Has God Spoken To You In a Dream? - Apples of Gold - September 22, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 22, 2008

“Has God Spoken To You In a Dream?”

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

Aren’t dreams amazing?

Do you dream much?

I know they say that we dream every night, but if I do, I almost never remember it.  I think it’s because I get up at 4:30 a.m. and I’m chronically short of sleep, so when I close my eyes at night, I’m gone.

Have you ever had a dream that you really thought was from God?  I have, and though it’s hard to prove such a thing, it really sticks with you.

Late one night over 20 years ago I was reading in Acts chapter two.  Peter was preaching and he quoted this from the prophet Joel, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

That passage was on my mind as I turned out the light and I prayed, “Lord, it says You will give us dreams.  Please give me a dream tonight, one that I know is from You.”

And that night I did have a dream.  I dreamed I was in a line of people approaching the throne of God.  We were standing there, two-by-two, and next to me was a guy I barely knew named Jim French.  I don’t know whatever happened to Jim French, and I’m not sure if I ever told him this dream.

Anyway, we were approaching the throne of God, and all you could see was this brilliant white light.  Soon it was our turn, and with heads bowed before the Lord, we received our assignment. 

“I’m sending you to the churches.”

And that was it.  We had our assignment.  “Go to the churches.”

And I woke up.  And obviously that dream has been with me ever since.

So the next night I prayed it again.  “Lord, give me another dream.”

The next morning I woke up and…no dream. 

“Lord, why didn’t you give me another dream?”  Then this thought popped into my head, “It says the old men will dream dreams.”

I looked it up and, sure enough, it’s the visions that are for the young men.

But nevertheless, I had my dream, and it has guided me in my work in Christian radio.  In many ways the various churches are separated from one another, but in my work I am able to go to a wide variety of churches and bring encouragement and support.  And my vision for doing that goes back to that dream I think the Lord gave me with the simple instruction to go to the churches.

Of course every dream is not from the Lord.  I’ve had some dreams that were certainly not from God – which brings up the question, how can you tell the difference?

I think the main way is, does it line up with the Word of God?  In Jeremiah 23:28 the Lord makes a strong statement especially for people who are spouting off about their dreams.  He says, “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.  For what has straw to do with grain?” 

I love that depiction.  “What has straw to do with grain?”  See, the grain is the Word of God, while the straw is the dream.  The Word always takes precedence. 

But does that mean there is no place for dreams?  No, it just means we have to be careful.  I think we can apply the teaching of First Corinthians 14:29, that when someone shares a dream that they think is from God, that “the others should weigh carefully what is said.”

That being said, I think God does use dreams to speak to us, based on what we find in the Bible.

For example, God spoke to Jacob in a dream when he was running from his brother Esau.  God also gave Jacob a dream about how to increase his personal flock while living with Laban.

Then Jacob’s son Joseph was quite the dreamer, as well as an interpreter of dreams.  Daniel, too, was both dreamer and interpreter.

The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream as he was taking over the kingdom. 

When you read about the birth of Christ in the book of Matthew, you see dreams affecting the story at some very crucial points.  The Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream that he should go ahead and take Mary as his wife.  Then he warned Joseph about Herod in a dream, and they fled to Egypt.  Then in Egypt Joseph had another dream when it was time to return to Israel, and another dream sent them to Galilee.

There are even some critical points in the Bible where the Lord gave dreams to people who weren’t even His people.  In Genesis 20 verse 3 God spoke to the foreign king Abimelech.  In Judges 7 God encouraged Gideon by giving a dream to a Midianite soldier.  And in Matthew 27 we read about the dream Pilate’s wife had about Jesus.

So yes, I believe the Lord speaks to people in dreams.  In Numbers 12:6 He said, “When a prophet of the Lord is among you…I speak to him in dreams.”

On the other hand, we must be careful.  Jeremiah 23:25 points out that sometimes people lie in God’s name saying, “I had a dream!  I had a dream!”

There really isn’t a lot of detail about dreams in the Bible, not a load of guidelines.  But nevertheless, God has used dreams to speak to people at important points in their lives, and I believe He is still doing so today.

So the question of the day is this, “Has God spoken to you in a dream?”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

My Friend Was Sputtering and Throwing Smoke - Apples of Gold - September 19, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 19, 2008

“My Friend Was Sputtering and Throwing Smoke”

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

“I know someone who has twice cheated on his wife…

“He told me this over coffee…

“He…spoke to me as if I were a priest…confessed everything.

“His body was convulsed in guilt and self-hatred.

“He said he would lie down next to his wife at night feeling walls of concrete between their hearts.  He had secrets. 

“She tries to love him, but he knows he doesn’t deserve it.  He cannot accept her affection because she is loving a man who doesn’t exist.  He plays a role.  He says he is an actor in his own home.”

That’s a story from Donald Miller in his book, “Blue Like Jazz.”

Miller continues:  “Designed for good, my friend was sputtering and throwing smoke.  The soul was not designed for this, I thought.  We were supposed to be good, all of us.  We were supposed to be good.”

Wow.  And I love that imagery, “my friend was sputtering and throwing smoke.” 

