Put It On - Apples of Gold - July 15, 2013 vi

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 15, 2013

“Put It On”

 

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

In the summer, it's always hot in Florida, so the weather's not a factor.  Instead I look at my calendar (Where am I going?  Who am I going to see?) and then I decide what to wear.

 

And you know how it goes.  Unless you are the Maytag repairman, you stand in front of your clothes and now you have to decide what to put on.

 

Well as Christians, there are certain spiritual things that the Bible tells us to put on; and in the same way that we have to make a decision about what clothes to put on, we have to make a decision, a conscious decision, to put on these Biblical things.

 

These are not things that God is just magically going to do for us.  That's why we have these specific instructions, in Colossians chapter three.  It is our responsibility to proactively put on these things.

 

Okay, let's begin at Colossians chapter three verse twelve, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on...”  and then comes a short but powerful list of garments you might say, clothing that we are to put on.

 

First on the list is “tender mercies.”  Put on tender mercies.  What on earth are tender mercies?  That's the New King James Version.  The New Living Translation says “tender-hearted mercy,” or the NIV says “compassion.”

 

Some people are naturally more compassionate than others, but we are all told to put on compassion.  It means we should do more of this:  pay more attention to the hardships of others and sympathize with their suffering.  Whether it comes naturally or not, we must consciously decide each day to put on compassion; to put on tender mercies.

 

Next on the list is kindness.  Who is the kindest person you can think of?  Maybe it's a generalization of a kindly old grandfather.  Well, put that on.  Put on that kindness.  In other words, act like that kindly old grandfather, or some other picture of kindness you can think of.

 

Now switch your thinking back to real garments for a minute.  A lot of people look at fashion magazines or ads or websites to help them decide what to wear.  Some people just look at the mannequins in the store, but most of us end up looking at an example to help us decide what to wear.

 

The same holds true for the things the Bible tells us to put on.  When we are told to put on kindness, we can look at the examples of others, and do what they do.  So just think of the examples of kindness you've seen in others, then put on that garment for yourself.  Put on kindness.

 

We're looking at Colossians chapter three, verse twelve, and next on the list of things we are to put on is humility.  We make a conscious decision to humble ourselves, to think less of ourselves, to get ourselves off the throne and think more about others...with the kindness and mercy we've already talked about.

 

Next on the list is:  put on meekness.  When I think of meek I think of mild.  I think of being lowly, and deferential.  I know that's not the American way!  We are loud and proud, yet God's word tells us to put on meekness.  We turn the other cheek.  We take insults.  We don't strike back.  “What?”  Yes, that is meekness.  “But I won't be a doormat!”  You don't have to be a doormat, but we all must put on meekness and humility, “considering others as better than ourselves...” like Jesus.  (Philippians 2:3)

 

The only “garment” on Paul's list that he goes into much detail about is this next one:  longsuffering.  He says, “...put on...longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another;  even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

 

 I like the phrase “bearing with one another.”  It means hanging in there with other people, even when you'd rather bail on them.  Instead, put on longsuffering.  Stand in front of your spiritual closet each day and make a conscious decision to put on the garment of longsuffering, and bear with people who are hard to bear! 

 

And finally comes the cornerstone of the list.  Colossians 3:14 says, “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

 

Love may not come naturally to you, but we are all called to make a conscious effort to put on love, put it on like a garment – not waiting to feel it, not waiting for someone to deserve it. 

 

And then a wonderful thing happens.  God says love “is the bond of perfection.”  Do you want more bonding in your marriage?  Put on love.  Do you want more bonding and unity in your church?  Put on love.  Do you want more of a team atmosphere at work?  Put on love.  Do you want more bonding and togetherness in your family?  Put on love, the bond of perfection.

 

These things don't come naturally, or we wouldn't have to be told to do them.  It's like looking good when we get dressed in the morning.  It takes conscious effort each day.

 

And the same is true with this spiritual list in Colossians chapter three.  We make a conscious effort each day to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, and above all these things, love.

Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2013 Doug Apple 
 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 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.”)

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL  32303
(850) 926-8000

Wave94.com

 

We Need Neighbors Who Set the Bar High - Apples of Gold - August 20, 2012 -vi-

 

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for August 20, 2012

“We Need Neighbors Who Set the Bar High”

 

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

My neighbor is moving and my lawn hates me.

My neighbor was a lawn guy, the guy who fastidiously cares for his lawn.

He set the bar high for the entire neighborhood.  His lawn looked so good it put pressure on the rest of us.

Now that he is moving, I feel that pressure going down – and I don’t like it. 

I am not very motivated from within to take great care of my lawn.  Oh, I’ll keep it trimmed up nice enough, but I’m not too concerned if it’s lush and green and thick.  I’m not a lawn guy.

But I care more if I know my neighbor cares.  If he sets the bar high for lawn care, I will try to live up to his standards – and that’s better for the whole neighborhood.

