He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future - Apples of Gold - February 21, 2011 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 21, 2011

“He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future”

 

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

He who holds your ear holds your future.

Choose wisely who you listen to because they will greatly affect your life.

You will become a disciple of those you listen to the most.

Do you listen to Rush Limbaugh everyday?  Then, in a sense, you are putting your future into his hands.

Every morning on my way to work I listen to Family Life Today.  When my children were young, I listened to Focus on the Family.  I chose to give my ear to wise men with great depth of knowledge on marriage and family, and it had a mighty impact on me as a husband and father.

I know a pastor’s wife who cheated on her husband.  She said one thing that influenced her was listening to the wrong music.  Whatever music you listen to, it will have an impact on your future.

I was standing in a parking lot last week and a couple men pulled up in a pickup truck.  I could hear the music loud and clear, and it was very denigrating to women.  I hope their wives or girlfriends are paying attention, because that music will affect their future.

Success speakers know this truth.  That’s why they tell you to buy their CDs and listen to them over and over. 

Some people are disciples of Donald Trump.  They want to be rich like he is, so they listen, knowing that his words can affect their future.

Let’s say you watched Oprah everyday for 20 years.  Do you think she affected your life?  Think about her philosophies and those of her guests.  Think about the books she recommended.  If you watched that much Oprah, I’m guessing she was a large influence in your life.

If you read Cosmopolitan and watch Sex in the City, your future is going to be quite different from the person who reads PC Magazine and watches the History Channel.

He who holds your ear holds your future.

What I’m saying is, the people we listen to are the people who influence us.  Those who influence us change our thoughts and actions, and that changes our future; so we need to choose wisely who we listen to.

Think about it.  Who do you listen to the most? 

Who should you listen to most?

Here is my suggestion, and it breaks down into four S’s.  The first S is:

Scripture.

I think God’s Word is the highest wisdom, and I want that wisdom to hold the most sway over my future.  That means I need to hear Scripture more than I hear Sports Center.  Yes, I did just say that.

One way I do that is by memorizing Scripture.  As many of you know, I’m on a quest to memorize the book of John before I turn 50.  I’ve already memorized the books of Ephesians and Colossians, and I keep going over them so I don’t forget them.  That is one way I keep my ear tuned in to Scripture.

The second S is:

Spirit – as in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things.”  (John 14:26)

He called Him “the Spirit of truth” and said, “He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13)

As Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, and He is teaching us.  We need to tune in to the still, small voice of the Spirit inside of us.

So that is a powerful one-two punch that will mightily impact our future if we lend them our ear:  the Scripture and the Spirit.

The third S is:

Saints.

By saints I mean Christians who are grounded in the first two S’s.  Their life is founded on Scripture, and they are full of the Spirit. 

I want to lend my ear to the saints, the people of God who have built their own life on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, the people who believe it, who live it, and who are bearing the good fruit of it.

And my final S is:

Sermons.

I love to listen to good sermons.  I listen to sermons at church, of course, and I also listen to them on the radio and online.  One great source of sermons is a website called www.SermonIndex.net. 

When I think of sermons, I don’t just think of fire and brimstone preaching.  To me it includes a wide variety of teaching by Christians, covering topics from doctrine to dollars, from faith to family. 

Sermons are delivered by people with the first three S’s.  They are saints full of Scripture and the Spirit delivering a Spirit-empowered sermon based on the Word of God.

Those four S’s – Scripture, Spirit, Saints and Sermons – those are who I choose to listen to the most, because I think they will provide the best possible influence for my future.

Choose wisely who you listen to, knowing this…

He who holds your ear, holds your future.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 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 Cure for Most Arguments - Apples of Gold - February 18, 2011 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 18, 2011

“The Cure for Most Arguments”

 

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

Jennifer and Jeff had a beautiful wedding.

All the family was there, tossing bird seed as the newlyweds departed in a white, horse-drawn carriage trimmed with red roses.

An idyllic scene, right?  Until you look inside the carriage.

“You’re sitting on my dress!”

“What are you all snippy about?”

“Get off my dress, you’re smooshing it.”

“Wow, we just got married and you’re already a nag.”

“We just got married and you’re already a pig.”

Fortunately they kissed and made up and life went on…something like this.

Jennifer comes home from a hard day at work and finds Jeff absorbed in a video game.  There is a huge slice of pepperoni pizza hanging over the side of a paper plate sitting on the carpet. 

She says hello but he is completely caught up in the game.  She steps into the kitchen and finds a pizza box balanced on top of a full garbage can.  And there’s his oatmeal bowl from breakfast, unrinsed in the sink.

She steps back into the living room and says, “You’re a moron!”

Just then his man dies and he looks up at her.  “What?”

“You heard me.  I can’t come home to this mess every day.”

“Wow, you’re cranky…as usual.”

