This Thing of Transparency - Apples of Gold - October 2, 2009 -mm-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 2, 2009

“This Thing of Transparency”

 

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

We interviewed the group Addison Road this week.

You’ve probably heard them sing “everything rides on hope now.”

Yes, they are known for their song about hope, but it wasn’t always that way.  Go back to when they were still trying to land their first recording contract.

Back then they wanted to be very transparent in their art, they said.  They wrote about their struggles and difficulties. 

Then one day someone asked, “Where is the hope?  As Christians we should be singing about hope.”

Well they took that admonition to heart, and out of that came the song “Hope Now.”

And I’m glad, because you know what?  I don’t want to hear songs about struggles and difficulties.  I don’t want to hear about how weak someone feels. 

I know, some people call that “transparency” and being authentic in their art.  “I’m just being honest,” they say.  “I’m just relating to real life people out there.”

My kids used to listen to a song by dcTalk.  It said, “What if I stumble?  What if I fall?  What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?”

Now I’m glad that dcTalk thought about that, the negative impact if they “fell.”  But I wish they would have addressed the topic, then sang this chorus, “I’m not gonna stumble, I’m not gonna fall.  I won’t lose my step and make fools of us all.”

See the difference?  Lyrics can point your mind in one direction or the other.  The message rambling around your head can say, “What if I stumble?” or “I’m not gonna stumble!”

Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

I want music to inspire me, to lift me up, to point me to things above.  I want it to challenge me to be the best Christian I can be.  I don’t need songs that wallow in despair and weakness. 

“But Doug, I’m a Christian artist, and I do things like worry.  I want to be transparent, so I’m going to sing about worries.”

What?  I would rather listen a secular song like “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” than listen to Christians sing about their worries.

Why would you want to spread worry?  What if some Christian artist worries about dying?  Are they going to come out with an album called, “We’re All Going to Die”?

Can you see the song titles on that one?  It opens with a fast number called “Car Wreck,” which leads right into a song called “Skydiving Accident,” and then a slower number entitled, “Faulty Wiring in my Trailer.”

I’m just sayin’, there is such a thing as being too transparent.  Honestly, to me that just sounds like artsy nonsense.

Let me use this word, “wallow.”  We don’t wallow in the negative.

Yesterday I heard someone say, “You’ll never move into the palace talking like a pauper.”

“But Doug, I am a pauper.”

Maybe you are, and that’s where you’ll stay if you wallow in it.  You can sing the blues about how poor you are, or you can sing, “I’m a child of the King!”

I’m talking about music today because songs have a powerful influence on us. 

I read an article this week called, “How the iPod Became a Tool of War.”  It talked about how music has been a military motivator for centuries, and now soldiers motivate themselves with the music on their mp3 players. 

And what kind of music do you think they are listening to?  Do you think it’s songs like, “Tomorrow I Get Captured,” or “50 Ways to Leave Your Unit”?

No.  They listen to songs that pump them up.

I like this phrase in Second Timothy 2, “a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”  Verse one says, “be strong.”

That’s how I want my music to motivate me – to be strong, to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Look.  If you are a song writer, and you want to be transparent, fine.  Write about something you struggle with, that maybe we all struggle with.  Stick it in the verses.  But then give us a chorus that turns our mind to God’s truth, that sets our mind on things above.  Give us a chorus that motivates us to be as close to the Lord as possible, a chorus of hope, a chorus of higher things.

And if you aren’t a songwriter, this still applies.  We all give off messages.  We all communicate.  The question is, what are we communicating?

Ephesians 4:29 tells us what we should be communicating, “…only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

That is what we should all be communicating, what is helpful and beneficial.

So let’s learn the lesson from Addison Road.  Being transparent is not an end in itself.  We need to add that extra message that motivates us all to be the best Christians we can be.


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
-MM-

The Faith of a Little Child - Apples of Gold - October 1, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for October 1, 2009

“The Faith of a Little Child”

 

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

Missy Haskins was five years old.

Her daddy, Mr. Guinn Haskins, got a new job over in Dothan, Alabama.

They decided not to move the family until Missy’s siblings were done with school, so for six weeks Missy’s dad stayed in Dothan and came home on the weekends.

He worked for G.F.A. – Georgia Florida Alabama Frozen Foods – which was owned by Mr. James C. Barrentine, and operated by his son Jimmy.

The Barrentines treated their new employee like a member of the family.  He stayed in their guest house during the week, and ate dinner with them each evening.

Then it was decided that little five-year-old Missy would come to Dothan and spend the week with her daddy.  And while he was at work during the day, she would stay with Mrs. Barrentine.

After Missy’s first day at the Barrentine’s, her dad came home from work and was told, “We had a little situation arise.”

“A situation?”