Miller indicates that we were designed to be good, and when we aren’t good, things just don’t run right.

The good thing is that we can come to Jesus Christ, confess our sins and He will forgive them, and give us a fresh start.

But then what? 

At this point a lot of people go back to their lives, with the added duty of trying to avoid sin. 

But here is what I get out of what Miller wrote.  It’s not that we were designed to be not bad.  We were designed to be good.

Yes, in a sense Jesus makes us good when He wipes away our sin.  But there is more.  After being made good we need to start doing good.

Ephesians 2 says we are not saved by doing good works.  We can only be saved by God’s grace, “the gift of God.” 

But now look at verse 10.  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

This is what God created us to do – to do good works.

First Timothy 6:18 says we should be “rich in good deeds.”

Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good…”

This is what God made us to do – to spend our time and energy doing good works.

Yes, like the man Miller wrote about, sin will make you sputter and throw smoke.  But it doesn’t have to be outright sin.

Have you ever sat around and watched TV for hours, then got up and thought, “What have I done?”  Or maybe it’s video games.  Or maybe it’s goofing off on the internet.  Hours go by.  Weekends come and go.

Now listen.  If you haven’t spent your time doing good, then you haven’t been doing what you were created to do – which will leave you sputtering.

You see, all those things are things we do for ourselves.  It’s for our amusement and entertainment.  It’s selfish really, and we weren’t designed for that.  Our soul doesn’t work well when it’s being selfish. 

Look at Second Corinthians 5:15.  It says we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ who died for us.

Did you catch that?  It says we should no longer live for ourselves.  This calls for a change in our mindset.  We stop thinking about what we want all the time, or what we feel or what we deserve.  Instead, we start thinking of others, and the good we can do for them.

And it can be anyone.  Galatians 6:10 says, “…let us do good to all people…”

Jesus even said to “…do good to those who hate you…”*

We should be so awesome in good deeds that it stands out like a full moon at midnight.  Matthew 5:16 says, “…let your shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

So it’s not about doing a little secret good deed here and there.  Our good deeds should be outstanding, like the fireworks grand finale.  First Peter 2:12 says that we should live such good lives among nonbelievers that they may see our good deeds and glorify God.  Get that?  Unbelievers will actually glorify God because of our good deeds!

So is your life sputtering and throwing smoke today?  If it’s due to sin, then it’s time to come clean with God and be made clean by Him. 

But if you’re not sure what it is, then maybe it’s this.  Maybe you aren’t filling your life with what your life was created to be filled with.

And what is that?  Just what it says in Ephesians 2:10.  We were created to do good works.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
  
*  Luke 6:27

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

The Solution to the Financial Crisis - Apples of Gold - September 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 18, 2008

“The Solution to the Financial Crisis”

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

“That’s never happened before.”

A statement like that will grab your attention, especially when you read it in the lead article of today’s Wall Street Journal.

So what is it that has never happened before?

Well yesterday the market was so unstable that at one point investors were willing to pay more for one-month Treasurys than they could expect to get back when the bonds matured.  The article says, “Some investors, in essence, had decided that a small but known loss was better than the uncertainty connected to any other type of investment.  That’s never happened before.”

The first sentence in today’s Wall Street Journal starts like this, “Fear coursed through the U.S. financial system on Wednesday…”

One front page headline reads, “Worst Crisis Since ‘30s, With No End Yet in Sight.”  The article says, “The financial crisis…has entered a new, far more serious phase.”

Another article on the front page says, “It’s not yet clear where the devastation will end.”

Senator Chris Dodd said, “These are huge, momentous events with cataclysmic implications.”

The federal government has now hastily taken control of AIG, the world’s largest insurer, as well as mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and two huge Wall Street firms have ceased to exist as independent companies, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch.

So what is the cause of this financial disaster?  If you had to boil it down into one word it would be debt.

Have you ever heard this phrase, “make debt work for you?”  For example, you borrow money to buy a house, then you borrow money to fix up the house.  Then you sell the house for a profit, pay off the debt, and you make enough money to live all year for just a little bit of work.

That’s fine, as long as the house sells.  But if it doesn’t, you have a big loan to pay back.  And that’s fine if you have the money, but what if you don’t? 

And now what if thousands of people can’t pay back their loans?  What happens to the companies that made the loans? 

And what if the companies were living on borrowed money themselves?  Well now they can’t pay back their loans.  If enough of this happens you reach a critical mass and the dominos start falling fast and furious.

Now I’m no economist, and that summary is simplistic, but there it is.

I said earlier that it all comes down to one word, debt.  Well now I want to change that.  If I have to boil our current financial crisis down into one word, then I want to make that word greed.

According to the dictionary, greed is “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.”

Goodness, that doesn’t sound like a vice.  That sounds like the American dream! 

But now let’s look at what Jesus said in Luke 12:15.  “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed…”

This is the only time in the NIV that Jesus is quoted as saying “Watch out!” with an exclamation point.  And what is He warning us about so emphatically?  To be on our guard against all kinds of greed.

Greed takes place in the heart of each person individually.  We can talk about corporate greed, but really there is no such thing.  It all comes down to what is inside the heart of each of us, one person at a time.

