Are My Hands Clean? Is My Heart Pure? - Apples of Gold - January 5, 2009 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 5, 2009

“Are My Hands Clean?  Is My Heart Pure?”

 

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

It started with two old women in a very humble cottage.

They were sisters.  One was 82; the other 84, and blind.

It was after World War II in Scotland, and these old women were greatly burdened by what they saw as the appalling state of their own parish.  Apparently no young people at all went to the church.

Well the sisters decided to make it a special matter of prayer.  And one particular Bible verse gripped them.

It was Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring…”

They set aside two prayer times each week.  Every Tuesday and Friday night starting at 10 p.m. they would get down on their knees and start praying.  And they proclaimed that verse, “Lord, You said You would pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground.”

Eventually their fervor spread to the church leaders, who started their own Tuesday and Friday night prayer meetings, in a barn.

After about a month and a half of these prayer meetings, one night one of the leaders read Psalm 24.  He read, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…”

And the man began asking himself, “Are my hands clean?  Is my heart pure?”

And they were all gripped with the conviction that if they really wanted God to move, then they themselves must have clean hands and a pure heart.  They realized that a God-sent revival must ever be related to holiness.

And eventually God did move in a powerful way on that island of Lewis in the Scottish Hebrides.  And the church was once again filled with young people turning to the Lord.

Isn’t that a great story?  I love it!  I just heard it the other day on the internet, on a website called Sermon Index.net.*  It was an old, scratchy recording of a man who was there for that great revival 60 years ago.

First of all, I can just see those two old women in a humble cottage.  Two aged sisters looking out for each other.  And their social life probably revolved around the church. 

They could have just been happy with that, hanging out with other senior citizens until the Lord called them home.

But no.  I think the Spirit of God was stirring inside them.  They saw the absence of young people in church and felt a burden for them.

They could have complained.  They could have gossiped.  But instead, they prayed.  They devoted themselves to prayer. 

They didn’t wait for someone else to call a prayer meeting.  They didn’t shake their heads and wish that “they” would do something about it. 

Instead they said, “On these days at these times, we will pray.”

I love that.

Plus they picked a certain verse to stand on in their prayers.  Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground…”

These two old women prayed earnestly and consistently, calling on the Lord to pour water on the thirsty and to flood the dry ground.

Then somewhere along the line their passion spread.  Some church leaders saw the need for such prayer and they, too, devoted themselves to seeking the Lord on Tuesday and Friday nights.

Then the Lord responded to their prayers.  The Spirit of God stirred up this question from Psalm 24.  “Are your hands clean?  Is your heart pure?”

Lately I’ve been meditating on Ephesians 4:30 which says, “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”

If my hands aren’t clean and my heart isn’t pure, then I am grieving the Holy Spirit.  And if I’m grieving the Holy Spirit, then how can He work through me?  If He doesn’t work through me, then what on earth am I doing?  If I am not bearing good fruit, then what am I even about?

No, I must bear good fruit.  To do that I must have God’s Spirit working through me.  So I must not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, which means I need clean hands and a pure heart.

So just like that man in the barn 60 years ago, I lift up my hands and say, “Lord, do I have clean hands and a pure heart?” 

I must have.  I simply must have.  If I want to see revival; if I want my church to grow; if I want our young people to be saved and on fire for God; then I must have clean hands and a pure heart.

So I pray, “Lord, quench the thirsty.  Flood the dry ground.  Bring conviction of sin among your leaders.  Stir within us in power so that we can stand before You and say, ‘Yes, through Christ I have clean hands and a pure heart so that I may be of full service to my King!’”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
*  http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=376

© 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 Is Your Brain Buzzing About? - Apples of Gold - January 2, 2009 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 2, 2009

“What Is Your Brain Buzzing About?”

 

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

From the time you get up your brain is buzzing about something.

Sometimes you can’t sleep because your brain is buzzing.

I say buzzing because, like bees buzz willy-nilly around a hive, our brains buzz all around a subject.

It would be interesting to jot it down, then go back and look at it at the end of the year.  “What my brain was buzzing about today.”

I don’t know if this happens to you, but almost everyday when I wake up there is a song on my mind.  I don’t know why that is.  I’m not a musician.  I don’t sleep with music on.  But for most of my life this has been true.  I wake up with a song in my head.

That means right out of the gate my brain is buzzing about something…a song. 

But now listen to this.  It matters what song it is.  That song influences my thinking, my mood, my day. 

And it could be any song I’ve ever heard.  I know this is weird, but it’s true.  It could be a good song or a bad song; a song that’s good for me, or a song that just isn’t good for me to even think about.

But you know what?  I learned a long time ago not to leave this to chance.  Many years ago I started setting my radio alarm clock to a Christian station.  That way when I wake up the first song to make an impression on my mind is a good song.

Nowadays I use my cell phone as my alarm clock, and, for example, right now my alarm is set to play “Revelation Song” by Gateway Worship. 

And it always works.  That first song I hear leaves an impression on my mind.  And I love starting my day with the opening strains of “Revelation Song” which says, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, holy holy is He.”

So everyday my brain starts buzzing immediately on the holy, worthy Lamb of God.  I love it.