Well you need to know that each day Mr. Barrentine and Jimmy Barrentine would come home for lunch and eat with Mrs. Barrentine.  Missy’s dad, Guinn, did not join them for lunch because his work took him away from the office.

So it was Missy’s first day at the Barrentine’s, and they all sat down and started eating lunch.

Except Missy.

She didn’t even touch her food.

Finally Mr. Barrentine, whom Guinn described as “a kind of gruff man,” said, “Missy, what’s wrong with your food?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it, Mr. Barrentine.”

“Then why aren’t you eating it?”

“Because we haven’t blessed it.”

It kind of set them back a while, Guinn said, and finally Mr. Barrentine looked at his son and said, “Jimmy, you bless it!”

And Jimmy stumbled through some kind of grace, but it was good enough for Missy.

And for the rest of the week, they prayed before they ate. 

“I don’t know if they ever said grace again,” Guinn said, “but they did while Missy was there, because she wouldn’t eat.”

“And I’ve thought about that a lot of times,” Guinn said.  “There I was, a grown man, eating with them for six weeks, and was not a testimony.  I didn’t say nothing about it.  I just sat down and ate.  But here a five-year-old was a good Christian testimony to them.”

When I heard that story I thought, “Wow, the faith of a child.”

In Matthew 18 Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Jesus called over a little child and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

You know, it is humbling to have a childlike faith.  Skeptical grownups look at you like you’re nuts. 

And sometimes we react by trying to make Christianity seem all logical and reasonable.  And there is some logic and reason to it.  But it’s mostly just faith.

To be the best Christians we can be, it takes humble, childlike faith in the face of a scoffing world.

They may ask us a lot of questions, and we may try to give them answers, but in the end the only real answer we have is our faith.  We just simply believe.

Our faith does not rest on men’s wisdom, as it says in First Corinthians 2:5, but on God’s power.

Second Corinthians 5:7 says we walk by faith, not by sight.

First John 5:4 says that our faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

We simply believe in the Lord and His Word.  We have faith.

But it doesn’t stop there.

James 2 says that faith must be “accompanied by action.”

It’s not just in our head, but it shows up in what we do, for everyone to see.

Yes, sometimes it’s humbling, and that’s the way it must be.

Jesus said we must humble ourselves like children. 

The world may see us as simpletons, but it actually makes us great in the kingdom of heaven.

We are at our best when we have the simple faith of a little child.


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-

Declare War on Spiritual Atrophy - Apples of Gold - September 29, 2009 -vi aol-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 29, 2009

“Declare War on Spiritual Atrophy”

 

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

My daughter’s headlights were terrible.

The plastic was all clouded over, and she said that even with her brights on it was hard to see.

So I stopped by the auto parts store, and the price to replace both headlights was over $300!

“Wow,” I said.  “That’s a little steep for a vehicle on its last legs.”

“There is another option,” said the clerk.  “It’s a kit that will clean them up like new.”

“Well it’s not that they’re dirty,” I said.  “It’s more like the plastic is just old and going bad.”

“No, no,” she said.  “That’s just on the surface.  Trust me, it works.  My husband just did it on my truck and the headlights look like new.”

So I bought the kit.  It was still 20 bucks, but for a savings of $280 it was worth a shot!

So I sanded with the course sandpaper, and sanded with the fine sandpaper.  Then I used the polish, then I added the clear coat, and … it worked!  It was amazing, the headlights really do look just like new.

Now I look around at all the cars with cloudy headlights and I think, “Why are you putting up with that?”

Well I know why most people put up with it – because they don’t even notice.  It happens so slowly over time.  But day in and day out their headlights get worse and worse until one day they realize, “What on earth?  I can hardly see!”

It makes me think of the word “atrophy,” which is usually applied to the human body, as in muscular atrophy.  For example, when you break your arm and it’s stuck in a cast for a few weeks, those unused muscles get weak, they shrink, they atrophy.

You don’t even notice until you get the cast off and try to do something.  Then you realize just how weak you’ve become.

And pretty much everything works like this.  If you don’t work hard to keep it strong, it atrophies.

The same thing happens to us spiritually.  If we don’t work hard to keep growing as Christians, then we automatically grow weak.  It’s spiritual atrophy.  Some call it “backsliding.”

Yesterday we aired the testimony of Jhenai Wilkerson, a student at FSU from New Jersey.  She became a Christian in high school, and was very fired up for God.  Then she moved to Tallahassee.

She still went to church every Sunday and Wednesday.  “But I was not in the same place in my relationship with God,” she said.  “I began to backslide, having one foot in the church and one foot out.”

In 2007, at 19 years old, she found herself unmarried and pregnant.  She went to the clinic, she paid her money, and even though it went against everything she believed, she scheduled an abortion. 