But what if no one sets the bar high?  What if no one in a neighborhood tries to make his lawn look great?  Well if no one does, the whole neighborhood will go downhill. 

Someone has to set the bar high, and as soon as they do, the whole neighborhood benefits.

Now watch this.  That also applies to other areas of life.  We need neighbors who set the bar high.

In baseball I think of Albert Pujols.  You hear about his work ethic and his standards of excellence.  When he went to the Angels this year, his work ethic raised the bar for everyone.

In football I think of Tim Tebow.  I read one article that said he was the hardest working man in the weight room.  When he went to the Jets, I think he instantly raised the bar for starting quarterback Mark Sanchez.

We need people around us who raise the bar.

I remember as a young man hearing Jimmy Swaggart preach hard against adultery.  His preaching raised the bar.  Now I know he fell, and I know some people discounted his preaching, but that doesn’t change the high standard that was not Jimmy’s anyway.  It was God’s.  And that preaching raised the bar high for me, and it was a good thing.

Our pastors should raise the bar for us.  Our elders and deacons should raise the bar for us.  They set the high and good example, and their example puts pressure on the rest of us to live right and Godly and walk in the Lord’s ways.

Someone needs to be raising the bar, or the rest of us will let our standards down, sin will creep in, we will build our lives on sand instead of the rock of God’s truth, and we will all suffer for it.

Where should the bar be set?

Look at Ephesians 4:13.  Here is the goal, that “we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Wow.  I completely love that phrase, “…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

The New Living Translation says, “…measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Jesus set the bar impossibly high, but then He empowers us through His Spirit inside of us to walk in His ways as we submit to Him.

But then as the body of Christ, and His congregation of saints, we influence one another.  We have a mighty influence on each another!

So let us raise the bar.  Let us live up to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us kick our sin and our flesh to the curb, and walk in His holiness, and His love, His mercy and His grace, His fire and His Spirit and His light.

It’s all in Christ Jesus, my friend.  He is the perfect man, “the measure of the stature of the fullness.” 

So let us look to Him, and let us set an example for the others.  Let us be the neighbor that raises the bar in our own lives, and then watch, just watch how it makes a difference to everyone around us.

When one neighbor raises the bar for himself, it subtly raises the bar for everyone else.

Let us be the neighbors who raise the bar, for the honor and glory and praise of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2012 Doug Apple 
 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 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.”)

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL  32303
(850) 926-8000

Wave94.com

 

On the edge of uncomfortable is where learning begins.

On the edge of uncomfortable is where learning begins.

When you feel your brain stretching, and something says you can't do it.

Go.

Don't Glorify Old Sins - Apples of Gold - January 9, 2012 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for January 9, 2012

“Don’t Glorify Old Sins”

 

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

I dreamt that my children were children again.

There was a variety of people in someone’s home, a family-friendly affair.

I was sitting at the head of a table with two men on my right, two of my children on the left, and others milling around.

I and my children were listening as the two men, a bit younger than I, were bantering.  Suddenly one of the men said to the other, “You did drugs.”  The other said, “Well so did you,” and off they went, telling tales of the glory days, about run-ins with police and all the excitement and fun they had during the drug period of their lives.

Meanwhile, my children were soaking up the stories.  I said, “Hey guys, let’s talk about something else,” as I nodded toward the children.  They took the hint and that was that.

It was just a dream, but it tapped into some things I feel strongly about.

First of all, I don’t believe in glorifying old sins.  If it was sinful, if it grieved the heart of God, if it grieved your parents, don’t revel in it.  If God saved you from it, don’t rehash it like it was the good old days. 

Look, I’m sure some funny things happened when you were drunk and high.  And I’m sure some sad and pathetic things happened, too.  My advice is to apply the advice of Paul in the book of Philippians, forget what is in the past, and press on towards what Christ Jesus has for you.  (Philippians 3)

I know a Christian man who inexplicably went back to drinking after he had been saved and sober for many years.  He had even been a teacher and a worship leader.  How does that happen?

I think one reason can be the glorifying of old sinful behavior.  If you tell the old tales like it was the best days of your life, at some point you may start believing it.

“Well Doug, why would a Christian talk about the old days like they were so good if they weren’t?”

I think there are several reasons.  One is selective memory.  Sometimes we gut the bad parts out of our memories – the empty feelings, the betrayals, the hurts, the shame, the sense of going nowhere.

Another is not filling your life with something better.  If you used to party hardy on Friday nights, and now you just sit at home with an afghan on your lap, the old life can seem pretty attractive.

God has better plans than that.  There is a world to change, a gospel to share, light to be shone, people to love.  The Lord wants to make massive changes in this world through us, and sitting at home isn’t going to cut it. 

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop, according to the old saying, and idle hands are the devil’s tools.  That’s not in the Bible, of course, but there is some truth to it. 
There really is a devil, and he really is a liar, a cheat and a killer.  That’s what Jesus said in John 8:44. 