“If I’m a crank it’s because you’re a jerk.  You never take out the trash and you never rinse your bowl.”

“Never?  I ‘never’ take out the trash?  And I didn’t rinse the bowl because I was running late because you hogged up the bathroom all morning.  Can’t you just go without all that makeup?  You’re sister doesn’t wear all that makeup and she looks great.”

“My sister looks great?  Well look at you, Romeo, with pizza grease all over your shirt.  You eat like a child.”

Okay, let’s stop right here.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Have you ever had conversations like this, that just swirled out of control?

What happens is one person says something with a point in it, and the other person reacts to that sharp point with something pointed of their own.  The first person reacts to that point, and off they go.  It escalates from one jab to the next – and what on earth are they talking about?  What are they really trying to communicate?

This is a common mistake in immature relationships.  We react to the pointed statement rather than the real meaning.

For example, when the wife came home to a mess and called her husband a name, what was she really trying to communicate? 

What she was really saying was, “I’m frustrated to come home to a mess after a long day at work.”  Instead of saying that, though, she said something with a sharp point.  In fact, their whole conversation was basically a reaction to sharp points. 

It is so easy for conversations to get out of hand and become hurtful, and it is so unnecessary.  Divorce courts are full of people whose main problems are toxic conversations.

People quit jobs or get fired from jobs for conversations like this.  Friendships are destroyed.  Families are broken, but there is a solution.  There’s a simple cure that can put an end to these downward spiraling conversations.

When someone speaks to you, don’t react to any pointed words.  Those words rarely represent what’s really going on, so skip over them.  Think right past them.  Just let them fall to the floor as you step back and see what’s really going on.

“But Doug, those words hurt.  I must react to them.”

Well I say forgive…instantly.  You have to forgive anyway, so why not forgive instantly? 

You want to defend yourself from sharp words, right?  You can do that by firing sharp words back, but it’s better to defend yourself with instant forgiveness.  Instant forgiveness causes their sharp words to drop to the floor without hurting you, and that sets you free to step back and assess what is really going on.

For example, when Jeff sat on Jennifer’s dress, she reacted, and he verbally punched her.  What he should have done was forgive her instantly, then think, “What is really going on here?”

He would have seen that it was nothing personal.  She wasn’t trying to hurt him, it was just a poorly worded way of expressing dissatisfaction.  Then he would have had the presence of mind to simply say, “Oh, I’m sorry,” move off her dress and get back to enjoying the honeymoon.

Colossians 4:6 says that our conversation should be full of grace so that we can always give a right response to everyone.

To give a right response, we need to know what’s really going on.  And to know what’s going on, we have to look past the pointed words to see the big picture.

That will stop the endless volleys of pointed, hurtful words.

It will stop most arguments before they even begin, and many relationships will be saved in the process.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Why Did the World Hate Jesus? - Apples of Gold - February 16, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 16, 2011

“Why Did the World Hate Jesus?”

 

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

Ah, Jesus – the Good Shepherd.

He just walked around, petting little lambsies on the head, right?

He was a pied piper with a string of flowers in His hair, a peace sign on His robe, and nothing but kind words to say to everyone He met.  Giggling children followed Him, women sparkled at His pure love, and men joined His team.  He radiated hope and encouragement, and left nothing in His wake but happiness and joy.

That’s the way some people picture Jesus, but is that the way it was?

Listen to this revealing statement Jesus made in John 7:7.  He said the world hated Him.

Hate is a pretty strong word, but that’s what He said.  The world hated Him.

So imagine Jesus walking along and what is being left in His wake?  Many things, of course, but one of them is hate.  The world hated Jesus.

Not that Jesus was about hate, or even stirring up hate.  Look at John 15:17.  He said, “These things I command you, that you love one another.”

Now that sounds more like the Jesus we know and love!  But look at the very next verse.  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

If Jesus is a great teacher of love, why would the world hate Him?

Back to John 7:7.  Jesus said the world hated Him because He testified that its works are evil.

What kinds of things was Jesus calling evil?

Here’s a laundry list of defilement in Mark chapter seven.  Jesus said these things defile a man, “…evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.”

Jesus stood for righteousness and holiness.  He called sin “sin.” 

In John 15 He went into a long discourse about how, if the world hated Him, it would hate His disciples, too.  Then in verse 22 He offered this reason for the world hating Him.  “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

Jesus called a sin a sin.  Yes, He forgave sins.  Yes, He was the Lamb of God who gave Himself for the sin of the world.  He did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  (John 3:17)

But when you dare to draw a line in the sand and say that some things are sins and unacceptable in the sight of God, some people are going to hate you for it.

Why is that?  First of all, people don’t like to be told that they are wrong.  If people like to do something, and you tell them that it’s wrong, then it’s like giving them a shove.  It shoves them right out of their comfort zone.

