Friday, March 03, 2017
Think of the Crown of Thorns
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Think of the crown of thorns, brother.
When you think you’re going to sin a little, and it’s okay, because Jesus forgave you, or will forgive you, or whatever….think of the crown of thorns, brother.
Of all the things He suffered, man, He suffered for our SINS.
Those sins that separated us from God, He suffered for those.
He suffered so we could be forgiven and made right with God.
And then we’ll so easily return to the hog slop...after a meal with the King has been prepared?
“But I’m saved, Doug, I’m free! I have the righteousness of Christ so I’m free from the bondage of the law. I live under grace, so I can pretty much do whatever I want.”
I’m saying take a good, hard look, under the bright light. Then answer the question, “Is it sin?”
If it is, drop it. Drop it immediately and walk away.
And if you need a little motivation, remember that our forgiveness came at a price, and a transaction was made, and if you are a saved, born again Christian, you are not your own. You belong to God and you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which belong to God. (First Corinthians 6)
We. Belong. To God.
He saved us so we could be with Him, be close to Him, be His.
We are His. We are to be like Him. And He is holy.
And our sin, even as His children, will block up the works, quench and grieve His Spirit, and make us stink.
So the next time you are willing to throw caution to the wind and step your big boot right into that steamy, stenchy cow pie of sin...think of the crown of thorns, brother.
Think of the crown of thorns.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Look a Fright
So there you are, looking in the mirror again.
Every morning, looking in the mirror, and making adjustments.
How much of our life is spent looking in the mirror and making adjustments?
But thank goodness we do!
I’m not sure I want to live in a world where y’all aren’t making those daily adjustments.
But what if you didn’t have a mirror? I mean literally, what if you went day after day without being able to look in the mirror, see what you look like, and make those daily adjustments?
You’d be a mess. As we say here in the South, “You’d look a fright!”
Well the same thing happens spiritually.
Every day we need to look in the mirror of the Word, the Bible, see what we look like, and make adjustments (James 1:25)
If we don’t make those daily adjustments based on the mirror of the Word, we look a fright...spiritually, that is.
One good thing is that the Word of God stays the same, like a mirror that gives a true reflection every time.
Imagine a crazy mirror that gives different reflections every time you look at it. That’s what the world is like. Just think if social media was your mirror, and you tried to groom your soul on that ever-changing fickleness.
Or the world’s idea of beauty or strength or success. It’s a shifting mirror!
But the Word of God is a good mirror, never changing, ever true.
James 1:17 – in God there is “no variation or shadow of turning.”
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.”
So to be our best, morally and spiritually, we must continue to look daily into the mirror of the Word, and make those adjustments that take away the wretchedness and help us become the beautiful creations that God has created us to be.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Squeeze It Into the Glove
When I was helping little leaguers stop dropping the ball, I would tell them, “Squeeze it into the glove!”
I know it seems obvious, but really, they didn’t all know to do that, to just squeeze the glove and hold it once they had the ball.
Now if you’re laughing at the poor kid who didn’t know about squeezing the ball into the glove, let me ask you...have you ever dropped your phone? Is your phone screen cracked right now, even as we speak?
You gotta squeeze it into the glove!
I mean, there you are, your phone is in your hand...and then you drop it. It just falls out of the glove, so to speak.
You gotta take more care. You gotta get a handle on it, get a firm grip on it. Otherwise it’s going to slip and you’re going to drop it.
And the same is true with God’s Word. And it’s far more important than catching a baseball and more valuable than your phone.
You gotta squeeze it into the glove!
So the preacher preaches a great word, and there was especially that one point that really hit home, really hit you where you live. Write it down, man! Meditate on it. Let it sink in, sink deep, take root. Learn it. Live it. Love it. Share it. Shine it!
You read the Bible, and something hits you solid. It makes your heart burn within you. Now what? Underline it, man! Highlight it! Put it on a post it note. Memorize it. Let that thing set your heart on fire!