And it’s not just the mornings.  Music will get your brain buzzing anytime.  The question is, what does it get your brain buzzing about? 

Now here’s the thing.  You can control it.  You control it by choosing wisely what music you let enter your brain in the first place. 

And of course this applies to much more than music.  Right now I am memorizing the book of Ephesians.  I add one verse each weekday.  Then I constantly rehearse them in my mind, stringing them all together, and meditating on them.

It’s like an in-depth Bible study constantly buzzing in my brain.  In the mornings when I’m getting ready, what’s running through my head is the book of Ephesians. 

Let me tell you, it radically changes your day when you meditate on the Word of God.  It reminds me of Psalm 1:2 which talks about the blessed man who meditates on God’s words “day and night.”

See, your brain is always buzzing about something.  Why not start memorizing the Word so that it’s buzzing about the things of God.

2009 begins Year Three of my Daniel Fast.  That leads to a certain buzzing every day in my brain.  It’s a buzz that I am denying myself to follow Jesus.  I want to be an offering, a living sacrifice for Him.  Denying myself certain foods keeps those thoughts buzzing in my brain all the time.  Every time I eat, every time I think of eating, my brain buzzes thoughts like, “Lord, I love You.  Lord, I want to serve You.  Lord, I need You.  I need You desperately.  I can do nothing without You.  Lord, I want to bear good fruit.  Lord, I am denying myself in order to take up my cross and follow You.”

There’s nothing like a fast to get your brain buzzing!

We are still doing the 8:08 prayer time at our house.  Each night at 8:08 my cell phone alarm goes off and we stop whatever we are doing, gather whoever is in the house together and we pray.  When this happens, it doesn’t matter what your brain was buzzing about beforehand.  It suddenly changes.  All the buzzing turns toward God and the real needs of people that we bring to Him in prayer.

A regular prayer time will really affect the buzzing in your brain.

Are you a news junkie?  Do you have a news channel IV stuck in your veins?  Stop and think about what that causes to buzz in your brain.  Crime and controversy.  Politics and “pop tarts.”  Oh it gets your brain buzzing alright. 

Or maybe it’s sports, sports, sports.  Is your brain buzzing on sports all day?  Oh, there’s enough sports to do it.  And if real sports aren’t enough, now we have fantasy sports you can buzz about.

Or maybe it’s movies.  Do you find yourself quoting movie lines?  What you quote is obviously what your brain is buzzing on.

Now here’s the point.  Our brains are always buzzing, thinking about some topic.  And often we don’t even try to control what we’re buzzing about.  We just let whatever come into our brain and buzz around for a while.

This year let’s be more proactive.  Let’s control the buzz. 

Let’s set ourselves up for a blessed year like the man in Psalm 1, and he did it by simply letting his brain buzz about the things of God all day long.


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-

Make a Vow to the Lord - Apples of Gold - December 31, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 31, 2008

“Make a Vow to the Lord”

 

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

I love what it says in Psalm 76:11.

Make vows to the Lord…and keep them.

It doesn’t say what kind of vows to make.  It goes into no detail.  It simply says, make vows to the Lord and keep them.

As we start a new year, it’s a great time to make a vow to the Lord. 

For example, I have renewed my Daniel Fast for another year.  That is a vow to the Lord.  It’s not something I have to do.  It’s not a law or a commandment.  It’s just a vow, something I’m promising to do for Him.

I like the word vow instead of promise, even though it means basically the same thing.  To me the word vow is stronger.  You can have a “pinkie promise,” but there’s no such thing as a “pinkie vow.”  A vow is for the strong. 

You say you will do it, then you do it.  It doesn’t matter how hard it gets.  It doesn’t matter if it costs you your life, you do it.

Make a vow to the Lord and keep it.

Keeping a vow builds character.  It builds stamina and perseverance.

Vows give you purpose and focus.  They give you clarity in your decisions.

A vow becomes a benchmark from which other decisions are made. 

For example, let’s say I vow to donate $1,000 to the church building fund on a certain date.  I start socking away the money in a savings account, but then just as the date arrives, my car’s air conditioner breaks.  What should I do?

Remember, a vow becomes a benchmark from which other decisions are made.

I must…don’t miss this…I must give the $1,000 that I vowed to give on the date that I vowed to give it.  That decision was final when I made the vow.  No circumstance can change it. 

“But Doug, you’re going to melt in the Florida heat.”

Has nothing to do with it.  Nothing.  That vow, that $1,000, is completely disconnected from my need for an air conditioner. 

Listen.  I would rather melt to death than break my vow.

That’s why vows are for the strong.  Don’t make one unless you will keep it.

I vowed to memorize the book of Ephesians before my son’s birthday in March.  I am plugging away and I’m halfway through chapter 4. 

Let me tell you, at times I’ve felt lazy.  Some days I don’t want to think about it.  But my vow, my commitment pushes me forward.  I said I will do it, and I will do it. 

A vow gives you backbone.  It gives you guts. 

Now I’m thinking of Antipas.  Revelation 2:13 says Antipas was a faithful witness for Christ who was put to death in Pergamum. 

Tradition says there was a showdown.  They demanded that Antipas pinch some incense into the altar of Caesar. 