I don’t know exactly what the devil and demons are doing, but it’s easy to picture them tempting Christians to go back to the old slop; and this sounds like a good formula for it: 

1.  Laugh a lot about the old party days while leaving out the sad parts.

2.  Don’t fill your life with more worthy, Godly pursuits.

3.  Listen to the lies that sin actually has something good to offer.

Now let’s go back to my dream.  The men were laughing about their old druggie days.  That was the first thing I feel strongly about.

The second thing I feel strongly about is watching what we say in front of the children.

Adult stories impact children.  They become bigger than life in their little minds.

The other day I was talking to a detective.  He was talking about people literally drowning to death on a dance floor.  How is that possible?  He said they take certain drugs that are popular these days, and they feel so dehydrated that they frantically drink water in a way that literally fills their lungs and they drown.

As he told me this, I was instantly taken back to a story an adult told me when I was a child.  It was a fictional tale about a man who was cursed to drown, so he took a train into the middle of the desert where it would be impossible to drown.  He suddenly dropped dead on the train.  The cause of death?  Da-da-da-dummmmm…drowning.

I’ve heard a million stories since then that I can’t recall, but I’m telling you, the stories we hear as children stick with us. 

“Doug, what’s your point?”  The point is that we need to watch what we say in front of the children.  Lessons and values and truths are passed along through our stories.

If you are a Christian, beware of sitting around and laughing about your party times.  You are sending a strong message to your children, whether you realize it or not.

Better to build a great legacy of stories about what the Lord has done in your life, and what He is doing through your life to make a difference in other lives.

And if you don’t have many stories like that, it’s time to get a hold of God and see what you should be doing.

Children are going to soak up your stories and learn from them.

The question is – what stories are you telling?


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2012 Doug Apple 
 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 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.”)

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL  32303
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

How to Have a Better Life in 2012 - Apples of Gold - December 31, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the original radio version.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 31, 2011

“How to Have a Better Life in 2012”

 

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

“I literally pictured my hand grabbing him by the throat.”

That’s what a friend told me about his recent golf outing.

They were together in a golf cart when the other guy started provoking him.    

Now you need to know that my friend has a somewhat violent past.  He’s not a killer, but he was a fighter – prone to solve problems with his fists.

And now this man was provoking him, and what popped into his head?

“I pictured myself grabbing him by the neck,” he said, “throwing him out of the golf cart and giving him the beating he was asking for.”

Now you also need to know that my friend is a born again Christian.  He has the Spirit of God inside of him, so while his flesh was picturing a pummeling, the Spirit of God was steering him towards righteousness. 

The image in his mind changed.  He stopped thinking about throwing the guy out of the golf cart, and started thinking about what would happen if he did, such as going to jail.

He decided to take the righteous path, and spared himself a load of sorrow.

That’s just one example of what I call “the blessings of the righteous.”

David wrote in Second Samuel 22, “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.”

If we keep our hands clean, so to speak, God blesses us. 

That sounds obvious, I know, but a man asked me just the other day, “Does God really bless people for being good?”

I said, “Of course He does.  The Bible says it over and over.”

I’ve been reading through the book of Proverbs and, as expected, I found many references to wisdom and knowledge.  But another word kept coming up, too; the word “righteous.”

Even the secular world appreciates wisdom and knowledge, but righteousness?

Here’s one example.  Proverbs 13:21 says, “...to the righteous, good shall be repaid.”

I just heard about yet another couple going through a divorce.  It’s causing great sorrow, but they didn’t build their home on God’s righteousness, and now the family is being torn apart.

Recently I received a kind of backward compliment about my family.  A woman said, “Your family is not dysfunctional.”

If my family is not dysfunctional, I think one reason is the blessing of the righteous.  We aren’t as righteous as we ought to be, but to the degree that we are, we are receiving the blessing of the righteous.

Proverbs 11:28 says, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.”

Psalm 92:12 says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…”

Righteousness means living according to God’s rules and principles.  If we deal in truth instead of lies, for example, we are taking the righteous path, which is the blessed path.

If we deal in love instead of hate; if we deal in morality instead of immorality; if we deal in justice instead of corruption, we will be blessed.

Psalm 5:2 says, “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous…”

I just heard about a men’s accountability group, and they really take it to the next level.  They are so serious about holding each other accountable that they even go into each others’ homes and interview their wives and children.

Why?  To find out what is really going on.  The goal is to find any cracks in the spiritual foundation so they can be fixed before they get worse.

This is voluntary, by the way, so don’t be picturing some church Gestapo.  It’s just serious Christian men who want to prevent problems and receive the blessings of the righteous.

“But Doug, no one is righteous.”

That’s right.  In God’s eyes, on our own, none of us is truly righteous.  Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one...”

It is through faith in Christ that righteousness is imparted to us. 

And then what are we supposed to do?