I should be able to ask you right now, “What Bible verse really has you lit up these days?”
Jesus said, “The sower went out to his seed.” The seed is the Word, and it’s hitting soil...and you and I are the soil.
Here comes the seed of the Word! It’s coming at you. What do you do? Does it bounce off? Or maybe you catch it, for like a minute, and then you inexplicably let it fall to the ground.
Come on, man! You gotta squeeze it into the glove.
Squeeze it into the glove, man.
Squeeze it into the glove.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Thou Knowest
I’m
Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke
24:32)
Here is a phrase I use a lot in my prayers: Thou knowest.
When I face uncertain circumstances (and aren’t they all) I simply turn my mind toward heaven and say, “Thou knowest.”
What should I do? “Thou knowest.”
How should I use my time? “Thou knowest.”
Where’s the money going to come from? “Thou knowest.”
How should I pray for my kids? “Thou knowest.”
It’s my way of expressing my serious lack of knowledge to the Lord, submitting to Him, and running toward Him in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
I surely don’t know how the world really works and what I’m supposed to do...but He knows. God knows. The Lord almighty knows. El Elyon knows.
It goes back to Ezekiel 37, when God took the mighty prophet Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones.
Imagine the quiet. The wind. The solitude. The arid land.
God says to His prophet, “Can these bones live?”
And here’s where my phrase, “Thou knowest” comes from, because that’s exactly what Ezekiel says to God in this divine moment.
Ezekiel doesn’t try to guess, or take a random stab, or even make light of it.
He just answers with the most sober, most humble and yet most trusting, sheep-like answer to the Shepherd.
Thou knowest.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
What powerful, encouraging words!
I decided to learn and memorize all the lyrics, I mean, how many songs do you know ALL the words to, right?
And sometimes the words aren’t worth memorizing, like those hymns where sing “verse 1 and 3, and definitely not 4, but maybe 5.”
Well “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is worth singing and memorizing all the way through.
Just listen.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
I hope this causes your heart to burn within you today like it has mine.
The powerful and encouraging hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
They That Turn Many to Righteousness
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
So today I’m red hot on this verse fragment, from Daniel 12:3.
It says, “...they that turn many to righteousness...”
That’s what I want to be!
I want to be one of those people who help “turn many to righteousness.”
There is a righteousness, and it is God’s righteousness.
There is no shadow of turning in God’s righteousness.
It is not as shifting sand, but it is solid as a rock.
It does not change with the wind, or with our ever-shifting culture.
There is a righteousness, solid as a rock.
It is God’s righteousness, and I want to help “turn many to righteousness.”
I want to point people to God’s ways, His principles, His statutes, His precepts, His laws.
I want to say, “Hey, look, here is God’s righteousness, in all its beauty and splendor and power.
Let’s live like this! Let’s live in God’s boundaries, by His principles, according to His ways and no other!
Whatever path we are on, let’s reset the GPS and turn toward God’s righteousness.
When we come to a fork in the road, let’s always take the road that leads to more and more of God’s righteousness, no matter the cost.
Let’s not take the road of compromise, or of the world, or of sin, or even of ease and laziness and cheap grace.
But let’s run hard and fast and with the zeal of the Lord, straight into the brilliant light of God’s amazing righteousness!
I hope this word causes your heart to burn within you today.
Daniel 12:3, “...they that turn many to righteousness...”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
The Border War - Apples of Gold - January 11, 2017
The
Christian is on fire!
He
is full of the Holy Spirit and he is on fire.
His
sins are forgiven. He's forgiving others, and the grace of God is
flowing out of him. The Kingdom of God is literally expanding
because of him!
The
Christian is grateful and humble, running to God in prayer daily
because he loves Him and he needs Him and he must have sweet
fellowship with his Savior!
He
is seeking God's will for every part of his life. He is shining
God's light into every area of his own life and into every area of
the world around him. He is holding everything up to the piercing
light of Jesus and His Word, His double-edged sword.