Let me tell you, the practical thing to do would have been to just pinch the incense.  But Antipas refused.  Why?

I think it’s because somewhere along the line he made a vow.  So when they demanded that he perform this worship to Caesar, he didn’t even have to think about it.  The vow was his benchmark.  His next decision was based on his vow to worship none but the Lord. 

He refused to pinch the incense, so they pitched Antipas into the brazen altar.  He died.  But he did not break his vow.

A vow is a hammer.  Let everything else get out of the way.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it.  He has no pleasure in fools…”

Don’t make a vow lightly.  Proverbs 20:25 says, “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.”

Don’t make a vow willy-nilly.  This isn’t child’s play.  God has no pleasure in fools.  Take your time and think it through.

But then do it.  Make it happen.  You’ll come out a better person on the other side.

So as we leap into this new year, think about Psalm 76:11 and how it might apply to your life.

Think about making a vow to the Lord…and keeping it.


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-

How Can We Live Up to God's Standard? - Apples of Gold - December 30, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 30, 2008

“How Can We Live Up to God’s Standard?”

 

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

Over there is God’s standard, and over here is us.

We are supposed to live up to His standard.  We are supposed to be holy and righteous.  We are supposed to be all good and no bad.

At least we know what we are supposed to be like.  That’s a start.

But just because we know God’s standard doesn’t mean we can live up to it.

It’s like knowing we are supposed to eat right and exercise.  We know it, but that knowledge provides no power to actually do it.

So how can we live up to God’s standard?

Or maybe the first question is, why don’t we already live up to His standard?

Paul addressed this in Romans 7.  He admitted that he did not live up to God’s standard.  And why not?  Because of the “sin living in me,” he said.  It’s because of “my sinful nature,” he said.

Paul said he wanted to live up to God’s standard, but the sinful nature inside him had its own ideas.

He said, “…in my inner being I delight in God’s law…”  Boy, I know that feeling.  Something inside me thrills at the thought of God and His righteousness.  Have you ever felt that?  Just thrilled and awed and overjoyed while thinking of God and His holiness and His purity.

Paul felt that.  But he also felt something else.  It was his sinful nature.  It was sin rattling around inside him, pulling him away from God and toward sin.

I know that feeling, too.  I don’t want it, but I feel it. 

Paul described it as sin at work in the members of his body.  He said, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” 

In fact, it frustrated him so much that he declared in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

This is where Jesus comes in. 

Romans 8:3 indicates that we cannot live up to God’s standard because our sinful nature prevents us from doing so.  That leaves a big gap.  God’s standard over there, and us over here.

Then God sent His Son Jesus who died as a sin offering for us. 

Now listen to what this did.  It cleared the way for God’s Holy Spirit to come and live inside of us.

Before, we were powerless to live up to God’s standard.  But now, through Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit – and there is our power!

Listen to Romans 8:1-2.  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Yes, we still have a sin nature.  But we are no longer its slave.  Through Jesus, the Holy Spirit has come inside of us and broken the chains.  We are no longer slaves to sin.

So now, as Christians, we have two guiding voices inside of us.  We have God’s Spirit, calling us to God’s standard, and we have our sin nature, calling us to sin.

It is now our choice.  Which voice will we listen to?  We can either set our minds on what the sinful nature desires, or we can set our minds on what the Spirit of God desires.

One voice leads to death.  The other voice leads to life and peace.

One voice is hostile to God.  Can you hear that voice calling out from inside you?  The voice of the sin nature, it’s hostile to God.

The other voice tells us we are God’s children and cries out, “Abba, Father!”

So how can we live up to God’s standard?  Romans 8:4 says it’s by living “according to the Spirit.”  It’s by listening to God’s Spirit inside of us and heeding what He says.

This is why it is important not to grieve the Spirit or quench the Spirit; because it is only by the Spirit of God inside of us that we can overcome our sin nature with its stench of death.

So if you are looking for a New Year’s resolution this year, here is a good one. 

“This year I will make a more concerted effort to listen to, and heed, the Spirit of God inside me.”


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-

The Sarcasm Hall of Fame - Apples of Gold - December 29, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 29, 2008

“The Sarcasm Hall of Fame”

 

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

If there was a Hall of Fame for sarcasm, this would be in it.

It was the 1988 vice-presidential debate between Senator Dan Quayle and Senator Lloyd Bentsen. 

Quayle was only in his 40’s, with about a dozen years of experience in Congress.  At one point in the debate Tom Brokaw questioned Quayle’s experience. 

Quayle said, “I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.”

Then came Bentsen’s now famous response.

“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy.  I knew Jack Kennedy.  Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine.  Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

The crowd erupted.  It was a terrific zinger which sliced Quayle down to size. 

And what was Quayle’s comeback?  All he could muster was, “That was really uncalled for, Senator.”

Uncalled for, perhaps.  But it put Lloyd Bentsen in the Sarcasm Hall of Fame.  He was greatly lauded for it, and Quayle was roundly mocked. 

Bentsen’s sarcasm had done its job.  It’s the job sarcasm is usually used for, to cut someone down.

I googled the word “sarcasm” and I was surprised at what I found. 

Sarcasm is “witty language used to convey insults or scorn.”