Romans 6 tells us to make ourselves instruments of righteousness.

First John 3:7 says, “…let no one deceive you.  He who practices righteousness is righteous…”

First and Second Timothy both say to “…pursue righteousness…”

Second Timothy talks about being instructed in righteousness.

We are to practice and pursue and instruct and make ourselves instruments of righteousness.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

So do you want a better life in 2012? 

Then pursue and practice the righteousness of God in all areas of your life, and you will receive the blessing of the righteous.


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
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL  32303
(850) 926-8000
-vi-

Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic - Apples of Gold - December 26, 2011 *56 singles

 

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for December 26, 2011

“Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic”

 

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

Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Have you heard that before?

It means the Titanic is sinking.  You have better things to do than arrange the chairs.

It sounds obvious, but we do it all the time.

I don’t mean the ship is always sinking.  I mean that we focus on small things while great things are swirling around us.

For example, that time period between a couple’s engagement and wedding.  We spend a lot of time and money preparing for the wedding, while the marriage – which is the big ship in this picture – gets little or no attention.

It’s the little things versus the big things.  The wedding is a little thing.  The marriage is the big thing.

There are other ways of saying this:  “majoring in minors,” “can’t see the forest for the trees,” “seeing the big picture.”

I heard one businessman describe his life this way.  He said he spent many years climbing the ladder of success, but when he got to the top he realized the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.  He was so busy climbing that he never really asked, “What is waiting for me at the top of this ladder?”

If you get the deck chairs just the way you want them, but the boat sinks, what good is it?

If you clean your dorm room when you should be studying for finals…

If you rack up debt just to buy Christmas gifts…

If you beat up your husband for leaving the toothbrush on the counter…

There are many ways we major in minors.

When you smoke…at all!

There’s a great story in First Kings chapter 12.  King Solomon died and left his son Rehoboam with an awesome kingdom.  The kingdom was built on the backs of the people, however, and when Solomon died they wanted relief.

They pled their case to the king, and wisely he said, “Come back in three days.”

Rehoboam consulted the wise men who served his father, and they said, “If you serve these people today, and give them a good answer, they will be your servants forever.”

The wise men were looking at the big picture.  Give them something they want today, and they will serve you forever. 

But Rehoboam didn’t like that advice, and turned to his peers, who said, “Tell the people you are bigger and stronger and badder than your old man ever was!”

And they told Rehoboam to use this famous line.  “My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!”

So what happened?  Rehoboam missed the big picture.  For the most part his kingdom became a Titanic.  The people rebelled, the nation split in two, and Rehoboam fled for his life.

It’s easy to see when others miss the big picture, but how are we missing the big picture?  How are we rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?

Jesus said it this way.  “You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

In Matthew 23 He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matter of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”

Can you imagine paying tithes on your spices?  Can you imagine being given a little free packet of pepper at Wendy’s, and pinching out a tenth of it to pay tithes?  But the Pharisees did it.  They were tithing on spices – but ignoring justice and mercy and faith.

So the question is, how are we doing that?  How are we neglecting the weightier matters?  Are we tithing our spices but neglecting our neighbors?

One thing we do is focus on how we look on the outside, while rotting on the inside.

Jesus called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs:  white on the outside, but inside full of dead men’s bones.

Proverbs 11:22 says, “A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.” 

She’s got it going on on the outside, but without godly character, her beauty is just a little gold ring in a pig’s snout.  And you know how Jews felt about pigs.

To look good on the outside but neglect the inside is to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  (Proverbs 31:30)  Charm and beauty are little things.  Fearing the Lord is the big thing.

Have you read about “Corban” in Mark chapter seven?  People would take money meant for their parents and give it to the Lord instead.  The Pharisees loved it, but Jesus railed against it.  They were missing the big picture, which was to honor their father and mother.

In Mark 7:13 Jesus concluded, “And you do many things like that.”

So the question is, how are we doing that?  How are we straining gnats and swallowing camels? 

How do we major in minors and miss the forest for the trees?

It’s something we need to think about, and pray about. 

“Lord, am I rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?”


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
3225 Hartsfield Road
Tallahassee, FL  32303
(850) 926-8000

Slave of Sin - Apples of Gold - July 6, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for July 6, 2011

“Slave of Sin”

 

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

Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

“But I’m an American.  I am free.  I’ve never been a slave to anyone.”

Funny.  That’s how the Pharisees responded the first time Jesus uttered those words.

“Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”

Each sin has its own ball and chain, its own handcuffs.  When we sin we lift up our hands and say, “Cuff me.”

Don’t think you are in control.  A slave is not in control of his own destiny. 

Whatever your sin of choice is, that sin is controlling your destiny.

Look at these politicians who fall from great heights.  They chose to commit sin but thought it was under control.  They had a misguided sense of their own power.

When you sin, you surrender your power.  You surrender your future and you become a slave of sin.