And this is what I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It changes the hearts of individuals.

What can I do about our current financial crisis?  Spread the Gospel.  I know that sounds cheesy on the surface, but until hearts are transformed, they will still be greedy.  And as long as they are greedy, their decisions will be faulty.

You might ask, “Well Doug, what are you doing for your country?  Why aren’t you involved in politics or government?”

Because I think the solution is in turning people to the Lord.  Then He will work on their hearts, and He will take care of the greed problem.  And if we take care of the greed problem we will come out of this financial crisis.  So what I’m doing for my country is trying to change hearts by pointing them to the Lord.

After Jesus told us to watch out for all kinds of greed He said this, “…a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

The American way is to amass these possessions, but Jesus said to watch out, this is not what your life is about.

Instead, He said that life is all about loving God and loving people. 

So today, let’s take a good look at our lives.  Are we greedy?  Is our life about the abundance of our possessions? 

If so, we need to re-surrender ourselves 100% to the Lord.  We need to offer up our bodies to Him as living sacrifices. 

And we need to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Then Jesus will change people, and He will take care of the greed problem.  And as He does, our financial problems will be worked out.

So there you have it.  Because of its power to change hearts, that’s my solution for the current financial crisis – spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

  
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

He's Sinning But Says He's Walking in Grace - Apples of Gold - September 17, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 17, 2008

“He’s Sinning But Says He’s Walking In Grace”

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

“I’m relying on God’s grace regarding the sins in my life.”

“Uh, wait a minute.  You’re still sinning.”

“Well everyone sins.”

“Yeh, but you are proactively deciding to sin right now, yet you think it’s all cool with God because of His grace?  I don’t think you understand grace.”

“Sure I do.  It’s God’s unmerited favor.  No one is good in God’s eyes anyway, right?  I’m not saved by keeping the law or because I’m so good.  So I’m relying on God’s grace regarding the sins in my life.”

“Look.  God’s grace is not just some place to wipe your feet.  It’s not a spiritual stain stick.  Some people think of God’s grace as one single gift, the forgiveness of their sins.  But God’s grace is so much more than that.”

So let’s take a closer look at the gift of God’s grace.

Yes, it is true that we are saved by grace, as the Bible says repeatedly.  So this is one aspect of God’s grace, it provides for our salvation because we can’t provide it for ourselves.  We can’t earn it.  It comes only by God’s grace.

But now let’s look at another aspect of God’s grace.  Titus 2:12 says that God’s grace is a teacher. 

So God’s grace saves us, and God’s grace teaches us.  If I am truly walking in grace, then I am walking as a student, learning from grace.

Titus 2:12 says that God’s grace “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions…”

If I am walking in grace, it doesn’t mean God is saving me from my sins – and I keep on sinning.  It means He saves me, and He teaches me to quit sinning, to say “No” to sin.

It goes on to say that grace teaches us “…to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives…”

So those are two aspects of God’s grace, and we find them summed up in Titus 2:14.  First it says that Jesus came to “redeem us from all wickedness.”  Then it says that He came to “purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

Sometimes I run into people who are living in sin and say they are walking in grace.  But they are only thinking of one aspect of grace, the part that redeems them from all wickedness.  They are forgetting all about the part that is trying to teach them to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. 

The purpose of God’s grace is not just to save us from sin, but to purify for Himself a people that are eager to do good.

Now let’s look at a third aspect of God’s grace.  It includes gifts He gives us for His service.

Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”  Then it mentions prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading and showing mercy. 

Ephesians 4 says, “…to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”  In other words, He has divvied up His grace in the form of different gifts to different people.  Verse 11 says He gave “some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…”

These are gifts of service, and they are portions of God’s grace. 

Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “…God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

See, that verse starts by talking about God’s grace, but it doesn’t end with a message of sins being wiped away.  It ends with a message of us receiving everything we need to abound in every good work.

This idea of walking in grace as a justification for sin is nothing new.  Paul addressed that in Romans 6:15 when he wrote, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!”

In Jude it says, “They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality…”

See, when you start to understand the many aspects of God’s grace, you will see that it is so much more than just the forgiveness of sin.  That’s just the start.

His grace saves us, then teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions.  And His grace supplies us with exactly what we need to serve God and His people. 

So God’s grace saves us, and teaches us, and enables us – all with the goal of making us a special people just for Himself who are eager to do good.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

  
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Jerome Lost His Home - Apples of Gold - September 15, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 15, 2008

“Jerome Lost His Home”

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

Jerome lost his home.

In a car accident.

Not even a bad car accident.  He was a passenger in his friend’s little convertible.  They had the top down and were driving through Nashville when suddenly a guy in a pickup merged into them. 

It hardly damaged the car, but Jerome’s elbow took a hit. 

It’s funny.  The newspaper made it sound like no big deal.  “Treated and released.”

But Jerome lost the lateral movement in his lower right arm.  That elbow just didn’t work right anymore.

And Jerome lost his job – as a well-paid studio drummer. 

Drumming was all he knew.  Why bother with a backup plan when the first plan is going so well?