It wounds their pride.  If you tell me that something I’m doing is a sin, my pride takes a hit.

Then there is the conviction and the guilt.  If I let your words sink in even a little, I’m going to feel convicted and guilty.  And if they keep sinking in I’m going to feel some shame. 

Who wants to feel those stressful, negative feelings?  Who wants to be told that their actions are wrong?  It makes them feel bad, and if they want to do something about it, it requires change, and you know how people feel about change.

So what they often do is this:  hate the messenger. 

Jesus really was a teacher of love.  John three says that God “so loved the world” that He sent His Son, not to condemn the world, but to save it.  But that spurs the reaction “saved from what?  What do I need to be saved from?”

Sin, of course.  Sin is what we all need to be saved from.  That means we are sinners.  We have all sinned.  We have done wrong, thought wrong, and lived wrong.  Even on our best days we fall short of the glory of God.

As Christians we tend to accept that message.  We hear it in church a lot, and we may have heard it all of our lives. 

But outside the church, out in the world where most people live, sin is not a welcome topic of conversation.  It is a bright light in the eyes of people who prefer darkness.  They find it annoying if not completely offensive.  “How dare you say that I am wrong, that this thing I’m doing is a sin.” 

And there is one other thing that makes people hate Jesus and those who represent Him:  the aroma of judgment.  Look at Second Corinthians chapter two, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”

The world hates Christ because when He is around, or His ambassadors, they smell the judgment for their sin.  They smell the penalty of “death leading to death.” 

It’s really life that is being offered to them, but they receive it like a hammer that just keeps beating on them, and they hate it.

So Jesus loved the world, and He really was a teacher of love.  But out of His love, He could not skip over or whitewash the evil of sin. 

And as His representatives, neither can we.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 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-

Love is the Power Position - Apples of Gold - February 15, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 15, 2011

“Love is the Power Position”

 

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

“If you tell anyone what you saw here today, I will kill you.”

That’s what “Jimmy” told Chip Ingram when the two of them were teammates on a small college basketball team.

Chip was the white boy, the young point guard, and a Christian wanting to shine his faith on the team.

Jimmy was the older, powerful Viet Nam vet who had done some time and was supposedly a reformed drug addict.

Jimmy hated Christians and said things like, “I am evil, and I know if there’s a hell, I’m going there.”

Chip was just a freshman, and he had to carry Jimmy’s bag and get food for him.  Meanwhile, Jimmy persecuted Chip mercilessly for his faith and his stand to remain pure before marriage.  Jimmy worked hard to make Chip’s life miserable, and it worked.  Chip was afraid.  He was stressed.  He was having stomach problems and nightmares.

The conflict reached its apex one night when Chip was returning to his dorm room.  As he stood at his door, the door across the hall opened and there was Jimmy with some other guys smoking dope. 

Now remember, Jimmy previously had drug problems.  If anyone found out that he was using again, he would be off the team, out of school, and probably back in jail.  Chip now had the information he needed to not only get revenge, but to get Jimmy out of his life once and for all.

And Jimmy knew it.  That’s why he flew across the hall and pressed his hand into Chip’s neck.

“If you tell anyone what you saw here today, I will kill you.  I have killed plenty of men before, and one more won’t make any difference.”

Judging by the look in his eyes and the intensity of his words, Chip believed the threat was real.  And he developed a deep hatred for Jimmy.

Now what would your advice be to Chip?  What should a person do if someone is making their life miserable?

Listen to the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew chapter five He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

In Luke 6:35 Jesus said, “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”

Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

It goes on to say, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he is thirsty, give him a drink…”

And the final phrase in Romans chapter 12:  “…overcome evil with good.”

“But Doug, I am not going to be a doormat.  I’m not going to lie down and give someone else all the power over me.”

Okay.  Listen to my next phrase carefully.  Here it is.

Love is the power position.

When you really love someone, you are walking in power.

When you walk in love, you do not walk in fear, because according to First John 4:18, “perfect love casts out fear.”

The person that is making your life miserable – every time you think of them, think of this line.  “This is someone I love.” 

Let God’s love infuse you for that person.  Let His love flow into you for them.  When you do, fear and anxiety will flow out.  Yes, it will be a miracle, because that’s not what normally happens.  People don’t normally love their enemies, but that’s what Jesus called us to do, and when God calls us to do something – get this – He empowers us to do it.

That’s what Chip Ingram did with his archenemy Jimmy.  He served him.  He began to go the extra mile, doing more than Jimmy asked.  He even spoke good words about him, instead of returning his evil words.

He did it for months, for the whole basketball season; and Jimmy just kept torturing him.

But then at the end of the season – and you can read all about it in Chip’s book “Living on the Edge,” – here is what Jimmy had to say.