Now how do you go from being fired up for God to going against everything you believe?

One step at a time.  That’s how backsliding happens, one step at a time.

Think of Lot in the Bible.  He was Abraham’s nephew, and with Abraham he was right in the middle of God’s blessing.

But then in Genesis 13:12 we have this fateful line, “Lot…pitched his tents near Sodom.”  The next verse says, “Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.”

So there’s Lot, moving away from Abraham and toward wicked Sodom.

Now jump ahead to Genesis 14:12.  By this time Lot was actually living in Sodom.

Out in the country, Abraham was meeting with God, and God was making promises to Abraham.  But in the city, Lot had surrounded himself with wickedness. 

The city was so wicked that when two angels came to rescue Lot, the men surrounded his house and demanded that the “men” be brought out for their pleasure.

And Lot was so messed up that he offered up his own daughters for their abuse.  Talk about backsliding!

I like this word picture for backsliding:  pitching your tent toward Sodom. 

It’s what Jhenai Wilkerson called having “one foot in the church and one foot out.”

The good news is, Jhenai realized the truth of her situation just in time, jumped off the abortionist’s table and ran out, saving her baby.

With the help of the angels, Lot barely escaped Sodom with his life.

And what about you?  Are you in a backslidden condition today?  Have your spiritual headlights grown dim?  Have your spiritual muscles atrophied?

Then this is your call to get right!  It’s time to get that one foot out of the world.  It’s time to seek the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  It’s time to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd who is calling out your name.  It’s time to draw near to Him and love Him and obey Him.

It’s time to declare war on spiritual atrophy!


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 aol-

Prioritize Then Organize - Apples of Gold - September 28, 2009 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 28, 2009

“Prioritize Then Organize”

 

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

“Too many choices can tax the brain.”

That’s the headline of an article in the Los Angeles Times.

For example, Starbucks offers over 80,000 possible drink combinations.  Comcast offers up to 1,000 channels (and there’s still nothing on.)

Or let’s say you just want to grab a Pepsi.  Do you want Pepsi, or Diet Pepsi?  Or Caffeine Free Pepsi?  Or Pepsi Max?  Or Pepsi One?  Or Wild Cherry Pepsi or Diet Pepsi Vanilla or Lime; or how about Diet Pepsi Jazz?

Then there’s my all-time favorite, Pepsi Blue Hawaii, which you’ve probably never seen because, and you’re going to like this, Pepsi Blue Hawaii was only sold in Japan.

Or what about Christmas Pepsi or Holiday Spice Pepsi or even Pepsi Ice Cucumber?

Yes, too many choices can tax the brain.  Popular Science addressed the issue and referred to something called “option paralysis.”

Barry Schwartz has a book out called, “The Paradox of Choice:  Why More Is Less.”  He describes the day he went to The Gap and said, “I want a regular pair of jeans.”  The salesgirl said, “Do you want them slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit, baggy, or extra baggy?  Do you want them stonewashed, acid-washed or distressed?  Do you want them button-fly or zipper-fly?”

Okay, so we have plenty of products to choose from, big deal.

Well think about this.  Back in the day you went to a school where there were about three dateable people.  If one of them liked you, you married them.

Well now you aren’t limited to your school or your town or your state.  You can choose online between millions of people!

When we have so many choices, how do we choose?

And it’s not just what we buy or who we date.  It’s how we spend our time.  It’s our activities:  how much time at work, at what job?  What do we do with our off time?

For most of history you worked like a dog all day just to survive.  And you were lucky to have any choices.

But in America today we are drowning in choices.  So the question is, with so many options, how do we choose?

Well here is a little phrase for you:  prioritize, then organize.

It starts by knowing your priorities.  What are the most important things?  If you know, you will have a framework for making choices.

For example, my children are a high priority.  That priority shapes my choices.  Do I spend more time at home or go on long business trips?  I stay at home. 

Why?  Because my priority is to have a close relationship with my kids, and the less I’m around, the less connected I will be. 

This is especially true when you are raising teenagers.  You know, teens just aren’t always in the mood to talk, so when that mood strikes, you need to be around.

So my children are a high priority, and I organize my life according to that priority.

That even affects my choice in exercise.  For example, Saturday I could have headed off to the health club for an hour or two, but instead, I worked out at home. 

Why?  Because that kept me at home with my 16 year old daughter.  I know it’s just a little thing, but counting the time they go from 13-years-old to 19-years-old that adds up to tons of time – time that I am there.

See how that works?  Good health is a priority, so I organize my time to exercise.  My family is a priority, so I organize my time to exercise at home.

When you figure out your priorities, so many choices just become obvious.  Instead of options paralysis you end up with options obvious.