It’s used to sneeringly mock a person, to insult or wound them.

Sarcasm is “marked by mocking.”

It is “a cutting form of wit intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.”

Sarcasm is meant to be unpleasant to someone or to make fun of them.

It is caustic words for the purpose of wounding another.

Interestingly, the word sarcasm comes from a Greek word that means “to tear flesh.”

Now not all sarcasm is meant to wound.  On a rainy day you might say, “Wow, what a nice day.” 

But what I’ve seen over the years is that sarcasm becomes a habit, a way of speaking.  And it’s especially true for smarter people.  Notice that sarcasm includes being witty. 

A sarcastic person sees a situation the way it is, then can quickly twist what they see into a distorted, sarcastic version of that truth.  Then they make a remark based upon that twisted truth.

For example, Dan Quayle said he had as much Congressional experience as Jack Kennedy.  That was true.  Then Lloyd Bentsen took that truth and twisted it.  He twisted it as if Quayle was saying that he was like Kennedy as a whole.  Then Bentsen made his remarks based upon that twisted truth.

I know all about the habit of being sarcastic because I’ve lived it.  I was not raised in a sarcastic home, but I think I picked it up from television.  I loved to laugh, and my favorite shows as a teenager were Saturday Night Live and Monty Python’s Flying Circus.  I also loved the comedy of Steve Martin. 

And I was drawn to friends who also enjoyed this type of humor.  We became very sarcastic people, mostly just for laughs.  Oh, we were very witty.

But as I grew up, and as I started trying to live for God, I realized that lacing my conversations with sarcasm was not a good thing.  People got hurt.  I blurted out things I shouldn’t have.  I was mostly just trying to be funny, but the very nature of being witty and quick means that you are not being thoughtful.  You blurt out the first sarcastic thing that comes to your mind and bam!  The damage is done.

Sarcasm can really mess up a marriage.  In the emotional ups and downs, with all the pressure points, if you have the habit of being sarcastic, you are bound to blurt out hurtful words and cut your spouse to the quick.  You will both end up with your guard up all the time, which makes it impossible to grow very close to one another.

And sarcastic parents can really cut some deep wounds into their children.

I think sarcasm is often about one-upmanship.  “Ha ha!  I’m better than you.”  I think it has an element of pride.  “I’m smarter than you, quicker than you, wittier than you.”

But this is not at all how a Christian should be.  Ephesians 4:29 says that only good should come out of our mouth, “that it may impart grace to the hearers.” 

Verse 32 says we should be “kind to one another” and “tenderhearted.”

Colossians 4:6 says our conversation should always be “full of grace…”

If you aren’t sure whether you are being sarcastic, or if you think your sarcasm is okay, just pay attention to the way people respond.  Are they ever hurt?  Do they feel like you are putting them down or making them look foolish? 

If so, then your sarcasm is over the line.  It’s hurting people, and it is ungodly.

We’re coming up on the time for New Year’s resolutions, so here’s one to think about. 

If the shoe fits, maybe a good resolution would be, “This year I am going to stop being so sarcastic.”


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-

Should We Pray Before We Eat? - Apples of Gold - December 23, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 23, 2008

“Should We Pray Before We Eat?”

 

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

We always pray before we eat.

It doesn’t matter where we are, we stop and give thanks for the food.

Whether it’s a fancy restaurant or fast food, we stop, bow our heads and thank God.

I like it when the kids invite their friends along.  Sometimes we push tables together; ten or fifteen people causing a stir in the restaurant with all the buzz and chatter.  But then just before we eat – silence.

And someone thanks the Lord.

And then almost unconsciously, when the prayer is done, there is a chorus of amens.

This is all perfectly natural for us, but in our world today it stands out.  I remember one time we prayed at Cracker Barrel and a lady came by to thank us.  “You don’t see that very often,” she said, “And I just wanted to say how much I appreciate it.”

Now we don’t do it to draw attention.  We aren’t pretentious.  We aren’t loud.  We just do it because it is important.

Sometimes at home I give a little reminder before we pray.  I’ll say something like, “I know we take this food for granted.  But not everyone has food.  So we need to be serious for a moment and truly thank God for this blessing.”

If you were raised this way, you probably don’t think anything of it.  Praying before a meal is second nature.

But maybe you weren’t.  Or maybe you were, but don’t like it.  Maybe it seems like an odd religious ritual.  So why do it?

In Matthew 14:19, just before Jesus fed the five thousand, it says he took the loaves and fish, looked up to heaven, and “He gave thanks.”

In Matthew 15 Jesus repeated the miracle to feed four thousand, and once again before they ate, He gave thanks.

That may sound like an incidental to the story, but now look at John 6:23.  It tells of people on boats, and it says they “landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”

Now isn’t that interesting?  Of all the things they could have said about that location, they brought up that wee little incidental.  It was where the people ate “after the Lord had given thanks.”

In Matthew 26, during the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread and “gave thanks” before they ate it. 

In Luke 24, after His resurrection, Jesus joined two men in Emmaus for a meal.  Before they ate, Jesus stopped and gave thanks.