“Chip, I’ve got news for you, man. There are only two of us that I respect on this team.
Everybody else is a phony.  I am evil, and I know I’m evil, but you’re the first Christian I’ve met that you’re really a Christian, and I respect you. I disagree with everything. I hate everything you represent, but you’re living it out.  I’m done messing with you. It’s not fun anymore.”

Sure, Chip could have fought back.  He could have brought in reinforcements.  He could have turned it into World War III, but he didn’t.  Instead, he followed the wisdom of Scripture.  He loved his enemy, and he went the extra mile to serve him; and God was glorified in the process.

So if someone is making your life miserable, hear the example of Chip Ingram, and listen to the teaching of Jesus.  Love them.  Every time you think of them, tell yourself, “This is someone I love.”  Then treat them like someone you love.

And don’t think you are being a doormat.  Don’t think you are giving them all the power because listen – anytime you obey God, you are walking in more power than ever before.

When you love your enemies and serve them, keep this little phrase in mind.

Love is the power position.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 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-

Our Nation's Fabric of Integrity - Apples of Gold - February 8, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 8, 2011

“Our Nation’s Fabric of Integrity”

 

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

I did my own laundry in college.

One day I decided that my t-shirts needed to be whiter.  I had never fiddled with bleach before, but I knew it made things really white, so I bought some.

I wanted my shirts as white as possible, so I figured pure bleach would be the best.  I poured it into a bowl, put in a t-shirt, and went to class.

When I came back, I looked in the bowl and it was really white.  Excellent!  I grabbed a fork to lift it out of the bleach and, what on earth?  The shirt was in tatters! 

I didn’t realize that bleach was so powerful it would literally dissolve fabric. 

There’s another guy whose wife bleached his socks.  She didn’t bleach them nearly as much as I bleached my shirt, but it was still too much.  They didn’t realize it, though, until he wore them to work one day, and while he worked, his left sock basically dissolved inside his shoe.

Those fabrics started out strong enough to be worn for years, but the decaying process was hyper-accelerated by the bleach.

Now keep that in mind as I talk about our country.  The United States is held together by a fabric of integrity.

Picture a giant piece of fabric covering the whole country.  Our nation is only as strong as that fabric of integrity.

The fabric is made up of billions of stitches, and those stitches represent each moment of integrity. 

I had a moment of integrity when I did my taxes over the weekend.  I prepare my tax return online, using one of those services where they ask you a lot of questions and guide you through the process. 

Last year we donated my daughter’s old car to charity, and they gave us a receipt.  While I did my taxes, that contribution came up in the questions. 

And then came my moment of integrity.  They asked how much the receipt was for, and I told them.  Then they asked how much I had originally paid for the car.

Uh oh.

We bought the car from a relative, and actually paid less for it than the charity gave us a receipt for.  Yes, it was worth more than that, and yes, we put a lot of money into it; but that’s not what they were asking.  They just wanted to know how much we originally paid for it.

I’m no tax expert, but I immediately had the feeling that if I told the truth, it was going to cost us.  I sat there for a second, my mind reaching for ways around this.

It was a moment of integrity, for me and for the nation.

Does it sound like I’m blowing it out of proportion?  I’m not.  It was just one stitch in a fabric of billions of stitches; but it was my stitch, and I was responsible to make it a good one.

Think of that fabric again, a fabric of integrity stretching across the nation.  I am responsible for my portion of that fabric.  I need to make sure that each stitch of mine is a good one in the nation’s fabric of integrity.

I decided to tell the truth, even if it cost me money.  If I hadn’t, I believe I would have dissolved a stitch in the fabric of integrity.  Like the bleach on my t-shirt, one little portion of the national fabric would have lost it’s strength due to my little act of corruption.

That’s what it is, you know.  The flip side of integrity is corruption.  Don’t think that only applies to crooked politicians.  Anytime we don’t operate at the highest integrity, we put corruption in the system, and dissolve a portion of the fabric of integrity.

Think about this.  The less integrity a nation has, the less justice it has. 

Do you want integrity in business?  What about medicine?  How about academic integrity or journalistic integrity?  What about integrity in marriage or in ministry?

We need integrity in every area of life, and it all comes down to each one of us and our individual moments of integrity. 

What happens to the country if there are more and more moments that lack integrity?  If more and more people cheat on their taxes?  If more people cheat on their spouse?  If more people live by situational ethics instead of rock solid moral principles?

If that happens, the fabric of the nation will grow weak, and eventually fail.

What if you answer the phone for someone, and they say, “Tell them I’m not here”?  That is a moment of integrity.

As you can see, the standard is high, and none of us is perfect.  Everyone has spoiled the fabric at times, but the good news is we can repent.  We can turn to God, and with His help, we can become people of mighty integrity.  We can be like Job who said, “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.”  (Job 27:5)

There is a fabric of integrity across this nation, and we will stand or fall based on its strength.