Payless paydays took their toll, and Jerome lost his home.

The bank took possession and put it on the market. 

And Jerome sank into a depression.  Here he was, 30 years old, living with his parents, and completely unproductive. 

Enter Jerome’s older sister Janelle. 

Janelle owned an apartment complex that turned a healthy profit.  This one property alone would take care of her for life.

But after visiting her parents one day, and after seeing the state of her brother, she decided to make a bold move.

Behind the scenes she arranged for the sale of her apartment complex – and the purchase of Jerome’s house.  Then she worked with a company to build a complete drum kit designed to work within Jerome’s limitations.  It was part acoustic and part electronic, and the designers assured her that Jerome could use it to create all the sounds he did before, and more.

Jerome’s birthday rolled around, and it promised to be his worst ever.  He wanted no party, and didn’t even come out of his bedroom when Janelle arrived. 

Well she talked him into coming out to eat, and then they went for a drive – to his old house.  There were balloons on the mailbox and a giant ribbon across the front porch.

“Happy Birthday!” she said.

“You’re kidding,” said Jerome.  “What did you do, pay my back mortgage?  You realize I can’t make the payments.  I can’t do anything.”

“First of all, no, I didn’t pay the back mortgage.  I paid it off, dear brother.”

“What?  How did you do that?”

“I sold the apartment complex.”

“But that was your money maker.”

“Yeh.  You make money to do important things.  And this was the most important thing I could think of.  And that’s not all.  Come inside.”

And Janelle showed her brother the custom-made drum kit. 

By Christmas Jerome was back to a full schedule of recording sessions.  He tried to give his sister some money, but she refused.  She said the satisfaction of seeing him doing what he was born to do was all the payment she needed.

And that, my friends, is an illustration of the great concept of redemption.

Jerome’s life was redeemed by his sister.  The accident had taken his home and his career, and she bought it back.  She redeemed it.

That story gives us a hint of what redemption is, and it can help us understand the Bible when it talks about redemption.

The Bible says that God has redeemed us through Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:14 says that Jesus “…gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness…”

Ephesians 1:7 says that in Christ “…we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…”

For Jerome, the accident took away his life.  For us, sin takes away our life.  We are dead in our sins.

For Jerome, his sister sacrificed her own secure income to redeem him, to buy back his life from the accident.  For us, Jesus sacrificed Himself; shed His own blood to buy us back from the sin that had plundered us.

Hebrews 9:12 says that, by Jesus’ own blood, we have obtained eternal redemption. 

Galatians 3:13 says He redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Verse 14 says He redeemed us so that we could receive the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 4 says Jesus redeemed us from slavery to the principles of this world so that we can receive our full rights as God’s children.

Through sin we lost our rights.  We lost any claim to our inheritance as children of God.

But Jesus redeemed us.  With His blood He bought us back.  Galatians 5:1 says that Christ “has set us free.”

Jerome didn’t have the money to put his life back on track.  But his sister did, and she made the sacrifice to pay the price for her brother.

And we have no way to put our life back on track.  We can’t possibly pay for our sins and make things right with God.  But Jesus did.  He made the sacrifice to pay the price for us.

What we couldn’t possibly do, Jesus did.  So we trust in Him, and put our faith in the work He completed on our behalf. 

And now we can live the life we were created to live, all because we have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

(end with “Redeemed How I Love to Proclaim It” by The Martins)
 
The story of Jerome is fiction – an illustration I made up as I pondered the whole concept of redemption.

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Stop the Stampede to the Feed Trough - Apples of Gold - September 12, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 12, 2008

“Stop the Stampede to the Feed Trough”

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

We had a little lesson at dinner this week.

See, we always pray before we eat, but sometimes it’s a hasty prayer.  Sometimes I don’t even think the person praying is paying attention.

So before we prayed I decided to slow everyone down, to stop the stampede to the feed trough.

I pointed out the importance of being thankful, that not everyone had such a delicious meal, and that we should never take it for granted.

I asked everyone to truly think about God when we prayed, and to be thankful to Him.

Then I asked one of the boys living with us, 13-year-old Devion, to say the prayer. 

I expected an impatient, jittery prayer with a quick amen.  But what we got was a patient, thoughtful, beautiful prayer of true thanksgiving from the heart. 

True thanksgiving is hard to come by these days, and I think it’s because we are spoiled. 

Now you’d think that the more we have, the more thankful we would be.  But it doesn’t work that way. 

Have you ever had a car that wouldn’t start?  An unfaithful car is enough to drive you batty.  But then when you get a good car, you are more thankful.  I’ve been there and let me tell you, most everyday when I turn that key I think, “Thank you Lord for a car that works.”

On the other hand I knew a young man whose parents bought him a new car as soon as he turned 16.  He wrecked it and they bought him another new car.  I would have loved to have had a new car at 16, but you know what?  He took it for granted.  He wasn’t thankful for it.  In fact, he was kind of arrogant about it, like it was the least they could do for him.

Now let’s look at Hosea 13:6.  Here the Lord says, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.”

Did you follow that progression? 

It started with their need for food, and God says He fed them.  He kept them fed, and they were satisfied.  So far so good, right?