In Acts 27, Paul was on a ship full of people.  After a time of danger, Paul encouraged them all to eat.  Then verse 35 says, “…he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.  Then he broke it and began to eat.”

First Corinthians 10:30 mentions eating a meal with thankfulness, thanking God for the food.

Now some people will point out that there is no law in the Bible about praying before meals, and that’s true.  It is not a legal requirement.  So why do it?

Well, in addition to the examples of Jesus and Paul, we have First Timothy 4:3 which says that God created food “to be received with thanksgiving…” 

Then we have some sweeping, overall instructions about being thankful, such as Ephesians 5:20 which tells us to always give thanks to God the Father for everything. 

Colossians 2:7 says we should be “overflowing with thankfulness.”

Colossians 3:17 says that whatever we do, we should do it with thanksgiving to God.

First Thessalonians 5:18 says to “give thanks in all circumstances…”

Now none of this requires a public, out-loud prayer before eating.  But I’ve found it a great way to remember to be thankful, to be thankful on purpose. 

Yes, it could be a silent prayer, but then that’s not exactly “overflowing with thankfulness.”

Now, I don’t pray before every molecule of food enters my mouth.  And in certain circumstances I don’t make it public at all, not because I’m ashamed, but just because sometimes it’s out of place.

And right before a meal is not a good time to launch into a long prayer.  The food is ready.  People are hungry.  To stretch it out is just irritating.

So don’t make it irritating.  Don’t annoy people.  But do overflow with thankfulness.  Give thanks in all circumstances, and that includes mealtime.

So I say, pray before you eat.  It may not be a law, but it’s a wonderful habit that reminds us to be thankful, and I think it pleases the heart of God.


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-

Don't Lean On a Splintered Reed - Apples of Gold - December 22, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 22, 2008

“Don’t Lean On a Splintered Reed”

 

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

It was the 4^th of July right before I got my driver’s license.

We had a bunch of people over and soon a hot game of volleyball broke out.

At some point someone launched a “homer.”  The ball sailed high into a tree – and didn’t come down.

I quickly scrambled up the tree to get the ball, no problem.

Now I had been a tree climber all my life.  I knew all the tricks of the trees.

I came down to a large limb, too large to wrap my arms around.  There was a smaller limb growing out of it, so my plan was to swing down from the larger limb, grab the base of the smaller limb, and drop down from there.

As I swung down, however, the smaller limb snapped right off.  And it happened at the most inopportune time, with my legs in the air and my back toward the ground.

I landed flat on my back, which knocked the wind out of me.

That’s not a pleasant thing, but I’d been there before.  Just catch your breath and everything will be fine.

But I wasn’t catching my breath.  And my brain was fuzzy.  I couldn’t even sit up.

What I didn’t realize was that when I fell, I put my arms back to catch myself – and my right arm snapped underneath me.

In the end it was nothing serious, just a broken arm.  But you know what?  I still feel it today – just an occasional discomfort right at the spot of the break.

And it all goes back to my decision to rely on something that was too small and too weak to be relied upon – that smaller limb.

So why did I do it?  Because I had done it before with no problems.  My experience up to that point was that, as long as you grabbed it at the base, a smaller limb could be relied upon.

Why do we so often have to learn our lessons the hard way? 

King Hezekiah didn’t seem like such a person.  Second Kings 18 says, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…”

Verse 5 says he “…trusted in the Lord…”

Verse 6 says, “He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow Him…”

Verse 7 says, “And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.”

And one thing he undertook was to rebel against the king of Assyria.  God’s chosen people would not kowtow to those pagans. 

In the 14^th year of his reign, however, Assyrian soldiers captured some of their cities. 

Now the key here is how Hezekiah responded.  Up until then he had been relying on the Lord.  But now look at verse 14.

“So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria… “I have done wrong.  Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand…”

And what he demanded was a bunch of silver and gold.  So Hezekiah gave him all the silver from the temple of the Lord and from his own palace. 

And for the gold he again plundered the Lord’s temple.

So instead of relying on the Lord, Hezekiah relied on silver and gold.

But, as you can imagine, that didn’t stop the Assyrians.  They decided to come for Jerusalem as well. 

At one point the king of Assyria sent a message to Hezekiah saying, “On whom are you depending…?  Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man’s hand and wounds him if he leans on it!”

So Hezekiah relied on silver and gold, but it failed him.  Then the Assyrians said he was relying on Egypt, and I love that illustration.  “Egypt is like a splintered reed.  If you lean on it, it will pierce your hand.”

That’s a great illustration of what happens when we lean on anything but the Lord.  It’s unreliable.  If we lean too much it will pierce our hand.

It might be silver and gold.  It might be our network of allies, our friends and family.  But in the end there is only sure thing to lean on.

King Hezekiah finally rediscovered it.  He called upon the Lord, and through Isaiah the prophet the Lord predicted a mighty deliverance for His people.  And I love what 2 Kings 19:31 says, “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

And now the question comes to us all.  What are we relying on?  Is it our silver and gold?  Is it our network of allies? 

The truth is, all of these will fail.  They cannot be relied upon.  Lean too hard and, like a splintered reed, it will pierce your hand.    

Instead, we do like Hezekiah did originally.  We do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.  We trust in the Lord.  We hold fast to Him and do not cease to follow Him.