The
Christian is doing a world-dump. A world dump. He is dumping
worldly things out of his life. Those things look so....plastic...in
the light of God and eternity. So cheap.
The
Christian is offering his body to the Lord as a living sacrifice.
“Jesus, use me; and O Lord don't refuse me...for surely there's a
work that I can do.”
The
Christian loves God and his heart aches to please Him. “As the
deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after Thee!”
He
hungers and thirsts for righteousness, and the living water of the
Holy Spirit is flowing within him, bringing revelation and
understanding, bringing deep conviction of sin and deep adoration for
Jesus.
The
thought of taking Jesus' name in vain...or anything close to it....is
appalling. His love is so great for his Savior, he wants to do
nothing that would hurt Him, or even disappoint Him.
To
what shall I liken the Kingdom of God? It is like a mustard seed,
which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a
large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.
Because
of the Christian, the Kingdom is expanding. The tree is growing, and
neighbors are finding peace and rest and salvation in its branches!
He
is like the nation of Israel in its best days. The nation was
expanding and growing in power and influence. Foreign dignitaries
came to marvel!
But
then the people gave in to sin. They would relax their MORAL
borders...then their PHYSICAL borders would be raided by enemies.
The
Israelites really NEVER did a great job of establishing strong
borders.
Listen
to Judges 1:27. It's an awful passage, but we have to ask
ourselves….is this a picture of our spiritual borders today?
27
However, Manasseh
did not drive out the
inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, OR Taanach and its
villages, OR the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, OR the
inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, OR the inhabitants of Megiddo
and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that
land.
So
back to the Christian. He is on FIRE for JESUS!
But
sin....but SIN, like the Canaanites....is determined to dwell in his
land.
Are
his borders strong enough to keep sin out?
Or
has the enemy already breached his borders and taken little bits of
territory that rightfully belong to Jesus?
Listen
to this. Sin is OBDURATE. It is stubborn. It doesn't want to be
driven out. It wants to DWELL IN YOUR LAND.
Ephesians
4:22 says, “...that you put off, concerning your former conduct,
the OLD MAN which grows corrupt...”
The
Christian had driven out that old man in the past. Jesus had sent
him packing!
But
sin is obdurate. That old man is stubborn, and he wants to dwell in
the land...and he is just waiting for his chance to cross back over
the border and get back to work, making things corrupt.
That's
a word you don't hear very often. Corrupt. “Whoa, Doug, it sounds
so harsh.”
But
you don't want your milk to be corrupt.
And
you don't want your spirit to be corrupt, because the smell is even
worse!
Judges
chapter 1 ends with these fateful words, “Now the boundary of the
Amorites was from the...” blah to the blah to the blah.
Wait
a second. I'm wondering, “Why do the Amorites have boundaries at
all? They are supposed to be GONE.”
But
it's like the sin in our lives. It's supposed to be gone, but next
thing you know.......next thing you know, we draw a little map. It's
a wretched little map in our brain where we give some space to sin.
We
set up a boundary for sin. On Saturday night....
On
business trips....
While
I'm single....
In
Judges 2 the Angel of the Lord said, “I led you up from Egypt and
brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said,
‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no
covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their
altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?”
The
Christian doesn't make a covenant with sin. He tears it down! He
gives it no space, no quarter.
Don't
you know that friendship with the world is enmity against God?
So
the fire of the Holy Spirit is still burning in the Christian...but
it is being quenched. Sin is being allowed....and it is grieving and
quenching the Holy Spirit who once set him ablaze!
The
borders of the Kingdom are no longer expanding in this man, but they
are contracting. They are shriveling.
In
Judges 2, the Israelites allowed their borders to be weak and their
enemies to remain; so their judgment would be that those enemies
would be, now listen, “thorns in your side...and a snare to you.”
The
Christian can't allow sin to remain! He can't draw up special
borders for sin. It will be thorns in his side and a snare...a trap.
Thorns and traps! That's what sin brings to the Christian's
life....if he gives it space.