But then it says, “…when they were satisfied, they became proud…”

Why is that?  I think it’s because they came to expect it.  They took it for granted.  They thought they deserved that and more.  They made themselves the center of the universe.  That’s what pride is, making yourself the center of the universe.

And if you are at the center, if you are on the throne, guess who isn’t? 

Back to Hosea 13:6, God says, “…when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.”

This is easy to do if you are a middle to upper class Christian.  When you have good cash flow, when you’re able to go buy things, when many problems are solved by writing a check, it’s easy to become satisfied…and proud.  It’s tempting to think that you are just a little above the common rabble. 

And it all goes back to the fact that things are going pretty well for you. 

So this is the true test.  How do we react when things are going pretty well for us? 

Now here is the main point.  God said, “…then they forgot Me.” 

That is what we do not want to do.  We don’t want to forget God.

So let’s look at that progression again.  We are well fed, then we are satisfied, then we become proud, then we forget God – the very one who fed us to begin with.

And that is the key, that we do not forget that it is God Himself who provides for us.

This would be a good message for Thanksgiving Day, wouldn’t it?

But of course, as a Christian, everyday should be Thanksgiving Day.

So take a look at your life.  Would you consider yourself “well fed?” 

Then don’t take it for granted.  Don’t have the attitude that you earned it, or that you deserve it.

Instead be humble before the Lord.  Acknowledge the fact that if He doesn’t make a way, there is now way.  We have no reason for pride.

So we humble ourselves.  We bow our heads before Him, and say, “Thank You.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Where Were You When You Heard? - Apples of Gold - September 11, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 11, 2008

“Where Were You When You Heard?”

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

School started at 8* so I dropped off my kids a little before that, then ran to the store. 

I needed to pick up something in the electronics department before heading to the radio station.

While scanning the shelves, my cell phone rang. 

“Where are you?”

“I’m standing in Wal-Mart.”

“Go look at the TVs.  The World Trade Center is on fire.”

I looked up at a row of televisions and, oh my gosh, I was riveted.  A skyscraper on fire, live on TV.

Then the unthinkable happened.  As we all watched the fire in the north tower, a plane crashed into the south tower.

Fascination was replaced by dread as I realized it was no accident. 

Our Christian stations became news stations that day, going wall-to-wall with live coverage as the events unfolded.

We had a TV in our studio, and my heart sank as the south tower collapsed.

That afternoon at a press conference, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was asked how many people were killed.  He said, “I don’t think we want to speculate about that – more than any of us can bear.”

And isn’t that the way all tragedies are?  I mean really, if we want to get by at all in this life, for the most part we just can’t think about them.  They are more than any of us can bear.

For most of us, life has moved on since September 11^th, 2001.  Already there is a new crop of kids coming of age with no personal memories of it.  It’s just another date to memorize for history class.

And that’s the problem with history.  Its lessons are hard to pass on to even to the very next generation.  If it didn’t happen to them personally, it’s just another distant tale. 

So what are the lessons from September 11^th? 

And you know what?  I don’t just want to know what people say, I want to know what God says. 

So for that I turn back to the Bible. 

See, today we can hear the news, but we don’t get God’s spin on it.  But in the Bible we get the news, and we get God’s perspective.

So I flip back to the book of Lamentations which was written after a national tragedy, the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Lamentations 3:38 says, “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”

Now I realize that goes against our grandpa theology, but there it is.

Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Now why on earth would God even allow a calamity?

Lamentations 3:33 says, “…He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.”

Now listen, I am not saying God caused terrorist attacks on September 11^th.  What I am saying is that we need to learn the lessons of history, and I’m going back to the history where I can see God’s part, and that is in the Bible.

And in the book of Lamentations the lesson is clear.  Chapter one verse five says the Lord brought them grief because of their many sins.

Verse 14 indicates that God took their many sins, fashioned them into a yoke, and placed it on their necks.

Verse 12 says the Lord brought suffering on them in the day of His fierce anger.

And how did the Lord bring suffering on them?  Through the hands of enemy warriors, the Babylonians.

Lamentations 2:3 says the Lord had “withdrawn His right hand.”

So the lesson we learn from Lamentations is that when people sin and do not repent, eventually God judges them.  And in their case, judgment came through the violent acts of other people.

And God laid a lot of the blame at the feet of the prophets.  Lamentations 2:14 says, “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin…”

The lesson here is that people who claim to speak for God – what good are they if they don’t expose sin and call for repentance?

Lamentations 1:9 says the people did not consider their future, and their fall was astounding.

The lesson to us is, we must consider our future.  If our nation keeps moving in this direction, where are we headed?

The good news is, Lamentations 3:25 says the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the ones who seek Him.

Chapter 2 verse 19 says, “…pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.”

Chapter 3 verse 40 says, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

Seven years ago many people did just that.  They got the point.  Churches filled up.  People prayed.  We sang, “God Bless America” and meant it.

But when there were no more attacks, and things settled down, church attendance dropped, and we went right back to life as usual.

On this anniversary, let us be sober.  Let us consider our future.  Let us examine our ways and test them.  And let us return to the Lord.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
*  This is central time.  I lived in Illinois in 2001.