And that strength all comes down to us, to our portion of the fabric, to the decisions we make in each moment of integrity.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 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-

Alcohol Hinders Holiness - Apples of Gold - February 7, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 7, 2011

“Alcohol Hinders Holiness”

 

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

“So what do you think about Christians drinking alcohol?”

That’s what someone asked my Sunday school teacher.

He said, “The Bible doesn’t expressly forbid the drinking of all alcohol, but I don’t drink and here’s why.”

He went on to make what I thought was a great case for Christians to avoid alcohol.

In Leviticus chapter 10, God spoke to the first high priest Aaron and gave him very specific standards for the priests concerning alcohol.  Verses nine through eleven say, “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die.  It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

Here was my teacher’s point.  According to Leviticus, the priests were not to drink any alcohol before serving the Lord.  In the New Testament we are now the priests, according to First Peter 2:9 which calls us the “royal priesthood.”  And we are to always be serving the Lord, in season and out of season.  There is never a time when we are “off” from serving the Lord.  My teacher concluded that as a priest who is always on duty, he is to never drink alcohol.

I have never heard that teaching before, but I like it.

And I like the reasons given in Leviticus 10, “…that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean…”

Alcohol diminishes your ability to distinguish.  We are to be holy, but alcohol cuts down our ability to tell what is holy and what isn’t. 

“But Doug, I just have a drink to take the edge off.”

Oh?  To take the edge off of what?  To take the edge off your thinking, right?  You have stress, you have worries, you have burdens; your mind is full of unpleasant things, so you drink to take the edge off your thinking.

But if you take the edge off your thinking, then you are doing the exact thing the Bible is talking about – lowering your ability to discern.

It is harder to be holy with alcohol in your system.

Now if you don’t care about being holy, well this message isn’t for you anyway.  But if you are a Bible-believing Christian, then you should care about holiness, and one thing that hinders holiness is alcohol.

“But Doug, the Bible just says to avoid drunkenness.”

Yes, we are to avoid drunkenness, that is plain and repetitive in Scripture; but more than that, we are to be sober.  First Thessalonians compares the people of the light to the people of the darkness.  The people of the darkness get drunk, but what do the people of light do?  It says “…let us watch and be sober…”  Then it says again in verse eight, “But let us who are of the day be sober…”

First Peter 1:13 says that our minds are to be alert, and we are to be fully sober.  That doesn’t sound like a mind that has had its edge removed with alcohol.

Yesterday was the Super Bowl.  Do you think either team dealt with the nerves by passing around a bottle of Jack in the locker room, or did they keep their minds alert and fully sober?

“But my life is no Super Bowl, Doug.  It’s just not that important that I be fully sober all the time.

Okay, well here is one more “be sober” from the Bible.  See if this sounds important.  First Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

“Doug, I don’t think these verses are about alcohol.  I think they just mean be ‘sober minded.’”

Yes!  Be sober minded!  Be sharp!  Be on your toes.  Be on your guard.  Be alert because your adversary is going to sneak up on you like a lion.

How many drinks do you want your babysitter to have before she drives your kids to the beach?  How about none.  Why?  Because you want her to be fully alert when she drives your precious children around.  One drink will chip one layer of sobriety from her mind, one level of the ability to distinguish.  That may have been the level that kept her from texting while driving.  That may have been the level that kept her from trying to beat that train.  That may have been the level that kept her focused on watching the kids in the water instead of letting her mind wander.

Be sober, because our enemy is on the prowl, the Bible says.

Here is something I say often.  One drink makes you one drink less sober.

One drink makes you a one-level-easier target for the enemy than you were before that drink.

“Why does it even matter?”

Why did it matter what the priests did?  Why did God specifically and pointedly spell out His anti-alcohol rules for the priests who were serving?

So they could distinguish between the holy and unholy, the clean and the unclean.

So this role of alcohol in your life – I don’t know what part you think it’s playing, but I do know this.  It was forbidden of the serving priests because of something we all know to be true.

Alcohol diminishes the ability to distinguish.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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



© 2011 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-

This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life - Apples of Gold - February 4, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 4, 2011

“This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life”

 

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

“This is the first day of the rest of your life.”

I love that line from the song “Hold Us Together” by Matt Maher.  (pronounced Mar)

It’s like an anthem at the end of the song, “This is the first day of the rest of your life.”

All that old baggage?  Kiss it goodbye.  That was the old me.

The old has gone, the new has come!  (Second Corinthians 5:17)

“Yeah, but what about…?”

I have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.  (Colossians 3:9-10 and Ephesians 4:22-24)

“Well, I don’t have to trust you.”

No, that’s okay.  I don’t even trust myself.  I’m putting all my trust in Jesus.  I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.  (Philippians 4:13)

And this is the first day of the rest of my life.

“What about all the people you have to please?”