Priorities narrow the field.  Do I go out with the boys Friday night or go out with my wife?  Well my marriage is a top priority.

Do I join the Bible study or the Bridge Club?  Well the Word is a top priority.

So start by knowing your priorities.  For me, it’s the Lord first, then my wife, then my children.  And then I organize my life according to those priorities.

So are you suffering from option paralysis?  Do you find that too many choices tax your brain?

Then here is a little phrase that will help.  It’s a two-step method that should streamline all your decision-making, and it’s simply this:  prioritize then organize.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


So how would prioritizing help you pick which jeans to buy or which Pepsi to drink?

The priority of modesty will help you choose clothing, as will the priority of your budget.

The priority of health may help you choose your Pepsi (or no Pepsi at all).  Some people will choose the Pepsi they happen to have a coupon for!  Some will never choose Pepsi based on their support for certain immoral causes.

Any choice we make can fit into a structure of priorities.  It’s just a matter of ranking our priorities.

© 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-

Sipping From the Chalice of Humility - Apples of Gold - September 25, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 25, 2009

“Sipping From the Chalice of Humility”

 

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

It was snowing in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

It was Friday night, and I just wanted to get home.

I pulled off the busy road into a filling station, took off the gas cap, laid it on the trunk, and started pumping. 

It was one of those icy snows that really yucks up your windshield, so I grabbed the squeegee and went to work.  It was cold and the wind was biting.  My hands were freezing.  I couldn’t wait to get back in the car, but I wanted to make sure the windshield was as clean as possible. 

The pump stopped when the tank was full, so I quickly replaced the nozzle and went back to the windshield.  Finally I hopped in the car, cranked up the heat and pulled out.

Now there are two things about me you need to know.  First of all, I am very audio oriented, which is probably why I am in radio.  I am very much tuned into the sound of things. 

So I pulled out from the gas station and I heard a little noise.  It was very faint, but it sent my mind on a mission.  What was that sound?

Now here is the second thing you need to know about me.  I tend to be very organized about certain things.  My wife calls it borderline OCD.  I just call it being organized.  For example, when I come home, I put my keys in the same place every day.  I put my phone on the charger every night.  In fact, I put it on the charger the exact same way every night. 

I’m very methodical about these things, and it saves me a lot of trouble.  For example, I never have to go around asking, “Have you seen my keys?”

Now what do you think happens when I see someone else frantically searching for their keys?  Somewhere, deep down in the chasms of my soul, a tiny little voice whispers, “I’m better.”

So anyway, in some things I guess I am borderline OCD.  And I guess that would include how I pump gas.  I pump gas the same way every time, but that day in Cape Girardeau I got out of my rhythm.  The snow messed me up, and I missed a step.

So you can probably guess what that little noise was as I pulled out of the gas station.  It was my gas cap hitting the pavement!

Well I quickly pulled over, got out, looked back and sure enough, there it was, lying on the road.  Thank goodness.  I started to run back to pick it up when all of a sudden here came this big jacked up truck with monster tires. 

All I could do was watch. 

And listen.

Crunch! 

My gas cap was obliterated by a big Missouri pickup.

I kicked myself because I’m not that kind of person.  I always put the gas cap back on.  These things happen to other people, not me.  I am organized! 

And once again I found myself sipping from the chalice of humility. 

I can’t even count how many times this has happened in my life.  I take a subtle pride in something, somehow thinking I’m just a little better, and here it comes.  The big hand of life hands me the chalice and says, “Drink.”

The chalice of humility – we all have to drink from it, and it makes us better people.  It’s just not pleasant.    

When it happens, it’s just you and the cup.  The rest of life fades into the background.  It’s just you and this moment.  You on your knees, looking deep into the cup and realizing, “I’m not better.” 

Fortunately, these moments are actually good for us.

Proverbs 11:2 says, “…with humility comes wisdom.”

I have been humbled many times in my life, and I count it a blessing.  It’s like a spoonful of nasty-tasting medicine.  It’s hard to swallow, but it makes you better.

So when the humbling moment comes, don’t fight it.  Don’t try to hold on to your lofty position.  It just makes you look silly.

Instead, just take a knee.  Bow to it.  And learn.

Yes, it tastes bitter, but remember:  great wisdom comes as we sip from the chalice of humility.


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-

Are You In a Valley Today? - Apples of Gold - September 24, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 24, 2009

“Are You In a Valley Today?”

 

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

“I despise my life.”

That’s what Job said in Job 7:16.

In the old King James he said, “I loathe it; I would not live alway:  let me alone…”

If you think that’s bad, listen to what he said in verse 15.  “…I prefer strangling and death…”

Yes, you could say that Job was in a serious valley in his life right about then.