In
Israel, the enemies were consistently creating breaches in their
borders. They would invade and raid, ransack and plunder....steal,
kill and destroy.
It
started small, but grew larger as they grew bolder and the Israelites
grew less resistant.
One
of the Israelites' huge problems was their desire to fit in and be
like the people around them.
So
the Christian begins to allow border breaches in order to fit in with
the people around him.
What
borders does he relax first? The borders his neighbors have already
relaxed. If it's okay with them, then it's okay with him!
Judges
5:8 offers a terrifying statement, “They chose new gods; then there
was war in the gates.”
When
we give way to sin, instead of being on fire for God, instead of
offering our bodies as living sacrifices and seeking Him in every
area of our life....if HE is not the God of that area of our life,
then SOMETHING ELSE is the God of that area....and when they chose
new gods; then there was war in the gates.
When
we let anything but GOD ALMIGHTY call the shots for any area of our
life, then we are allowing a border breach for sin....and we will
have war in the gates.
That's
not war afar off. That's not war on the other side of the ocean.
That's not war down at the river. That's war AT YOUR DOOR.
To
create a space for sin is to allow a border breach, and you will have
WAR AT YOUR DOOR.
Do
you love your family? Then do not bring the war to your door by
allowing sin to have space in your life.
So
where might the border be breached?
What
about media? Do you allow things on your screens that taint, that
desecrate the holy place within you. As I asked a group of Christian
young men recently, “Is there anything you won't watch?”
So
the Christian begins to let his morality loosen. After all, why be
so judgmental and legalistic. That's not what Jesus came and died
for, good grief. Loosen up, man!
The
Christian was once concerned about his witness, about shining the
light of Jesus as brightly as possible to a hurting, lost world. He
didn't want to waste any time or opportunity to plant a seed for
eternity.
But
that drive has slipped. After all, who really cares? If the world's
salvation is hanging on one little witness, we're in big trouble
anyway.
So
he pulls back and allows a border breach, because it doesn't matter!
Now
he's thinking about intoxicants. I mean, really, where does the
Bible say he can't? And the next generation is completely forgotten,
ignoring that the small border breach in his life is likely to lead
to a larger border breach in the next generation because when they
are young, they rarely have the power on their own to rush in and
reestablish a border that their parents and grandparents GAVE UP.
So
he in-takes a little intoxicant.
And
the war is at his door.
Another
border is breached. His language. God set the Christian free from
bad language, bad words, foul words, cursing, swearing, taking the
Lord's name in vain, using sexual phrases, vulgar phrases, excrement
phrases, bawdy jokes, double entendre....wait a minute... How
clever! How cute! How witty and funny. In the ballrooms, the dance
halls, the clubs, the bars, it doesn't matter where...from the crack
house to the White House, WHY WATCH YOUR TONGUE? It's about FREEDOM,
man, FREEDOM.
And
in the name of freedom, another border is breached.
Another
border is breached.
Look.
If you have to redraw the map in your brain to account for the
border losses to sin, YOU MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM.
The
sanctity of the marriage bed. The holiness of a Godly,
Christ-centered marriage and family. For better, for worse. For
richer, for poorer. In good times and bad. 'Til death do us part.
What God has joined together, LET MAN NOT PUT ASUNDER.
Put
asunder. The striking words of the sword of the Lord.
Make
a vow to the Lord and keep it.
Except
the marriage vow, which what is marriage anyway? Why, it's
malleable! It's changeable. Shapable. Expandable!
Shrinkable…..just like our borders.
The
Christian's borders are shrinking. His borders are shrinking, and
the war is at his door.
There
is a devil and there are demons, and the Christian forgot. And he
forgot their intentions, to steal and to kill and to destroy.
And
he forgot that the devil is a roaring lion, and that lions go for the
weakest in the herd, WHICH IS THE CHILDREN.