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

-vi-

B.C. Is Being Replaced By B.C.E. - Apples of Gold - September 10, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 10, 2008

“B.C. Is Being Replaced By B.C.E.”

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

So has it dawned on you yet that B.C. is being replaced by B.C.E.?

And that A.D. is being replaced by C.E.?

B.C. stands for “before Christ.”  For example, we say that Aristotle died in 322 B.C.

A.D. stands for anno domini, which is Latin for “in the year of our Lord.”

That’s probably what you grew up saying, B.C. and A.D.

But the wind has shifted, and in a generation or two no one will be saying B.C. or A.D. 

Why not?  Because they refer to Jesus Christ.

Well, we can’t have that, can we?  So the change has been made, and it’s slowly taking over. 

Now think about it.  This is a nation that couldn’t switch from miles to kilometers.  We just didn’t have the heart for it.

But to remove the reference to Christ in our calendar?  Oh yes, we definitely have the heart for this one.

Now what if you tried to remove the reference to Julius Caesar from the calendar?  That means calling July something else.  Who would have the heart for that?  Who would even care?

Or the reference to Augustus Caesar.  Well, we can’t change August because my birthday’s in August.

And besides, those were powerful people in history and it’s nice to recognize them.

But this Jesus, no, no, no.  Get Him out of there.

“But it’s religious,” you say. 

Oh, so we want to remove the reference to Christ because it’s religious?

Then what about Thursday?  You know, the day named after Thor, the “god of thunder.”  Isn’t that religious? 

See, it can’t be about influence because Jesus was, and is, a powerful influence in the world, more than all the Caesars combined. 

It can’t be about religion because we really don’t care about the other religious references.

So what is it?  Why are we replacing the beautiful “Anno Domini” with the clunky “Common Era?”

I’ll tell you why.  It’s because Jesus bothers people.  Jesus gets under their skin. 

See, we don’t care two hoots that Venus is named after a Roman goddess.  It’s just the name of the planet and who cares?

But people care, and they care a lot, that B.C. stands for “before Christ.”  They don’t want Christ anywhere in that equation.  And even though it’s longer, and even though it’s less descriptive, brother we are going to start saying B.C.E.

Like I said, Jesus gets under people’s skin.  He irritates people.  Why is that?

It’s because Jesus is light, and the world is in darkness and they want to stay there.

It’s because Jesus reveals our sin and our need of a Savior.

It’s because Jesus shows us the way to God and we really don’t want to know because then we have to act on that knowledge.

First Peter 2:8 calls Jesus “…a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence…” (KJV)

He is a stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

First Corinthians 1:23 says, “…we preach Christ crucified:  a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…”

Back to First Peter 2 – it says, “They stumble because they disobey the message…”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a powerful, life-changing message.  Millions of people testify to the fact that the real and living Jesus has come into their life and changed them forever.  He has forgiven their sins, cleansed their conscience, set them free, and given them hope. 

On the other hand there are those who have rejected the message.  And now listen.  They may say that Jesus isn’t real, that He is just another made up god, like Thor or Venus or Jupiter. 

But then how do you explain their animosity?  If it’s just some made up thing, then why the urgency to remove Him from our calendar system?

I’ll tell you why.  It’s because He is real and He is getting to them.  And He has a spiritual foe, the Father of Lies, who is also getting to them.  What else explains it?

Jesus – a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. 

But to us who believe He is the Light of Life.

So call it whatever you want.  Let them do all they can to minimize Jesus Christ.

But as long as I’m alive you will still hear someone calling it B.C. and A.D.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Is My Home a Deserving Home? - Apples of Gold - September 9, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 9, 2008

“Is My Home a Deserving Home?”

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

Let’s say your pastor gets up and announces, “We need to build a home for unwed mothers.”

Everybody claps, right?  It’s a great idea. 

And then we wait for the pastor to do it.  Hopefully he will round up the money and organize a committee and oversee some leaders and it will all fall into place.  Go pastor!

But what happens in the meantime?  Until they have an official home of their own, where is the ministry to unwed mothers?

Now listen to this.  Maybe the home for unwed mothers…is your home.

I’m just thinking here.  Think about all the homes in every church.  Think about all those empty bedrooms.  They’re air conditioned all summer and heated all winter, yet they are rarely used.  Wouldn’t that be a great place to care for and nurture an unwed mother in need?

So why don’t we do it?  I think it’s because somewhere along the line we decided that “this is my home.  It’s my sanctuary.  I can’t have strange people coming in here.”

Now let me share with you a strange Bible story.  In Matthew 10, Jesus called his 12 disciples together, then sent them out to various towns.  He told them not to pack anything, no money, no clothes, nothing.  They were to simply walk into town and stay at someone’s house.

Then in verse 13 Jesus used this ominous phrase, “If the home is deserving…”

Now I’m thinking about my home.  If Jesus’ disciples came to my home, would it be “deserving?” 

What did He mean by deserving?  I’m not sure, but verse 14 separates homes into two groups – those who welcomed the disciples and those who didn’t.

So I think a deserving home is a welcoming home.