I don’t have to “please” anyone except my Savior, but through Him I have the privilege to love people, and He gives me an inexhaustible supply of love to love them with.

I love and serve people with joy because of Christ in me!

“Are you afraid?”

Perfect love casts out fear, and I have access to the perfect love of God through the Holy Spirit inside me.  (First John 4:18)

Love is the power position.  When you love people, you don’t have to fear them because love puts you in the power position.

I fear no man, only God.  In God I have put my trust, and I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  (Psalm 56:11)

I am not afraid, but I am excited, because this is the first day of the rest of my life!

I am not my own.  I was bought with a price, and I am important.  (First Corinthians 6:20)

I offer up my body as a living sacrifice to my Lord and Savior.  (Romans 12:1)

Here I am, Lord.  I am Yours, fully and completely.  Take me and use me as Your own. 

“What about your old ways of thinking?”

I have the mind of Christ!  (First Corinthians 2:16)

I set my mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  (Colossians 3:2)

Through Christ my mind is renewed!  (Romans 12:2)

And this is the first day of the rest of my life!

“What about all the obstacles?  What about the aggravations, even the enemies in your way?”

I walk by faith and not by sight.  (Second Corinthians 5:7)

My faith is in my Savior Jesus Christ who loved me and gave Himself for me.  (Colossians 2:5 and Galatians 2:20)

I walk in the Spirit, with the Comforter teaching me all things.  (Galatians 5:16 and John 14:26)

My mind will explode with new ideas and insights as the Holy Spirit, that living water, bubbles up inside me.  (John 7:38-39)

“But you are weak.”

Ha!  Good!  When I am weak, He is strong!  (Second Corinthians 12:9)

His Spirit rises up within me and flexes the same might He used to raise Christ from the dead!  (Ephesians 1:18-21)

And, in a sense, He raises me from the dead every day, to lead a new life with Him. 

This is the day that the Lord has made!  I will rejoice and be glad in it!  (Psalm 118:24)

For this really is the first day of the rest of my life!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

(close with the bridge from “Hold Us Together” by Matt Maher)


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Are You Like a Kid in a Car Seat? - Apples of Gold - February 3, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 3, 2011

“Are You Like a Kid in a Car Seat?”

 

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

When I was a boy, car seats for kids just hung on the back of the seat.

There was no strapping them in, and they were barely padded.

Sure, they lacked safety, but they made up for it with a little steering wheel.  The child could sit in his car seat and drive, just like Daddy.

Have you ever seen kids imitate driving?  They ball up their little fists and jerk their hands up and down like they’re milking a cow.  They’ll make engine noises, then comes the inevitable squealing of the tires.  Of course when you jerk the steering wheel like that, there’s bound to be some tire squealing.

Now blink your eyes and those same kids are suddenly in driver’s ed.  That’s a scary thought.  Yesterday they were begging for a Kit Kat and now they’re begging for the keys.

How on earth are these kids going to go from play driving to real driving?  Well that’s where driver’s ed comes in. 

One thing you learn in driver’s ed is the importance of the “long view.”  New drivers are prone to lean heavily on the short view.  They only look just a few feet around the car.

And what happens when you rely on the short view?  You end up driving like a little kid, jerking the wheel back and forth just to stay in your lane.  It’s a dangerous way to drive.

So in driver’s ed we learn the importance of the long view.  We are told to look down the road, which is a bit counterintuitive because how can we tell where we’re going if we don’t look right in front of us?

Once you are an experienced driver, though, you realize that most of the time you are taking the long view.  When you take the long view, you barely have to turn the wheel, and you never make jerky steering motions like little kids.

Why not?  Because the long view makes it very easy to drive straight and keep the car on the road with only minor course adjustments.

Now listen to this.  Some people live their lives like a kid with a steering wheel.  They go this way, then that.  They are here, then there.  They are serial daters.  They change their major five times.  They marry and divorce.  They binge and purge.  They lose 30 pounds and gain 40.  They bounce from job to job or church to church. 

What they are missing is the long view.  When you take the long view, you barely have to turn the wheel.  Your course corrections are minor. 

For example, when I got married, I took the long view.  I pictured my wife and I growing old together, with children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, all gathered around us as a strong family unit. 

That was the long view of my family, and as I drove along, day after day, minute by minute, I kept that view in mind. 

Other men took the short view of their family.  They just thought about this moment, “What will make me feel good right now?”  That left them jerking the steering wheel like a little kid, reacting to each little thing in front of them, and leaving many of their family members in the ditch.

Mike Floyd was the man who hired me at this radio station.  He also ran a sign company, and he had the long view for that company.  He wanted to honor God, and one way he did that was by not selling signs for things like gambling or alcohol or tobacco.  If he only took the short view, he would have done whatever he could, moment by moment, to make money.  He would have jerked that steering wheel in whatever direction led to the most profit at that instant.  But instead, he took the long view of building a business that honored God, and he would tell you that God honored that decision with long-term success.