If you tell lies, don’t think you are in control and can stop anytime.  You become a slave to lies and the sin of lying now controls your destiny.

Have you ever looked at someone famous who is caught in a lie and think, “Why did they lie about something so stupid when they could be so easily caught?”  It’s because they were a slave to lies.

If you look at porn, don’t think you are in control and can stop any time.  You became a slave to lust and the sin of lust now controls your destiny, not you.

Have you ever looked at someone who is caught with some illegal pornography and think, “What?  It was on their computer at home and their computer at work and even on their work cell phone.  How could they be so dumb?”

It’s not really because they are dumb.  It’s because they are a slave and they did what their master told them to.

Why do people put themselves and their bodies into so many horrible and humiliating situations?  It’s because they are slaves of sin.

If you don’t stop thinking about your neighbor’s husband, if you don’t stop “neighing” after your neighbor’s wife like some kind of animal, you will become a slave of sin and like the old song says, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

The good news is that the Son can set you free!

And when the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!

That’s what Jesus said in John chapter eight.  It started when He said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

His Jewish audience took exception to that and said, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

Now that’s a funny statement because the Jews had been in bondage, many times, and at that very moment they were under the Romans; but Jesus didn’t get into that because He was looking at something quite different.

Listen to what He said in John 8:34-36.  “Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’”

We do not have to be a slave of sin!  Through faith in Jesus Christ we can be set free from the bondage of all sin. 

Here’s how it works.  We repent of our sin and trust in Jesus for forgiveness.  Our sin debt is wiped out and we are made right with God.  He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and the Spirit begins to set us free.  We grow in the Lord.  We abide in His Word.  We follow Him, and we listen to that still small voice of His Spirit.  As we walk in the Spirit, God gives us light.  He illuminates the path and unveils the truth about sin.  We see sin as the slave master it really is and we become repulsed by it. 

We prefer the freedom for which God created us, and we work to avoid sin, knowing that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

Jesus said, “…abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)

He said, “The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

Ephesians 3:16 says we can be “…strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man…”

So don’t think you can dabble in sin and keep a lid on it.  There’s no such thing. 

Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

The good news is that we can be made free and “free indeed” through Jesus Christ our Lord!


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-

What Easter Means to Me - Apples of Gold - April 22, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 22, 2011

“What Easter Means to Me”

 

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

Here is what Easter means to me.

Oops, I’ve only said one thing so far, and already somebody’s annoyed with me for using the word “Easter.”

Yes, I’ve heard for years about the pagan roots of the word Easter, but language is fluid, just ask Fred Flintstone who sang about having a “gay old time.”  The meaning and connotation of words can change over time.

For me, Easter has always meant the story of the death and the resurrection of Christ.  It was the same for my parents and my grandparents and who knows how far back you’d have to go before you ran into someone who thought Easter meant anything but “He’s alive!”

I remember sitting in church with a bunch of family members singing those great hymns of Easter such as “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” and “Christ Arose.”  I remember Dad putting a big cross in our yard and draping a purple cloth over it at Easter.  Yes, we did Easter baskets and Easter eggs, and there was never any doubt that it had anything to with anything other than celebrating the awesome resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

So the word Easter may have some funky origins, but to me it stirs up nothing but a thrill in my soul of the crowning moment of our Lord’s work here on earth.

And now, here is what Easter means to me – and I will simplify it into three categories.

First of all, it means forgiveness.

Ephesians 1:7 says we have redemption through the blood of Christ, “the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.”

Jesus shed His blood as He offered Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He paid the price for our forgiveness.

That means, through Him, my sins are forgiven!  I don’t have to live under a burden of guilt or shame.  I am clean through Christ!  Though my sins were as scarlet, they have been washed whiter than snow.

And that leads me to the second thing that Easter means to me.  Forgiveness makes it possible for me to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. 

Ephesians 2:16 says that I have been reconciled to God “in one body through the cross.”  Sin created a giant gulf between me and my Creator, but Jesus’ work on the cross spanned that gulf.  As it says in Ephesians 2:13, I have been “brought near by the blood of Christ.”

And not just “near,” but listen to this.  God now lives inside me in the form of His Holy Spirit.  Jesus said in John 14:7 that the Spirit would dwell with us and even be inside of us.  I love this phrase in Ephesians 3:16, “…to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man…”

So to me, Easter means forgiveness through Christ, and that forgiveness paved the way for God to live inside me.  His Holy Spirit dwells in me, and He bears good fruit – all the “fruit of the Spirit” mentioned in Galatians 5 including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  He loves me and comforts me and teaches me and leads me into all truth and brings fulfillment and purpose to my life; and that all goes back to what we celebrate on Easter.

And now the third thing that Easter means to me:  hope for the future. 

Titus 3:7 says that, “having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Colossians 1:5 talks about the hope we have because of what God has laid up for us in heaven.