And if a home was not a welcoming home, Jesus told them to shake the dust off their feet as they left.

Again, that is ominous.  I know, it sounds sort of petty, but Jesus said nothing petty.  If Jesus told the disciples to shake the dust off their feet as they left your home, that is not a good thing.

In Matthew 25 Jesus described a great judgment day.  And one of the things He will be judging is whether or not we invited people in.

Romans 12:13 says, “Practice hospitality.”

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

You’ve heard of the “Proverbs 31 Woman.”  Verse 20 says, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”

What if I asked you, “What have you spent the most money on?” what would you say?  For most people, it’s their home.  This is our biggest investment. 

And our homes are very personal.  We decorate them and organize them just the way we want.  It’s for us, for our pleasure and comfort.  That’s one reason we hold them so tightly as our own.

In Mark 10 Jesus talks about some people who actually left their home for His sake.  They gave up their home altogether.

But I’m not talking about that today.  Instead, I’m talking about keeping your home, and offering it up for His service.

Do you have some extra space?  How might it be used to serve God and bless people?

Now I’m thinking of Jesus hanging on the cross.  Standing there in front of him were his disciple John and his mother Mary.  Jesus basically told John to treat Mary as if she was his own mother.  And John 19:27 says, “From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” 

I don’t know how big John’s house was, but I know that it was a “deserving” home, a welcoming home.  He had no problem with Mary moving in.

When I was growing up, my parents made sure our home was very welcoming.  Over the years they invited several people to move in with us, both young and old, just because they needed it.

Now what about us?  Would we have a problem with someone moving in, even for a short time?  Or is our home just that, our home?

“But Doug, I don’t have that gift of hospitality.”

Look, it doesn’t mean you have to serve crumpets and tea on a silver platter.  It just means that you love them, see their need, and want to help.

Now not every home is right for every need.  I wouldn’t send an unwed mother to live with a single man.  I wouldn’t send a paroled embezzler to live with the rich old widow.  So work through your church.  Talk to your pastor.  They know about all kinds of needs, and they will know who will be a good fit for your home.

So I hope this causes you to look at your home a little differently today.  Look at it like a tool God has given you to use for His sake. 

Make it so that if Jesus and His disciples were to walk by your house today, they would point to it and say, “Now there is a deserving home.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Let Patience Have Its Perfect Work - Apples of Gold - September 8, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 8, 2008

“Let Patience Have Its Perfect Work”

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

He tried to open the package with his mouth.

He ended up writhing in pain because he got a zip-tie jammed between his teeth.

Never open anything with your mouth.

Unless you are a 13-year-old boy.  Then you should try everything that occurs to you.

The package belonged to his brother’s new combination lock.  You know, the kind that are preset at 0000, then you reset them to any combination you want.

Of course, the key when resetting is that you actually remember what you set it to.

Unless you are a 13-year-old boy.  Then, honestly, anything could happen.

Let’s say you put on some flip-flops, jump on your bike and ride over to your friend’s house.  And let’s say the flip-flops aren’t yours.  And let’s say your friend’s dog rips them apart. 

Could happen to anyone, right?  But throw a 13-year-old boy in the mix and guess what?  He wore two different flip flops.  So instead of ruining just one pair… 

And this is right after my wife said, “The boys are going to a friend’s house, so you can have your afternoon in peace.”

Last week I went to a middle school open house, and let me say, I salute you people.  I don’t know how you do it. 

One summer many years ago I was asked to teach a junior high Sunday School class.  I don’t think they checked my spiritual gifts inventory.  The word teenager isn’t there, not even in a footnote.

And now we have twin 13-year-old boys living with us.  Yes, it has its joy and laughter.  It’s also a lot of work, and often it is downright trying, as in “You are trying my patience.”

So what is it that tests your patience?  What gets under your skin, and it’s all you can do to keep from lashing out?

Now think about that while I change the way we look at it.  When something irritates us, we say it is trying our patience.  But the book of James frames it up differently.  It says that it is actually trying our faith.

Do you see the difference?  We say it is testing our patience, but the Bible says it is testing our faith.

James 1 talks about the various trials we face, and it calls them a testing of our faith.

Our faith is when we trust in God.  We trust that He is who He says He is, and that He will do what He says He will do.

So when trials come, do we continue to trust God?

Listen to my definition of trials.  A trial is when we don’t get what we want.  We hoped it would happen one way, but it didn’t.  We wanted one thing but got another.

That tests our faith.  Do we continue to trust God when we don’t get what we want?

If we do, then we have a combination of trials and faith.  When you combine trials and faith, what do you get? 

Patience.

When you combine hydrogen and oxygen you get water.  When you combine trials and faith you get patience.

When you don’t get what you want, but you continue to trust God anyway – then patience is growing within you.

That is what is happening in me (I hope).  I wish these 13-year-old boys were perfectly mature, full-grown Christian men.  But, of course, they are who they are and all that goes with it.

That means at any given minute I will end up with conditions in my house that aren’t what I want.  That is my trial.  I don’t get what I want, now how do I deal with it?

If I am impatient, that is a lack of trust.  I am not trusting God, that He is fully at work in the situation. 