Then I think, like Hezekiah, the Lord will be with us and make us successful.

And I believe it will be like 2 Kings 19:31. 

“The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”


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-

The Blizzard Buries the Girl - Apples of Gold - December 19, 2008 -vi-

You might want to hear this one.  The music really sets the tone.  Go to www.wave94.com and click to hear today’s audio.

 

 

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 19, 2008

“The Blizzard Buries the Girl”

 

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

Staring out at an autumn moon,
Just 32 years old,
But a frost has taken hold,
So she closes out the cold.

Who’s to blame for the season’s change?
Where’s God in the winter wind?
Despair is a deadly friend,
So she stays in bed again.

And all the while the world just smiles and says…

But she cannot hear.
It’s weird.
The mirror reflects her tears.
And fear.
The memory’s too near.
How come?
Why her son?

The blizzard buries the girl.

Sadness comes and sadness goes,
But grief, he comes to stay.
He pushes friends away.
Her hair is turning grey.

What can we do for the grieving few?

One day she laughs, and then she cries.
There’s guilt for feeling joy.
She holds a little toy,
Must not forget her boy.

But springtime comes as it always does.

Walking out in a summer sun,
It’s bright and warm and fine.
She made the uphill climb.
Her eyes begin to shine.

Jesus does as He always does,
And her eyes begin to shine.


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-

Tracy Fell For Steve - Apples of Gold - December 18, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 18, 2008

“Tracy Fell For Steve”

 

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

Tracy fell for Steve.

And Steve liked Tracy.

It was all very romantic. 

Then throw in a little adventure.  There was a dragon on the loose.

And if that wasn’t enough, add to it the fact that people were coming down with some kind of disease, and the main symptom was a black oozy spot right in the middle of their chest.

But back to the romance.  Tracy was a police officer and Steve was in town as an investigator.  They began working together, and you know how it is.  They were just drawn to each other. 

Let the fun begin.

Oh, but there was one little problem.  Tracy was married.  To someone else.  But they were separated, so, whatever.

Meanwhile the dragon was killing people, and it seemed to be the people with the black oozy spot on their chest, right over their heart.

Many people in town had the black spot.  It caused them pain, but they were able to hide it. 

But what happened was the spot grew bigger.  The blackness would ooze and it smelled, like a dead animal.

Then an odd thing happened.  Once it got big enough, the person didn’t care.  It stopped hurting, and they quit hiding it.  Blackness would ooze down their chest.  It would get on their face and they just didn’t care.  They almost flaunted it. 

Once they got to that point everyone knew what came next.  The dragon got them.

Yes, there were some creepy things going on in that little town.

But not for Steve and Tracy.  They were on a romantic high.  The electricity was flowing and everyday was a great day just being together.

Then Steve noticed a tender spot, right in the middle of his chest.

Tracy got one, too.  And it hurt.

What was it the old man had said when he poked Steve in the chest? 

“Be glad it still hurts,” he had said.  “When you get close to the end, you don’t feel a thing.”

Yeah, that was the day he warned Steve about “shacking up” with a married woman.

But he didn’t heed the warning.  How could he?  Tracy was hot.  They had a great thing going, why not enjoy it?

And the tender spot over his heart grew dark.

And the dragon drew near.

Steve and Tracy decided to get away from the creepy little town.  They snuck out on horseback through the woods.  They had to be quiet, though, if they wanted to avoid the dragon.

But Tracy was not being quiet.  In fact, she was being kind of loud.

And then she started confessing.  “Did I ever tell you about Andy Schuller and me?”

It was happening.

“And then there was Jimmy . . .”

Steve looked at Tracy, and in the moonlight he could see a glistening streak of black crawling down her shirt.  And the stench was unmistakable.

“Tracy, are you in pain?”

“Pain?  Why should I be?”

“Don’t you see what’s happening, Tracy?  You’re talking crazy.”

“Just crazy for you.”

“No!  The old man said when you get this mark you get used to it and you don’t care anymore.”

She wasn’t listening. 

“Nothing’s going to happen to me, sweetheart.  I’ve got you now.  I win!”

Then she gave a drunken laugh as a new burst of black crawled down her chest like tar.

And the dragon moved in for the kill.

***

That’s just a tiny bit of the story found in Frank Peretti’s book “The Oath.” 

I really like the visual he provides when he describes sin and its effect on our heart.  It starts as just a tender spot that hurts.  If we continue to sin, the spot grows and starts to stink.  It hurts and we try to hide it – as long as we care.

But if we let it continue, we will get to a place where it stinks to high heaven and we are covered with its blackness.  However, we won’t feel the pain and guilt any longer, and we won’t try to hide it.  We will get to the point of actually flaunting our sin.  At that point we are ready to be devoured by the dragon.

Ephesians 4:19 describes this as “losing all sensitivity.”  The King James Version says “…being past feeling…”

You just don’t care anymore.  You sin, but you are past feeling.  It doesn’t register.  Even when everyone else smells it, when they see the blackness oozing from your heart, you don’t feel a thing.

This is why we can’t toy with sin.  It’s not a game, it’s a deadly disease.  The dragon is not a pet.  It is a destroyer.