But, it’s a good thing he didn’t strangle and die, or he would have missed the great mountain tops to come.

The last chapter of Job says, “…the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.”  “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.”

Yes, he went through a deep valley, but after that came many happy years.

It’s a good thing he didn’t quit in the valley, isn’t it?

And the same is true for you.  If you find yourself in a valley today, don’t quit!

And that especially applies to marriage.  Marriages are full of ups and downs, and sometimes in the down periods you feel like giving up, like it will never get any better.

Maybe in your marriage today you feel like Job, like you would prefer “strangling and death” to staying married to that so-and-so.

Well if that’s you, you will relate to the title of an article I read recently by Amy Desai.  It’s called, “Is There Hope For My Marriage?” 

She wrote, “Often we think an unhappy couple has only two options:
Stay together and be miserable, or
Get a divorce.

But there is a third option, she said, and it is simply this.  Stick it out.

You heard right.  Just hang in there.

It kind of falls into the category of “This too shall pass.”

You see, so many of the valleys we go through are just temporary.  Life gets better, so don’t make life altering decisions while you are in the valley.

Amy quotes from a national study of married couples.  They asked them to rate their marriage on a scale of one to seven, with one being very unhappy and seven being very happy.

Then they followed up five years later, and now listen to this.  What do you think happened to those couples who said they were a “one,” that their marriage was “very unhappy”?

Now don’t miss this:  77% of them, just five years later, ranked their marriage as a “seven”!  Most of them went from being “very unhappy” to “very happy.”

Is it because they got marriage counseling or tried some amazing marriage technique? 

Nope.  There really wasn’t much evidence that they did anything out of the ordinary except this one thing.  They stuck it out.

Amy also quoted a study about divorce.  It said that about 60% of divorces happened in marriages that were ranked as “average.”  It wasn’t that their marriage was terrible.  It’s just that it wasn’t that great.  The marriage slipped into a valley, and they decided to call it quits.

Is that you today?  Is your marriage in a valley?  Are you ready to give up?

Don’t do it!  Be encouraged by these statistics!  Even if you don’t really work on it, your marriage will likely climb out of the valley.  And just imagine what could happen if you actually worked on it!

Like Amy said, “Most marriages go through emotional ups and downs – times of great happiness and times of boredom and fatigue.”  To have good marriages, we need to ride out the “lows” and learn from them.

So are you like Job today?  Do you loathe your life?  Would you prefer strangling and death? 

Well don’t quit.  Things will get better! 

“Wait for the Lord,” it says in Psalm 27:14.  “Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

“We wait in hope for the Lord,” it says in Psalm 31:24.  “He is our help and our shield.”

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”  (Psalm 42:11)

Yes, you may be going through a valley right now, but there is hope! 

Job persevered, and he was twice as blessed on the other side!

So stick it out. 
Bide your time. 
Wait on the Lord and
Everything will be just fine.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

Here is the complete article “Is There Hope for My Marriage?” by Amy Desai, J.D.:
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/divorce_and_infidelity/should_i_get_a_divorce/is_there_hope_for_my_marriage.aspx


© 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-

Reverend Roosevelt Washington Brown - Apples of Gold - September 23, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 23, 2009

“Reverend Roosevelt Washington Brown”

 

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

Valentine’s Day, 1951.

The Reverend Archibald White arrived home bearing a gift for his lovely wife Susanna:  a West Highland White Terrier. 

The clerk had called it a “westie,” and Reverend White misunderstood that to be the dog’s name, and so it was.  He bought a collar that was just a little big, but big enough for the dog’s full name, “Westie White.”

The next morning Reverend White put Westie out in the back yard to take care of business, then rushed back in to answer the phone.  It was Mayor Joe Rex Tucker, and it was an emergency. 

“Arch,” said the mayor, “Reverend Brown is here with some of his men.  They say they just want to talk to me about the school situation, but I don’t like the smell of it.  Can you come down here and help me?  Maybe you can talk some sense into him, reverend-to-reverend.”

Reverend Roosevelt Washington Brown was not a troublemaker, and he certainly didn’t want to cause the mayor any more stress.  But something had to be done about the school. 

There was a white school in town, and a black school, and while the white school was well maintained, the black school needed some serious repairs.  They did some themselves, but yesterday a piece of the ceiling fell in and injured three of the students.  The need was urgent, so the people turned to the most respected man in their community, Reverend R. W. Brown.

Reverend Brown had a child in that school, his youngest daughter Ethel.  While the reverend and his men were visiting the mayor, Ethel was walking to school.

As she walked along, just the cutest little dog came running up behind her. 

“Hey boy!” she said.  “Why you’re a little darling!”

Ethel kneeled down and gave him a little scratch behind the ears. 

“Oh, you like that, don’t you boy!  What’s your name?”