In Tallahassee we seem to have a lot of bank robberies.  Recently a man got away with $20,000.  Wow!  How long do you have to work to get $20,000?  Oh wait.  They caught him and now he’s in jail for 25 years. 

Everyday in Tallahassee people are arrested and thrown into jail.  What were they thinking?  Well they definitely weren’t thinking about the long view.

I read all the time about guys being arrested for child pornography, or for soliciting a minor online who turned out to be a cop.  What were they thinking?  Did their long view of life include prison and shame? 

Are you a parent?  What is your long view of parenting?  You need to fix that in your mind and steer steadily in that direction.

My long view of parenting is that my children will be self-sufficient citizens with their own close walk with God and a good relationship with me.  So, long ago, I pointed my car in that direction, and I make my decisions accordingly.  First of all, I model it for them by being a self-sufficient citizen myself, with my own close walk with God and a good relationship with my children.

See how that works?  I have had to make very few course corrections over my years of parenting because I started with that long view in mind. 

Some people have the mindset of just living in the moment.  There are a lot of songs out there that tell us to live like we’re dying, this moment is all we have, party like it’s 1999. 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t enjoy the moments.  In fact, the moments will be more enjoyable as we take the long view of life and make our decisions accordingly.

Now here’s the real long view.  One day I am going to stand before God, and on that day, what will I wish I had done?

That is my true long view.  My car is pointed toward eternity, and I’m making my decisions accordingly.

So…are you taking the long view of life, or the short view?  If you aren’t sure, watch how you handle the steering wheel. 

People with the long view know where they are going and only need to make minor corrections to get there.

But people with the short view, they hardly think about the future, and they end up jerking the steering wheel all over the place, like a little kid in a car seat.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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-

It's Time to Detassel - Apples of Gold - January 31, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 31, 2011

“It’s Time to Detassel”

 

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

If you grew up in the Midwest, you probably know about “detasseling.”

A lot of kids earn their first real money by detasseling corn.

It’s a simple but sweaty job as a team walks through the field and pulls the tassely top off the corn stalks.

Why on earth would you do that?

The tassel produces pollen, and farmers want to control it.  For example, they may plant three rows of one variety of corn, and one row of another variety.  Then a detasseling team will pull the tassels off the three rows, leaving the one row to pollinate them all. 

In this way they create a corn “hybrid” which is better.  So farmers use detasseling to control crosspollination and produce better results.

When you hear “crosspollination” you might think of bees.  Bees carry pollen from plant to plant, and are powerful players in pollination.

“Thanks for the science lesson, professor, but what does this have to do with me?”

In the same way there is crosspollination in the plant world, there is crosspollination among humans.  I’m talking about human ideas and behavior, the things we believe and build our lives on.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I speak the way I do?”  It has everything to do with the language pollen that was dropped on you, starting with your parents and spreading out to your family, friends, school and media influences.

Why do you dress the way you do?  If you wear a silk tie around your neck everyday, it’s because someone dropped the silk tie pollen on you.  If you wear your pants below your rear end, and you have to keep one hand busy all day holding them up, it’s because someone dropped some rear end pollen on you.

Why do you say “ain’t”?  Why do you eat with a napkin in your lap?  Why do you wear a cowboy hat?  Why do you put on cologne?  Why do you drive a hybrid car? 

We do so many things because at some time someone pollinated us with those ideas. 

The other day I was working on a project with an older man and a younger man.  The older man told the younger man, “Whatever you do, don’t take out school loans.  I did that and I regret it.  Work hard.  Find grants.  Pay as you go, but don’t take out loans.”

That’s one example of the crosspollination of ideas that takes place millions of times a minute all over the world.  That was just one bit of pollen, and it will probably stick with the young man.

When I was young, I was told that a necktie should hit right in the middle of your belt buckle.  It should never be lower than or higher than your buckle.  I see men wear ties all over the place, long ties and short ties, and you are free to wear your tie wherever you want, but I will think it’s wrong because the tie pollen that got to me was “it must hit the middle of your buckle.”

It is important for us to be aware of this pollination process because we receive pollen deposits all day long.

Last week I took someone to the doctor and got a belly full of current events from the TV in the waiting room.  At one point the main reporter brought up homosexual marriage, which he was totally for.  Then he brought in a special reporter, and the special reporter was a more rabid supporter of gay marriage than the host.  Then they brought in a third person, a “conservative,” they said, to provide balance.  Well that guy varied little from the host’s opinion, so you ended up with three powerful pollen guns, all blasting out pro-gay-marriage pollen across the nation.

If you just sit back and let anyone and everyone dump their pollen on you, that is what they call “open pollination.” 