James 1:4 says, “…let patience have its perfect work…”

To me, that feels like a power-grinder working on my soul.  Sparks fly and it’s noisy.  Who wants to hang around for that?  Yet the Bible says, “Let patience have its perfect work.”

When the boys are boys, how do I react?  First of all, I must trust God, that He is involved, that He has a purpose for this, and that He will help me deal with it.  I trust that He will give me wisdom and strength, and that He will never put on me more than I can handle. 

Trusting God in the middle of a trial is exactly what brings about patience.  It’s a combination of trials and faith.  Put the two together, and you get patience.

And look at the rest of James 1:4, “…let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

So is some situation grinding away at you today?  Are you just not getting what you want?  Then realize it’s a trial you’re going through.  Your faith is being tested.  So trust God through it all.  And as you do, behold the wonderful thing being produced.

Patience.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

What If I Lost It All? - Apples of Gold - September 4, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for September 4, 2008

“What If I Lost It All?”

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

Have you ever studied the Great Depression?

After the stock market crash, many people lost everything they had. 

And some of them committed suicide.

Their identity, their sense of self worth was so wrapped up in their possessions that when they lost them they saw their life as worthless.

And that leads to this question.  How would I react if I lost my possessions?  How would that affect my identity?  Would I still be who I am without my stuff?

What if I didn’t have my house or my car or these clothes?  What if I lost it all?  Would I still be the same old me, or would part of me be lost?

What about you?  What if you had to move to a poorer neighborhood?  What if you had to drive a beat up car, would you be lessened somehow?  What could someone take away from you that would really hit you personally? 

Ladies, what if they took your makeup?  Would being forced to go without makeup shred your identity?  What if they cleaned out your closet and you had to wear someone else’s leftovers?

Men, what if they took your tools, or your truck, or your big TV?  Would you be less of a man without them?

This is a good mental exercise, because I think many of us would be rocked to the core if we lost our possessions. 

See, if we’re not careful, what we own can become our identity.  “Who am I?  I’m the one with that house right there.” 

“I’m the one with that car.” 

“I’m the one who always has the latest cell phone.”

Cell phones may not be your thing, but what has its hooks in you?   Take it away and it would tear away a piece of you – and you would grieve the loss.

“Come on, Doug.  What kind of person could be robbed of their stuff and not be shaken?”

Look at Hebrews 10:34.  It’s talking about people who had their property confiscated.  And listen to their reaction.  It says they joyfully accepted it. 

That’s crazy!  How could anyone joyfully accept that? 

Here’s how.  When they lost their stuff, they basically lost nothing.  Oh, they were inconvenienced, but they didn’t grieve the loss.  They didn’t lose part of themselves because their identity had nothing to do with their possessions.

In Matthew 6 Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

So how could those people joyfully accept the confiscation of their stuff?  Because it didn’t hurt.  Their true possessions were actually in heaven.

Back to Hebrews 10:34.  It says they joyfully accepted the confiscation of their property because they knew they had “better and lasting possessions.”

It’s sort of like going to play football and wearing an old ragged t-shirt from the garage.  When your opponent rips your shirt, you don’t care.  Back home you have plenty of shirts, better shirts.  Ripping that rag-of-a-shirt doesn’t phase you.  In fact, it’s kind of funny.

That’s how those people in Hebrews 10 could react joyfully when their stuff was confiscated.  They said, “What?  Those old rags?  Take ‘em.  My true possessions are in heaven.  Who I am has nothing to do with what I own.  My identity is secure as a child of God.”

In our materialistic society, it is so easy to get wrapped up in the stuff.  We pour over catalogs and surf the web.  We walk the malls looking for more.  We invest so much of ourselves in our possessions, they become our treasure. 

Jesus said where our treasure is, that’s where our heart is.  That’s why it’s so disheartening to lose our stuff, because part of our heart goes with it. 

The heart of who we are, our identity, is tied to our treasure.  If our treasure is on earth, and we lose it, we lose our identity.  That’s why some people kill themselves when they go broke.  They see their life as worthless without their possessions.

But as a Christian, who I am has nothing to do with my stuff.  If I lose it all, I will still be exactly who I am, a child of God.  My identity – my heart – is where my treasure is, and it’s rock solid secure, in heaven. 

Anything I have here is simply part of my stewardship, tools to be used for the Lord’s will.  And if they are taken from me, well then I’ll just look around to see what other tools He’ll provide me with.

“Sounds great, Doug.  Great idea.  But if I lost my stuff, I’ll be honest with you, I would grieve.  How can I change that?”

The first step in any change is to change your thinking.

So look at Colossians 3:2.  It says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

That means, change your thinking.  Change the channel in your head.  Turn it from “earthly things” and set it on “heavenly things.”

As you spend more time thinking about the things of God, it will completely shift your outlook.  The stuff that once seemed so important won’t seem so important anymore. 

And eventually your possessions will lose their hold on you.  Your stuff will have nothing to do with your identity. 

Then you’ll be like the people in Hebrews 10.  You could have all your possessions confiscated yet react joyfully, because who you are is a child of God, and you have far better and lasting possessions – a full treasure – in heaven.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(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
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