She looked for a name tag or a collar, but there was none.

“Okay, you better run on home.  I have to go to school.”

But the little dog tagged along, getting tangled up in her feet, and almost making her drop her books.  Finally, at the school door she knelt down and said, “Okay boy.  Thanks for walking me to school, but I’ve got to go in, and you have to go home.  Now go!”

Reverend White arrived at the mayor’s office just as Reverend Brown and his men were walking out. 

“Why, I was just coming down to join the fun,” said Reverend White.  “I guess I missed it.”

Reverend Brown stopped and looked Reverend White in the eye.  “There’s nothing fun about your own child being in danger.”

Reverend White said, “Well if you spent more time working and less time bothering the mayor, maybe your school would be in better shape.”

“We need money to do that,” said Reverend Brown.  “We just want our fair share of the education tax dollars.”

“Oh, so it’s fair to take money from my children’s school.  Well I don’t think so, Reverend.  Now why don’t you gentlemen just run along and leave the mayor alone.”

At 1 p.m., as he always did, Reverend White came home for one of Susanna’s well-prepared lunches.  As he walked in the door he called out, “Westie!  Westie, come here boy!”

“Where’s Westie?”

“Oh, I completely forgot about him,” said Susanna.

They looked all over the house, but no Westie.  They looked in the back yard and the front yard.

Mrs. White went back inside, but Reverend White was worried.  He headed down the street, searching for their little dog.

Meanwhile, the school day came to an end at Abraham Lincoln Elementary.  As Ethel Brown began to walk home, she felt something nudge against her ankles.  It was the little dog again.

“There you are, boy!  Didn’t you go home?  Oh, is that your stomach growling?  You must be starving.  Maybe you don’t even have a home, oh my.  I know, why don’t you come home with me and we’ll fill that belly right up.”

The puppy kept tumbling around her feet so Ethel finally scooped him up into her arms.

Just then, Reverend White appeared around the corner.  Relief flooded him as he spotted Westie. 

But then he felt anger as he ran over to collect his dog.  What was this…this…girl…doing with Westie?  She must have taken him right out of the yard!

“Give me my dog!” he said, snatching the puppy from Ethel.  “Did you think you could get away with this?  I’m going to tell your parents exactly what you have done.”

On the front porch of the Brown home, Reverend White had much to say about Ethel and her crime.

Reverend Brown listened patiently, then said, “Reverend White.  I have much respect for you, but sometimes you are shortsighted.  You don’t step back and see the whole picture.  You have not looked thoroughly at the school situation, and you have not looked thoroughly at this situation.  I don’t think my daughter did what you are accusing her of, but I will look into it.  I will examine all of the evidence, and I suggest you do the same.”

“I have all the evidence I need,” said Reverend White, holding up Westie.  Then he turned his back on Reverend Brown and Ethel Brown and everything in that part of town.

After supper, and after he had settled down, Reverend White took Westie into the back yard.  The puppy began digging a little spot at the bottom of the fence.  The reverend went to shoo him away, then noticed another dug out spot.  He walked over and started kicking the dirt back in, and then he saw it.  Oh boy.  A dog collar, caught on the bottom of the fence.  “Westie White,” it said.

Reverend White apologized to Reverend Brown.  And to Ethel. 

He apologized to the mayor.  And he apologized to the entire congregation.  He told them what Reverend Brown had said.

“He was right.  I have been shortsighted.  I am guilty of not stepping back and seeing the whole picture.  But now, thanks to the godly rebuke of Reverend R. W. Brown, I am going to change.”

Then Reverend White began his sermon, from Psalm 141:5.

“Let a righteous man strike me – it is a kindness…”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

This is an original short story.  Any similarities to real people or places is purely coincidental.  And according to Google, until now there was no internet record of anyone named Reverend Roosevelt Washington Brown!

© 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 Power Tool That Changes Lives - Apples of Gold - September 22, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 22, 2009

“The Power Tool That Changes Lives”

 

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

A hundred years ago in England, Alice Baxter would slip on her blue bonnet and go out to change lives.

For 20 years she was the police court missionary in Lancashire County.  She worked in the rescue missions.  She visited women prisoners at the jail, and went door to door in the slums passing out gospel tracts.

Why did she do all that, especially as the single mother of three children?

Because she thoroughly believed in the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives.

She would witness during the day, then share her stories with the children that night.  They heard many tales of ruined lives, shattered by liquor, “that liquid gateway to ruin.” 

Many would not listen to her, but then one of the “ruined women” would accept the Gospel that Alice shared with them, and their life would be “transformed to the glory of God!”

This is the home that J. Sidlow Baxter grew up in, and eventually became the pastor of the largest Baptist church in Scotland.  He grew up watching his mother share the Gospel, then sharing stories of lives changed by Jesus Christ.