Now let’s go back to the detasseling story.  Why do those farmers detassel?  Because they do not want open pollination.  It makes corn weaker, more prone to disease and produces lower yields.  Instead they strictly control the pollination in order to produce stronger corn. 

I try to beware of the “idea pollination” in my own life.  For example, I don’t listen to secular music.  I know that music can have a powerful influence on me, so I control that influence.  I want music to point me towards higher things, towards the Lord and a deeper walk with Him.  To reach those goals, I “detassel” the music from my life that might lead me elsewhere.

Many people practice “open pollination” when it comes to their music.  They listen to anything and everything, but let me ask you this.  Can a person have that much pollen poured over them and not be affected?

Think about this when it comes to the people you hang out with.  They will constantly be dumping pollen on you.  The question is, is that the pollen you want?  Are their values and goals going to make you stronger or weaker? 

Jesus made a point like this in Mark 8:15 when He said, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”  The Pharisees and King Herod were pollinators, and Jesus warned about their influence.

What we watch, what we read, who we listen to – all of these are pollinators, and they have a profound impact on us.

So take a good look at the pollinators in your life, identify the ones that need to go, then detassel them out of your life.

Detasseling – it controls crosspollination and produces better results.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

On the flip side, we should become the pollinators!  Jesus said we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, so get out there and cross-pollinate for the cross!

© 2010 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-

Here's Something That Really is "of the Devil" - Apples of Gold - January 27, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 27, 2011

“Here’s Something That Really is ‘of the Devil’”

 

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

Have you ever heard someone say that something is “of the devil”?

For example, “Communism is of the devil,” or “rock music is of the devil” or “television is of the devil.”

Some people see the devil behind everything they’re against, and others don’t believe in the devil at all.

The Bible, though, talks a lot about such an entity, calling him Satan, the devil, the evil one, the wicked one, the “serpent of old.”  What you won’t find in the Bible is a neat laundry list of things that are “of the devil.”

But here is one thing that Jesus flat out stated is “from the evil one.”  It’s from the Sermon on Mount, in Matthew chapter five.  Listen closely to Jesus’ teaching.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’  But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

There it is, something that is of the devil.  Jesus said it’s “from the evil one.”

What is?  Listen again to the end of that teaching.  “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

When you boil it down, He’s talking about the truthfulness of what we say.  When we say “yes,” it better mean yes, and when we say “no,” it better mean no.  Anything beyond that is actually of the devil.

You can point your finger at a lot of things out there and say, “That is of the devil,” but here is something that really is of the devil, and that’s when your word isn’t rock solid true.

When you say something, it better be true.  When you commit to something, it should be as good as done.  When you give your word, people should be able to count on it as final, a done deal.  He said it, and that’s that. 

Sometimes people say to me, “Oh, you should meet so-and-so.  He’s a powerful man of God.”

Good!  And I have a question.  Does he keep his word?

If someone doesn’t keep their word, you better take a good, long look to see if they really are a man or woman of God. 

“Oh, Doug, that’s just the way some people are.”

Of course it is!  That’s just the way a lot of people are, and it’s of the devil, so listen.  Isn’t it a strange mix, to say that someone is a powerful person of God, but they don’t keep their word?

“Well Doug, have you ever not kept your word?”

Yes I have, and I repent of it.  I know how easy it is to just babble off any old thing in the moment; but it’s not right, and I despise it.  I turn from it.  I ask God’s forgiveness.

There’s an old fashioned saying that says, “My word is my bond.”

Say it out loud and see if you don’t feel the strength of it:  “My word is my bond.”

Let your yes be yes and your no be no…period.  Anything beyond that is of the evil one.

“Doug, I have a friend who says a lot of stuff, but I know they don’t really mean it.  They just talk a lot.”

So, what you’re saying is that their very reputation is that their word is no good, is that what you’re telling me?  Because if that’s the case, that’s sad.

Oh wait.  It’s more than sad.  It’s of the devil.

Now some of you think that sounds funny, me saying “it’s of the devil.”  Why am I saying that? 

Because Jesus said it, and here’s where I think He was coming from.  In John 8:44 Jesus said that the devil is the “father of lies.” 

Satan is the father of deception, and we act like his children when we don’t keep our word.  When we are untruthful – anytime we step off that straight and narrow path of speaking only what is true – we are like the devil.

Ephesians 6:11 talks about “the wiles of the devil.”  One of the wiles of the devil is to make us think keeping our word isn’t all that important.

Well it’s important to God!  Look what Jesus said in Matthew 12:36:  “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

We’ve all spoken errant, idle words, so we need to repent.  We need to put off the old man with his deeds, like it says in Colossians three, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind. 

We can do this, through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us! 

We can become men and women of God, who always speak the truth, whose yes is yes and no is no, and who never, ever say those things which really are of the devil.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 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
(850) 926-8000
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