So if you are playing with sin, stop.  You may be hiding it, but it will grow.  And if you stop caring – when you are “past feeling” – you’ll know you are being devoured.

The antidote?  Get right with God.  Repent of sin.  Turn to Him and be forgiven through Jesus Christ.

And though your heart is black with sin, it shall be as white as snow.  Though your sins are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Praise the Lord.


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-

The Butterfly Effect - Apples of Gold - December 17, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 17, 2008

“The Butterfly Effect”

 

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

So I pulled up to a stoplight at 5:30 in the morning.

There was one car across from me and one beat up old car beside me with his window rolled down.

We sat there for a moment, no other cars in sight.  It seemed silly, sitting there waiting for no one.

The man beside me grew impatient.  He actually started to pull forward, thinking the light would change, but it didn’t.  I heard him grumble through his open window.  His hand flew up in frustration.

The car across from me gave up and drove on through the red light.  I thought the man beside me would do the same, but he didn’t.  He lurched forward again, but stopped.

This actually all happened in less than a minute, by the way.

Finally the man beside me had had enough.  But for some reason he didn’t continue on through the intersection, even though he was already out there.  With a loud burst of what sounded to me like Spanish cursing, he jerked the wheel, turned right, and sped off in the other direction.

And, I’m not kidding, that very second the light turned green.

And I thought, “The world just changed because he couldn’t wait one more second.”

I imagined him speeding off in that other direction, followed by a whole chain of events triggered by the mere fact that he had changed his route. 

Maybe he pulled up to one of those smart lights, which changed when he got there.  Now his frustration has changed the whole traffic pattern.  Someone else has to stop who otherwise would have kept going.  Maybe that delay causes them to hit a deer they would have avoided.

So they have to take their car to a body shop that needs the business.  Bob the body shop guy makes just enough money to fly his mother in for Christmas.  His mother meets the nicest girl on the plane, and tells her about a great restaurant, which the girl goes to on the very night that a Zydeco band is playing, and she ends up marrying the washboard player.

And it all goes back to that guy who couldn’t wait one more second at the stop light.

Sounds far fetched, I know.  But isn’t that the way life happens? 

This is what we call “The Butterfly Effect.”

The name comes from the idea that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings might create small changes in the atmosphere that can ultimately affect large scale weather systems.

It’s sort of like barely turning your steering wheel will change your direction radically as you move down the road.

Little decisions can be quite important when we understand the potential effects.

If you think about it too much, it’s sort of frightening.  It could paralyze you from doing anything.

Well wouldn’t it be nice if God Himself just told us what to do?

I don’t know exactly how this works, but Galatians 5:18 talks about being led by the Spirit of God. 

That is what I want.  I want to be led by the Spirit.  If there is a butterfly effect coming from me, I want it to be God-led. 

And I do believe in this butterfly effect.  Our actions cause a ripple in the pond.  There is a sowing and reaping. 

When my grandfather chose to drink, it changed the world.

When my dad chose not to drink, it changed the world.

When my aunt took a little job at the university it changed the course of my life.

Our little decisions do matter, but there is no way we are smart enough or can possibly collect enough data to even know what the best choices are.

The best we can do is allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God.  I believe He will guide us through this maze of life as we tune in to Him.

Like I said, I don’t know exactly how it works, but I believe as we are led by the Spirit, He will guide us in decisions large and small. 

And yes, I think He’ll even guide us when we pull up to that stoplight that just takes a bit too long to change.


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-

Extreme Church Makeover - Apples of Gold - December 16, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 16, 2008

“Extreme Church Makeover”

 

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

First we had extreme makeovers, where they took people and made them far more attractive.

Then came extreme home makeovers, where the end result was a beautiful house.

Now what I want to see is extreme church makeovers.

The first thing you do in a makeover is take a close look at the weak spots, then decide how to strengthen them.

As I look at the church, here is a weakness I see.  Every week we fill up church buildings with people.  Plus we have big meetings and crusades that fill up stadiums.  It adds up to millions and millions of people. 

Now listen to First Corinthians 12:7, “…to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

That means each one of those millions of people has a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  It’s a gift that has been given to them to be used for the common good.

Verse 4 says the Holy Spirit has given out “different kinds of gifts.”

Verse 5 says there are “different kinds of service.”

Verse 6 says there are “different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

Verse 14 says, “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Verse 18 says, “...God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.”

And verse 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

The imagery is clear.  Everyone one of us, as Christians, are parts of the body.  There are millions of us, and each one is a body part.

Now here is what I see as a weakness in the church.  We have a handful of body parts that we spruce up to no end; meanwhile the rest of them are virtually ignored.

Millions of body parts simply atrophy.

I mean, think about it.  Look out over all the congregations.  Imagine them sitting there, week in and week out.  That is a massive pool of talent.  And every week we say “Amen” and off they go for another week.  Oh, they’re busy all week.  But what about this manifestation of the Spirit they each have?  What about the different kinds of gifts and different kinds of service? 

This is where the extreme church makeover comes in.  We need to get every body part moving.

Now think about most congregations.  Most of them have one strong body part, the pastor.  Because face it, if the pastor isn’t strong you won’t even have a congregation. 