Alice Baxter did not believe in social reform.  She didn’t buy into the assumption that if you simply change someone’s environment you will change their life.

Instead, according to biographer E. A. Johnston, “she believed that communal problems stemmed from a moral and spiritual vacuum that only the Gospel of Christ could transform.”

Deron Gillespie knows what she’s talking about.  He saw it first hand in his own life.  He tried the secular rehabs with no real lasting effect.  But then he came to Christ, believed and received the Gospel, and his life was transformed.  He is now the executive director of the Tallahassee Teen Challenge.

Singer Smokey Robinson knows what Alice was talking about.  It wasn’t through secular rehabs that Smokey was delivered from his addiction to cocaine.  It was through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

Gary Johnson knows what she’s talking about.  He is the Director of Development for the Haven of Rest home for men in Tallahassee, and a former cocaine addict.  He said, “Secularly, I did everything I could to try to deal with that.  But the minute that I accepted Christ, the minute that I turned my life over to Him, the change started to occur.”

And he’s seen many other lives changed by Jesus Christ there at the Haven of Rest.  “I’ve not seen anything else that’s done that,” he said, other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I see it work every day,” Gary said.  “Every time I look in the mirror I see it working.  If it can happen for me, it can happen for anyone, believe me,” he said.  “And I know it works because I see it working all the time." 

That’s what drove Alice Baxter out into the streets of England with her blue bonnet and her Gospel tracts – the knowledge that what she was offering would literally transform the life of anyone who accepted it.  And just like it worked 100 years ago, it’s still working today.

Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”

Did you catch that?  The Gospel is the “power of God.”  The Gospel is the power tool that changes lives. 

Smokey Robinson describes his life as “hell,” and then Jesus set him free.

Gary Johnson said he thought he could “manage” his life, along with the drugs, but he managed himself right to destruction. 

But then Jesus comes along, and look at this terrific offer in John 10:10.  Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Do you want that abundant life?  Then it’s time to stop looking in self help books.  It’s time to stop looking in worldly success or new relationships or even drugs or alcohol.

The abundant life you are looking for, the deliverance, the life transformation, can be found by simply bringing your life to the real and living Jesus Christ.

And what He did for Alice Baxter, and Deron Gillespie, and Smokey Robinson, and Gary Johnson, and Doug Apple – He will do it for you!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

Alice Baxter’s story is taken from the book “J. Sidlow Baxter:  A Heart Awake” by E. A. Johnston

© 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 We Are Here - Apples of Gold - September 21, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 21, 2009

“Why We Are Here”

 

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

Many students are required to do community service.

One student told me she didn’t like that idea.

“They just do it to get it on their record,” she said.

“But at least they’re doing it,” I said.  “It’s better to do good because you are required to than to do no good at all.”

So I like the idea of required community service for students.  The main reason is that it opens the student’s eyes to the world around them.  It gets them outside the box of their little teenage existence.

For example, how many kids will volunteer on their own to help out at a homeless shelter?  Not many.  But some that are required to will end up having a passion for it.

Our communities are full of volunteers doing good deeds.  People helping people. 

And as Christians, that’s exactly what we are supposed to be doing:  good works.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…”

This is what we were made for.  It’s why we are here.  We function at our best when we are doing good works.

Steve Smith was a local man who recently passed away.  He was the head of The Men’s Fraternity of Wakulla.  One of the key missions for this group of men was to pool their talents and do good deeds for the people of Wakulla County.  For example, say an older woman had a back porch that was rotting.  They would go in and build a new one.

Then, instead of leaving a bill, they would just leave a little card with this headline, “Why We’re Here.”  One line inside the card says, “I want you to see God’s love in my service.”

The Men’s Fraternity of Wakulla is just one example of people doing good deeds.  Of course there are unlimited ways of doing good deeds. 

My goal today is to bring the need for good deeds back to the top of your mind.

What can you do as a good deed for others?

I know one woman with a passion for people in old folk’s homes.  She will visit them and take them gifts and even entertain them.  It’s not a paid job, it’s just a good deed that she does.

Titus 2:14 uses this phrase, “zealous for good works.”  That’s what we need to be, zealous for good works.

What good work are you zealous for?

I know several people who are foster parents.  That is an amazing good work, so necessary and so difficult.  I know people who adopt children, which becomes a lifelong good deed.

Galatians 6:10 says, “…as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

That means, when you are looking around for good deeds to do, a good place to start is within your own church. 

But we don’t hide our good deeds inside the church.  First Peter 2:12 says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

So we do good deeds within the church, and we do good deeds out in the community.  And we do them in such a way that people will see them and glorify God in the process.