Romans 8 says that, right now, we have the “firstfruits of the Spirit,” but we are eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.  For we were saved in this hope…”

Peter called it “a living hope.”  Listen to First Peter 1:3.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

My life does not end in the grave.  The work of Jesus opened the door for me to have eternal life, and I have great expectations for the future!

So there you go, the three main things that stand out to me at Easter: 
--That I am forgiven through faith in the shed blood of Jesus,
--That His forgiveness opens the door for the Holy Spirit to live inside me for the rest of my life on earth,
--And that His forgiveness gives me the hope of eternal life.  And thus, like it says in First Thessalonians 4:17, I shall always be with the Lord. 

And that’s what Easter means to me.


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-

I Was 28 and I Owned a Beer Joint - Apples of Gold - April 18, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 18, 2011

“I Was 28 and I Owned a Beer Joint”

 

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

“I was 28, and I owned a beer joint.”

That’s what Phil Robertson told me last week.

Phil is in his 60’s now, and is best known as The Duck Commander on the hit TV show on the Outdoor Channel. 

Growing up in Louisiana, Phil was always an outdoors enthusiast, but something changed his life when he was 28 and running that beer joint.

“Some guy came up there,” Phil said, “and wanted to share some things with me out of the Bible.”

Now can you imagine tracking down the owner of your local bar and trying to tell him about Jesus and his eternal destiny?  How do you think that would go?

Well that’s about how it went for the guy who talked to Phil Robertson. 

“I pretty well ran him off,” Phil said.

I’m sure that wasn’t that guy’s best day.  I don’t know why he went to talk to Phil, but maybe he felt God prompting him.  Maybe he felt a certain burden for Phil Robertson, so he worked up the courage, went to the beer joint and shared Jesus with him. 

Can you see him licking his wounds afterward?  “God, why did You send me there?  What a waste of time.  It was embarrassing!”

Now listen to this.  When you share Jesus with someone and it doesn’t go well, that’s usually not the end of it.  You have planted some powerful seeds in that person’s heart and mind.

That was the case for Phil Robertson.  After he ran the guy off, he got to thinking, “You know, if he had enough gall to come to some beer joint, I might want to look that cat up because, my life was pretty well in shambles, I’ll tell you that.”

Long story short, Phil came to Christ and now says, “Trust me, the second half of my life has been a lot better than the first half.”

And now Phil shares his faith all over the place, including at a huge gathering of outdoorsmen in the Super Dome. 

And it all goes back to that guy who was willing to do the uncomfortable thing of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the owner of a bar.

In Luke 16, Jesus shared an interesting story about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus.  They both died.  The beggar was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man was tormented in Hades.  The rich man cried out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

Abraham told him it couldn’t be done.  Then the rich man said, “I beg you…send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.”

Again Abraham said it couldn’t be done, but here is where we need to stop and think for a minute.

The rich man was pleading with Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, to spare them from also coming to the place of torment.

“Send Lazarus to my brothers,” he was begging.

Lazarus couldn’t go, but guess what?  We can. 

Perhaps dead loved ones are crying out from Hades right now, “Send someone to my brothers and sisters, that they may be spared this torment.”

Years ago, one man answered that call, walked in a beer joint and shared Jesus with Phil Robertson. 

There was probably a time in your life when someone risked rejection, went out of their way and shared Jesus with you.

And now it’s time for us to share Jesus with others.

And you know what?  This is a great week to do it.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are on the way, a perfect time to talk about Jesus’ death and resurrection and what it all means.

And if you aren’t sure what to say, just invite them to church.  Lots of people are willing to go to church on Easter weekend.

So be motivated by these two stories today:  the rich man begging for someone to warn his brothers, and the man who went out of his way to share Jesus with Phil Robertson.


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-

Can You Hear the Prophetic Voice? - Apples of Gold - April 6, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 6, 2011

“Can You Hear the Prophetic Voice?”

 

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

Make straight the way of the Lord.

That’s what John the Baptist said, and he was quoting the prophet Isaiah.

He was the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.”

Can you hear that prophetic voice calling out to you today?

It’s a calling to higher ground, to a more God-filled, God-pleasing, God-centered life.

It’s a call to take a cleaver and hack the worldly fat from our lives. 

Ephesians 4:22 says to put off the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.

You might think that Christians don’t have to deal with the “old man,” our old sin nature, but there it is, right there in the Bible:  put off the old man which grows corrupt.

Notice that it says grows corrupt.  If we don’t put off the old man, if we don’t hack the worldly fat from our lives, it won’t just lie dormant.  It will grow more corrupt. 

I’m going to church tonight.  I could skip it.  In fact, I was tempted to.  I saw in the paper that a Harvard professor will be speaking tonight in Tallahassee about the Civil War.  I’d love to go, but while I was thinking about it, something rose up inside me that said I need to go to church and draw near to God. 

I am faithful to the congregation of the saints, and one reason is to keep that old man at bay. 