And these days congregations have a strong music program.  People like music, so we work to make sure the musical body parts are moving.

Then, because we want to reach families, we get the kid ministry body parts moving.

Then after that it starts to break down.  Yes, various churches have various ministries, but there are still masses of people who have so much to offer but for whatever reason it’s just not happening.

Have you seen the trend in government when special needs arise?  They see a gap in service, and the next thing you know we have a new position.  For example, when they realized the nation had a drug problem they created a new post for a drug enforcement advisor.  For national computer issues we have a cyber-security advisor.  After September 11^th they came up with the entire new Department of Homeland Security.

I think we need a post like this in our congregations, someone who is in charge of getting every body part moving. 

First Corinthians 12:28 says that some people have specific gifts of administration.  This is the kind of people you want in charge of activating the body.  People who are organizers.  People who are managers.  People who can see the different parts of the body and organize them and motivate them. 

Now let me say this.  I think there is a mistaken notion that all these body parts have to be put to work inside the local church.  Not so. 

Ministry takes place all the time all over the place.  Crucial ministry happens in the heat of the workday.  It happens late at night when families are hurting.  It happens on buses and in carpools; on committees and in neighborhoods. 

For this reason, all the body parts need to be working.  Ephesians 4:16 talks about every part doing its share of the work.

Many people don’t know this.  They think if they don’t have some specific church-service-talent, then there’s not much they can do.

Oh, but there is plenty they can do.  Each one has a gift, a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, millions and millions of them; and they fill our congregations on a weekly basis.

That’s why I think we need an extreme church makeover.  We need to recruit people with gifts of administration, then have them organize ways to equip and train and motivate so that every part of the body of Christ is working and strong and using the gifts God has given them.


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-

Don't Be a Stressed Out Peacemaker - Apples of Gold - December 15, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 15, 2008

“Don’t Be a Stressed Out Peacemaker”

 

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

Have you ever seen Star Trek, where someone gets “beamed up?”

They go in the transporter room and stand on this circle of light, and over their head is a big tube.  I guess some kind of rays come down on them and the next thing you know they are on the planet Argelius.

Now picture them standing there on that circle, and this shaft of light coming down over them.  Can you picture that?

That is the picture I see when I think of coming into the presence of God.

It’s not that God is the “old man” sitting way up there on a throne, far away.  It’s more like He is Light and Spirit.  He’s not separate.  Instead, He is actually both around me and in me.  He is coursing through me. 

I love the idea of standing in that shaft of light, the light of God’s presence.  It is there that I receive all I need, all my strength and peace and hope.

This enables me to deal with other people because I’m not counting on getting something from them.  I don’t need to receive from them because I am receiving what I need from God.

I’m not saying I’m the Lone Wolf.  We all need each other, and that’s the way God designed it.  We are all parts of the body of Christ. 

What I’m talking about is the inner needs of my soul; things like peace and joy and love.  I am not counting on people to provide these.  These come from God alone.

The holidays provide many occasions for stress.  People can stomp on your peace in an infinite number of ways.

When you throw a bunch of family members together, opportunities are ripe for turmoil.  You picture Currier and Ives but end up with cursing and hives

And I know, I know.  You’re the peacemaker.  You are the one who wants everything to work out, for everyone to be fine with everyone else.  Why can’t everyone just get along?

Maybe you’re feeling it right now, that gnawing in your gut that comes from stressing over how to keep the peace.

Let me tell you, it’s hard to keep the peace when the peacemaker is stressed out!

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” but how can you be a peacemaker when your own soul feels like a Cat. 5 hurricane?

I think the key is letting the Lord into the inner sanctum of your soul and keeping everyone else out.

In that Star Trek transmitter room, no person has access to the insides of those men.  But that shaft of light courses through every fiber of their being.

That’s the way I picture God.  When I come into His presence, He is a shaft of light that surrounds me and courses through me.  And He brings great peace to my inner being.

You have probably felt His peace.  It’s like total rest and satisfaction, like achieving a perfect balance. 

But then someone comes along and slams the balance.  Your peace flies out the window and you go from harmony to hatred in .3 seconds.

So how can you keep the harmony, even when someone is desperately trying to slap it out of you?

The key is to stay in the shaft of light, to stay in the presence of the Lord and keep receiving from Him.  And the great thing is, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us to help us do that.

In that shaft of light I am constantly receiving from God – and that includes His peace. 

First John 3:19 says our hearts find rest in His presence. 

Psalm 89:15 talks about walking in the light of His presence.

How can we do that?

One way is to keep our minds steadfast on the Lord. 

I like what Isaiah 26:3 says, especially in the King James Version:  “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee…”

And then it adds this little phrase, “…because he trusteth in Thee.”

So we put our trust in the Lord.  We trust Him to provide for us, including a great peace for our souls.  We keep our minds on Him and stay in that shaft of light, which is His presence.  And we receive from Him and Him only – we don’t let anyone else shovel their stuff into our inner man.

This gives us the peace we need.  And then we can actually be the peacemakers Jesus wants us to be.

So don’t be a stressed out peacemaker this holiday season! 

Instead, fill up with God’s peace by staying in the light of His presence.


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-