Titus 3:8 says we should, “…be careful to maintain good works.”

Maintaining good works is a little more challenging than just doing a good work once in a while.  It’s not that hard to do the occasional good deed.  But doing good deeds is something we should do, and keep on doing.

Titus 3:14 uses this phrase, “…learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs…”

So when you are looking around for a good deed to do, look for the most urgent needs.  Yes, there are many nice things we can do, but urgent needs take priority.

One thing that can quickly dry up your good deeds is when you suddenly have a great need yourself.  Don’t let that happen. 

First Peter 4:19 says that, even when we ourselves are suffering, we should continue to do good. 

One thing to keep in mind is that, as you do good works, you are setting a good example for others.  Paul wrote in Titus 2:7 that in all things he should show himself to be a pattern of good works.

So when other people look at our lives, do they see us as a pattern of good works?

Tabitha was, according to Acts 9:36.  It says she was a woman “full of good works and charitable deeds…”

First Timothy 6:18 uses this phrase, “…to be rich in good deeds…”

So what can you do to be full of good works and rich in charitable deeds?  Look around.  There are so many needs.  No, you can’t meet them all, but you can meet some. 

Hebrews 10:24 says we should spur one another on “toward love and good deeds,” so consider this your spur today.  It’s time to get the horse moving.

This is what we were made for.  It’s why we are here.  We function at our best when we are doing good works.


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 Did Jesus Mean By Resist Not Evil? - Apples of Gold - September 18, 2009 -vi-

To listen to the radio version, click here.

 

To search archives, click here.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 18, 2009

“What Did Jesus Mean By Resist Not Evil?”

 

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

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person.”

That’s exactly what it says in Matthew 5:39.  The King James says, “…resist not evil…”

Well what on earth does that mean?

Do we take that literally?  Does it apply in all situations, for everyone, all the time?  Are we to never resist evil?

Just think what kind of society we would have if no one resisted evil.  If good people didn’t take a stand, evil would prevail.  Gangs would run the cities.  Hitlers would run the nations.  The world would quickly become a terrible place.

Now look what Jesus said in Luke 6.  “If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”

Well what would that world look like?  First of all, you would have nothing, because plenty of people want everything you have and would ask for it instantly if you were giving it away.  And if they knew you wouldn’t resist, they would just come take it.

And don’t forget all the sickos out there.  Someone would take your wife and kids.  And if we give to everyone who asks, and we don’t resist evil, then evil people will ask for all kinds of evil things.

The world would become a wretched place so fast you would go insane.

Does something inside you say, “That can’t be right”?

But if it isn’t, then what did Jesus mean?  And how do we know?  I mean, we can’t just take the Bible and make it fit our preconceived notions. 

Well here is what we do.  We use the Bible as a whole to help us understand the parts.

For example, Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person.”

So here is a simple question.  Did Jesus Himself ever resist an evil person?

The answer is yes.  For example, in Matthew 21 the chief priests and the elders asked Him, “By what authority are you doing these things?”

A simple question, right?  But did Jesus give a simple answer?  No.

In Mark 8 the Pharisees asked Jesus for a “sign from heaven.”  Did He give it to them?  No.

More than once they tried to seize Jesus.  They even wanted to kill Him.  In Luke 4 they took him “to the brow of the hill…in order to throw him down the cliff.”  That’s what they wanted, but did Jesus give it to them?  No.

At his trial, several times, they asked for answers, but Jesus refused to give them.

In Luke 13 Jesus was told that Herod wanted to kill him.  So when Jesus learned what Herod wanted, did he go give it to him?  No.

In Luke 23, during the trial, Herod wanted Jesus to perform a miracle.  Did he?  No.

So Jesus resisted evil people many times.

And so did the disciples.  More than once they were told to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, but did they?  No.  Acts 5:42 says, “…they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”

So is there an explanation for this behavior? 

Yes there is.  Look at Acts 4:18, 19.  “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.’”

So there’s the answer.  What God wants from us takes priority over what people want from us.

For example, First Timothy 5:8 says that I must provide for my family.  So what if an evil person wants to take my provision for my family?  Or what if someone simply asks for everything I own.  Am I supposed to give it to them?

Well if I do, then I’m not providing for my family. 

And you know what?  There are plenty of people out there who would love to kill me just for the sport of it.  There are places in this world where radical Muslims would love nothing more than to decapitate me for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So should I just let them, not resist them?

That’s not what Jesus did, so that must not be what He meant by, “Do not resist an evil person” and “Give to everyone who asks.”

So what did He mean?  What did Jesus mean by anything He said?  We find out by looking at the entirety of His teaching, not just by pulling one thing out here and there and treating it like a blanket statement. 

Yes, we do what Jesus said – within the context of all that He said.


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
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