But
now the Christian thinks he's a Lion Tamer. Strong in himself, doing
what is right in his own eyes, redrawing boundaries, even thinking
they are getting LARGER. After all, he's doing more, saying more,
experiencing more. His life is getting bigger! Yolo, man! Live
like you're dying. Tackle that bucket list. And if you get hurt,
well don't be a burden, man. Let's have assisted suicide and just
let Jesus welcome you into heaven on His magic carpet, with a little
stash of your favorite intoxicant.
Forgetting
that the middle word is TOXIC, as in poison, as in harmful and
hurtful and the borders are eroding like sand, and now his children
are wasted.
And
his wife has Momma's Little Helper.
Now
unforgiveness crashes through the border and takes up a stronghold in
the Christian. It started with a few unforgivenesses, people that
Jesus told him to forgive, but he wasn't quite ready to...you know,
like his favorite Disney song, Let It Go. So he held on to it, but
he had to keep it quiet, because those judgmental Christians down at
the church would have told him to forgive, and that's the LAST thing
he felt like doing.
And
now he won't forgive the driver that isn't driving the way he wants,
meaning mostly get the blank-blank-blank out of his way, because his
language border was breached a long time ago, and where better for a
good language breach than when you are in the car, alone, and someone
doesn't MOVE THE INSTANT THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN GOOD GOD THEY'RE ON
THEIR PHONE. And he tells himself, while redrawing the map in his
brain, “Well, I meant it, because God is good,” but then he
doesn't say that anymore, and pretty soon he drops the “good” and
he's just screaming “Oh God” about every INFRACTION.....and his
border is shrinking and his life is getting smaller...in the name of
freedom.
And
you know who the worst people are, that he might never forgive just
for spite? The Christians who won't GET OFF HIS BACK about these
LITTLE SINS.
But
really, he doesn't even think about that word anymore...sin.
And
he's not really thinking about going to church anymore, either.
And
now his marriage bed has a gleaming wall of unforgiveness right down
the middle of it.
Now
the question is….what about us?
Where
have we allowed border breaches?
Where
have we redrawn the map in our brains, giving sin a little space,
telling ourselves we will let it go this far, and no farther?
It's
time for us to do a “world dump” and to return to the Lord with
all of our heart!
Judges
10:10 says, “And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord,
saying, “We have sinned against You...”
Judges
12:3 says the Lord delivered them and gave them the victory.
And
He will do the same for us!
So
ask the Lord to show you any border breaches, where you have allowed
sin to creep in and take space...and then repent! Ask God for
forgiveness and deliverance! Give all that territory back to Him!
Let's reclaim those borders for Jesus!
Let
us be the people who give no space to sin, but are full of the Holy
Spirit and on fire for Jesus!
Let
us be the people who are forgiven and walking in forgiveness,
forgiving everyone.
Let
us be the people who are literally expanding the borders of the
Kingdom of God!
Thursday, July 09, 2015
Responsibility
A responsibility is the same, whether paid or not.
So don't ever skip out on a responsibility with the lame excuse, "Well, I'm not getting paid anyway."
If you gave your word....do it.
If people are counting on your commitment....do it.
If you are lying on your death bed and could still get the job done....do it.
So don't ever skip out on a responsibility with the lame excuse, "Well, I'm not getting paid anyway."
If you gave your word....do it.
If people are counting on your commitment....do it.
If you are lying on your death bed and could still get the job done....do it.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Put It On - Apples of Gold - July 15, 2013 vi
Click here to listen to the radio version.
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
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(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
Monday, August 20, 2012
We Need Neighbors Who Set the Bar High - Apples of Gold - August 20, 2012 -vi-
Click here to listen to the radio version.
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
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
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.
When you feel your brain stretching, and something says you can't do it.
Go.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Don't Glorify Old Sins - Apples of Gold - January 9, 2012 -vi-
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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for
“Don’t Glorify Old Sins”
Hello, I’m
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:
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m
© 2012
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write
If
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
Saturday, December 31, 2011
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-
Monday, December 26, 2011
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
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