My daughter and I were watching a show and a woman in the show ended up weeping on the floor.  I turned to my daughter and said, “Of course she ended up like this.  She built her life on worldly sand instead of the Word of God, and when you do that, you’ll always eventually end up with your foundation crumbling beneath you.”

I don’t want my foundation to crumble, so I must build on the sure foundation of Christ and His Word.  Sure, I could go hear the Harvard professor tonight.  I’m not legalistically bound to go to a church service, but I want to keep my focus on God.  I want more of God and less of the world.  I want less of the old man and more of the Solid Rock.

Colossians 1:23 says, “…if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”

That’s exactly what I want, to be grounded and steadfast in the faith.  I want to walk worthy of the Lord. 

Colossians 1:10 says, “…walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…”

There’s nothing wrong with increasing in the knowledge of the Civil War, but my higher purpose for this evening is to increase in the knowledge of God.

I want to walk worthy of the Lord, don’t you?

I want to walk worthy of the calling with which I was called, as it says in Ephesians 4:1.

I want to walk worthy of God, who has called me into His kingdom and glory.  (First Thessalonians 2:12)

Galatians 5:16 tells us to walk in the Spirit, then we won’t gratify the desires of the flesh.

So how do I put off that old man which grows corrupt?  By walking in the Spirit, by living according to the directives of the Holy Spirit.

Walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the old carnal flesh.

A lot of people do just that.  They live entirely to fulfill the desires of the flesh, but they are building their lives on sand.

I don’t want to build on sand.  I don’t want to waste time on things that are here today and crumble tomorrow because the foundation was pathetic.

I want to build on the solid rock foundation of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

Jesus told a man he healed, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”  If I walk in the flesh, if I listen to that old carnal man, if I live a worldly life, I have every reason to believe that some “worse thing” may come upon me.

Ephesians 5:1 says, “…be imitators of God as dear children.”

Children imitate their parents by being around them and mimicking them.  I want to be around the Lord so I can take on His characteristics.

So I draw near to God, and He draws near to me.  (James 4:8)  I read His Word and listen for the voice of His Spirit.  I want to hack away the worldly fat that slows me down, and put off the old man which grows corrupt.

I want to be grounded and steadfast in the faith, and walk worthy of the Lord.

And that’s why that prophetic voice is ringing in my soul today, “Make straight the way of the Lord.”


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-

Make Your Decisions at the Altar - Apples of Gold - March 25, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 25, 2011

“Make Your Decisions at the Altar”

 

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

Listen to this little piece of advice and see what you think.

Here it is.  Make your decisions at the altar.

What I mean is, make your decisions while praying and submitting yourself to God.

Offer yourself up to God as a living sacrifice, as it says in Romans 12:1.

Wherever we offer ourselves up to God, that place becomes an altar.

An altar is a place of sacrifice, a sacred place where offerings are made to the Lord.

Many church buildings have a place they call the altar.  People are invited to come to the altar to pray.  Of course you can sit in your seat and pray, or out in the parking lot for that matter, but the important thing is that you seriously offer yourself up to God, and I’ve found that the altar at church is a great place for that. 

Just a few days ago I accepted the invitation myself to come to the altar and spend time drawing near to God in prayer.  I got down on my knees, bowed my head in humility, opened my hands up before God and prayed.  I surrendered myself to Him once again, offering myself as an offering.

So what does that have to do with making decisions?

Well I think we should submit our decisions to the Lord.

First Corinthians 6 says that, as Christians, we are not our own, but we were bought at a price.  Our body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us, so we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, because we actually belong to God.

Think of your job.  You are probably under someone’s authority.  Some decisions you can make on your own, but big decisions have to go through your manager, right?

How much more should our decisions go through God?

That’s why I’m saying this today.  Make your decisions at the altar.

Recently I talked to Dr. Charles Stanley about his new book on prayer.  One thing he recommended is having a place in your house that is set aside for prayer.  He said to make it a sanctified place, in a sense, a place that is designed especially for drawing near to God.

I remember hearing the testimony of a businessman named Kim Stone.  He said that God told him out of the blue one day to set up an altar in his home.  He thought it was odd, but he did it, and that place became a great place of communion between himself and the Lord.

Listen to this story of submission in prayer.  One man offered up prayers and supplications, with fervent cries and tears, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

Did you hear that?  He was heard because of his reverent submission.

That story is about Jesus, found in Hebrews 5:7.

We also need to offer up prayers and supplications in reverent submission.  We need to reverently submit ourselves and our decisions to our heavenly Father.

Have you ever been unclear about your future direction?  Have you ever not known what decision to make? 

Make that decision at the altar.

I’ve heard women say things like, “I just make bad decisions about men.”  Well I submit to you, dear lady, that you should start making those decisions at the altar.

We should make personal decisions at the altar, and business decisions at the altar.  We are His and not our own.  He is the Master and we are the servants.  All decisions fall under His authority.  With that in mind, we make our decisions prayerfully, in reverent submission, at the altar.

