago I heard Larry Burkett talk about his life as a workaholic.  He worked tons of hours each week in order to get ahead.  But then he started analyzing his work and he came to this conclusion.  The quality of his work suffered the longer he worked each day.  So he found that the best schedule for him was something like a 47 hour work week.

Yes, some people are just lazy.  But this message isn’t for them.  This is for people who don’t know when to stop.  You are the go-go guy.  And anyone who doesn’t go-go-go…well…they’re just annoying.

In fact, you’re probably annoyed by a lot of things.  Can you see the connection with those 9-year-old boys? 

With kids we know that too much action plus too little rest equals cranky children. 

And too much action plus too little rest equals cranky adults, too.

Do you feel guilty when you relax?  Of all the things to feel guilty about, this is not one of them.  Jesus told His disciples to relax.  God Himself rested from all His work. 

So have you been feeling “on edge” lately.  Does it feel like a tomato fight could break out any moment?

Well maybe you aren’t getting enough sleep.  Maybe there’s too much going on. 

Maybe it’s time to listen to these understanding words Jesus said to His disciples. 
 
“Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
 
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Micah of Moresheth - Apples of Gold - January 21, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 21, 2009

“Micah of Moresheth”

 

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

I love the book of Micah in the Bible.

First of all, did you know that he was actually “Micah of Moresheth”?

Sounds like a character from “Lord of the Rings” or something:  Micah of Moresheth.

He was just a little man in a little country, but the Lord Almighty spoke through him with power.

And listen to the size of his audience.  Micah 1:2 says, “…listen, O earth and all who are in it…”

Micah came on the scene when true prophets of God were not highly regarded.  In fact, there’s kind of a funny moment in Micah 2:11 when he pointed out what kind of prophets were highly regarded.  It says, “If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for this people!”

Yes, Mr. Prophet, tell us there will be plenty of wine and beer, otherwise, keep your big mouth shut.

But that was definitely not Micah’s way, which is why he ended up in the Bible.

Micah 3:8 tells us what kind of prophet Micah was.  Listen to this:

“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.”

I love that!  He was filled with power; filled with the Spirit of the Lord.  And for what purpose?  To declare to the people their sin.

As for a lot of the other prophets, Micah 3:5 indicates that all you had to do was feed them and they would prophecy peace, or probably anything else you wanted them to prophecy.

Because of this crookedness, God pronounced this judgment on them:

“Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination.  The sun will set for the prophets…  The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced.  They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God.”

And it wasn’t just the prophets who were crooked.  Micah 3:11 says the leaders judged for a bribe and the priests taught for a price.

Micah 6 says the businessmen were corrupt, the rich men were violent, and the people were liars. 

In verse 19 the Lord delivered this ominous statement:  “Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.”

He said, “You will eat but not be satisfied…  You will store up but save nothing…”

So through Micah the Lord tried to get the people to repent.

Micah 6:9 says, “Listen!  The Lord is calling to the city…”

Then I love this line:  “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.”

God was bringing the rod down on the people because of their sins.

What could be done to turn back the Lord’s judgment?

Micah 6 says, “…Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings…?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?  Shall I offer my firstborn…?”

What kind of sacrifice will make things right with God; to get Him off our back, so to speak?  That’s what the people wanted to know.

And the answer is in Micah 6:8:  “He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

I don’t know about you, but I see parallels with our nation today.  We put up with plenty of prophets and spiritual people – except anyone who talks about sin.

Our headlines tell us about crooked leaders and corrupt businessmen. 

This sounds like our country to me – in all of our prosperity, it seems like we eat but are not satisfied.  We store up but save nothing.

And I wonder if this line is true about America today:  “Therefore I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins.”

As we continue to use worldly methods to put the lid on our economic meltdown, I think we need to “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.”

Now listen to some of Micah’s closing comments: 

“…as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

“Who is a God like You, who pardons sin…?”

“You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”

I can’t say for sure how the Lord is dealing with America right now.  But I know that God never winks at sin, and I believe He brings His rod down on nations that do.

I don’t want be part of the problem.  I want to be one who acts justly and loves mercy and walks humbly with my God.

I want to be filled with power, filled with the Spirit of the Lord, just like that prophet of old…

Micah of Moresheth.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
 
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-