And when we do, amazing things happen.  One thing is, we see more clearly at the altar.  The Holy Spirit teaches us things and leads us toward wisdom.  He opens our eyes and reveals potholes and pitfalls.  God knows best, and He reveals things to us at the altar.

We can see farther at the altar.  God knows what the future holds.  He knows how our decisions today will not only impact tomorrow, but generations.  At the altar He gives us glimpses of that.  At the altar we can trade short-term, small-vision decisions for long-term, big picture decisions.

Something else happens at the altar.  Decisions that are made there are infused with faith.  Too many times faith is a missing ingredient in our decisions. 

When you are in prayer, and the Holy Spirit stirs within you that sense that you just know what you are supposed to do, then a certain conviction rises up, a certain willpower.  You are more determined, more likely to overcome obstacles because you sense that God is with you, that He is both leading you and behind you as you move forward with your decision.

When it comes to making decisions, yes, get wisdom from others.  Yes, balance everything with the Bible.  Include all those other things that go into good decision making.

Then take it to the Lord in prayer.  Cry out to Him in reverent submission.

And make your decisions at the altar.


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-

Living the Most Excellent Way - Apples of Gold - March 23, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 23, 2011

“Living the Most Excellent Way”

 

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

Our love should be maturing.

We should see growth over time.

How we love people this year should be better than how we loved people last year.

In the same way we can watch our income grow, or our investments, or our education, we can watch our love grow for people.

How we love our spouse or our siblings, or our parents or our neighbors – we should see measurable growth over time.

How can you tell if your love is growing?  Here is one measuring stick:  patience.

First Corinthians 13:4 says love is patient.  If your love is growing for someone, you will find yourself being more patient with them, because real love is patient.

“But Doug, I do love them; but they are driving me crazy, and you want me to just sit around and be patient?”

Picture a grandfather and his little granddaughter fishing on a dock.  He is teaching her to cast, but my goodness, that hook is flying everywhere!  Does patience mean the grandfather sits there and does nothing while the little girl whips her fishing line all over creation?  No.  Patience means helping her work on it, even when it’s frustrating. 

Can you feel the love in that scene, a loving grandfather patiently teaching his granddaughter to fish?  That’s a great picture of mature love because there’s so much patience.

Now that grandfather may not have been so patient with his own daughter, but here’s the good thing.  His love has grown.

So the question is, is our love growing?  Do we love people more now than we did before?

This is a good indicator of spiritual growth.  If we are really growing as Christians, it will show up as increased love for people.

If we find that people are annoying us more, it’s likely that we are shrinking spiritually. 

Galatians 5:22 says that love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  It’s a byproduct.  Walk more in the Spirit and you automatically walk more in love.

We all say dumb, ignorant things from time to time, so how do we respond when people say dumb, ignorant things to us?

Our response today should not be the same as it was a year ago.  Why not?  Because our love should be growing.  Ignorant statements have less impact on us because we love people more. 

Love is the power position.  It puts you on the high ground.  It makes you bigger than the situation. 

When you love someone, and they say something ignorant to you – and I’m talking about real, Godly love here, not some Hollywood flakery – their ignorant statements don’t have the same impact because love deflects them.  Love is an outward-flowing energy that overpowers everything coming back at it. 

Jesus told us to do something that, on the surface, sounds impossible.  In Matthew 5:44 He said, “…love your enemies…”

I’m not sure we can consistently love anyone, friend or foe, in our natural selves; but it can be done as we walk more and more in the Spirit.  The more in tune we are with the Holy Spirit, the more fruit of the Spirit we will see in our lives, and the more love we will have for people.  This love will grow and mature to the point that yes, we will even be able to have a great love for our enemies.

If you want to find someone to follow as a leader, if you want someone to be your mentor, find someone who has this mature love.  Pettiness, selfishness and pride will be shrinking in them, and mature love will be taking their place.

So how can we have more and more of this powerful love? 

Love is a fruit of the Spirit, meaning we need more of the Holy Spirit, or maybe I should say we need to be more under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

One way we do that is by eliminating the things that beat back the influence of the Spirit.  First Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.”  Ephesians 4:30 says, “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”

We should repent of all sin and turn from it.  Then we can draw near to God and He will draw near to us.  (James 4:8)  And the Spirit will teach us to walk in holiness and righteousness so that we won’t grieve Him.

Luke 11:13 says, “…how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

So we can ask God for more of His Spirit, to be influenced more and more by His Spirit.  As we come under more and more of the Spirit’s influence, we will see more and more fruit of the Spirit, including God’s great love.

In John 15:13 Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Paul said love is the most excellent way.  (First Corinthians 12:31)

Isn’t that the way we want to live our lives, in the most excellent way?

It’s the way of love, and it’s a love that should continue to grow and mature all the days of our lives.


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

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
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