Glad Tidings of the Kingdom

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Here is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, and it’s probably not one you would think of.  Actually, it’s probably one you would skip over in a rush to get to something more “meaty.”

If my wife and I watch a movie, I often tell her to enjoy the opening shots, even while the credits are rolling, because these are often some of the most beautiful camera shots in the whole world.  A lot of times it’s panoramic, flying over mountains or over a city, or it’s fascinating views of nature or of people all over the world.

And they are almost always happy!  Even if the movie takes a darker turn, it usually starts out happy and joyful.

And that brings us to the opening scene in Luke chapter 8.  In verse one it says that Jesus went through “every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.”

I can hear the children shouting for joy!  I can see the crowds gathering with excitement.  Someone begins making music.  Someone is clapping.  Someone has a tambourine.  Some don’t even know what’s going on, but they get excited, too, because enthusiasm is contagious!

And at the center of it all is Jesus.  Jesus is coming!  

And He’s not alone.  Luke 8 says the twelve are with Him, His disciples, and it’s not just the crusty fishermen, but women are with Him as well, and some prominent women at that.  I mean, it’s basically a fun, happy, exciting road show out on tour, and they are coming to your town!

For some reason I hear Jesus quieting the crowd at some point, calling to them, “Friends!  Friends!  I have some good news!”

And the crowd settles in, and Luke 8:1 says that Jesus preaches and brings them the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.

But then, there seems to be a gap.  I mean, the Son of God, the Christ, the Anointed One is speaking and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God…what exactly did He say?

Oh, I want to know what He said!  What were these glad tidings of the kingdom?

Fortunately we have many of the words of Jesus recorded in the Bible, and we can glean from them the glad tidings of the kingdom.

Truly one of the most powerful glad tidings of the kingdom is that it is not based on money or class or lineage.  The world has always had rich people and entitled people, but Jesus said, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

What?  That’s not how the world works.  But guess what?  That’s how the kingdom works!  Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Those are glad tidings!  No matter your class, your race, your income, your education, your gender, your age, or even your appearance…the kingdom of God is for you!

Another glad tiding of the kingdom is that it is a kingdom of love.  Jesus taught us that God loves us!  And He taught us that we should love one another.  

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

Another glad tiding of the kingdom is forgiveness.  God offers us forgiveness, and He calls us to forgive others.  Forgiveness is a hallmark of the kingdom of God.  In the Bible we read over and over again, Jesus saying these words, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Now those are glad tidings!

Another thing Jesus said was things like, “Go in peace,” and, “Peace be with you.”  In John 16:33 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace.”  Luke 1:79 says, “…to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Living at peace with God and peace with each other, this is a cornerstone of the kingdom!

Hope.  Joy.  Kindness.  Gentleness.  Patience.  Faithfulness.  I could go on and on, but I encourage you to open the Bible for yourself.  Read those red words of Jesus, and read them for what they were:  the glad tidings of the kingdom of God!

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

More Integrity Means More Value

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

I have a favorite pair of boots.  Unfortunately they now have a crack in the bottom.

Fortunately I can still wear them, just not in the rain.  They still look nice, but they won’t keep my feet dry.

These boots have lost some integrity, and so they have lost some of their value to me.

I have a favorite pair of tennis shoes, and I do mean tennis shoes.  I wear them to play tennis.  But now the sole is coming loose, which is not good for making sharp lateral moves on a tennis court.  I still wear them…when washing the car.

Those shoes have lost some of their integrity, and so they have lost some of their value.

I have a favorite belt.  It was my favorite dress belt, nice and black with a sharp silver buckle.  I thought it was a high value, but then it started looking bad.  Oh, it still holds pants up, but it’s supposed to be a dress belt.  It has to look good, and it no longer does.

It has lost some of its integrity, and so it has lost some of its value.  I still wear it…when working in the yard.

Integrity means something is sound.  It is whole.  It is complete.  It is unimpaired.  It is not corrupted.  

When you buy a house, you want a house with as much integrity as possible.  And you want a realtor with as much integrity as possible.

More integrity means more value.

If I want to be a more valuable person, then I need to be a person of integrity, without corruption.

Integrity in a person means being honest, with strong moral principles, with moral uprightness.  They are morally consistent, without moral corruption.

A man or woman of integrity has more value.  They can do more.  They can be trusted with more.

Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”

Now listen to this little revelation.  Who is the boss?  Who controls the room?  Who is the actual leader in any given situation?  It’s going to be the person with the most moral authority, and moral authority is built on integrity.

Jesus had the most moral authority of anyone who ever walked the earth.  He was also of the highest value who did the most good.  

Do you want to raise your value…in the marketplace?  In the community?  In your family?  Then raise your level of integrity, because more integrity means more value.

Proverbs 10:9 says, “He who walks in integrity walks securely…”

Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”

Proverbs 19:1 says it’s better to be poor and live with integrity than the alternative.

Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”

Are you ready to take your life to the next level?  Then you can no longer be the boot with the crack in it.  You can no longer be the slip shod shoe.  You can’t be the belt that lets its beauty slip away.

It’s time to raise the bar of our integrity, to live at the highest moral level, and to set aside all the compromises that make us weaker.

If we want to be more valuable, then we must have more integrity.

And then we can walk in the full moral authority that Jesus wants us to.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

The Biggest Mistake in the Church Today

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

The title of this is The Biggest Mistake in the Church Today.  I know, it is impossible to know the exact biggest mistake in the church today, apart from divine revelation, and it probably changes minute by minute anyway.

But it is such a huge mistake, I’m calling it the biggest mistake in the church today, and here it is.  It’s when we try to make people be like us instead of unleashing them to become the people that God has designed them to be.

Philippians 1:6 says that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.  The church’s mission is to help people discover what good work God is doing in them, and help them become all that God wants them to be.

Every Christian believer is a part of the body of Christ.  We are each a body part, a DIFFERENT body part.  We have various giftings and callings, talents and personalities, and a huge range of life experiences.  

God is calling each and every one of us to fulfill our part in the body of Christ.  That is the goal for each and every believer, and the goal of the church is to help each and every person come to God, walk with Him daily, and fulfill their part in the body.

What sometimes happens, though, is that the church doesn’t identify each and every individual as a separate and special part of the body.  Instead, we take the easy and common route of lumping everyone together and expecting everyone to become more like us.

Let me say it another way.  If I’m a “hand” in the body of Christ, then I look at you and expect you to be more like a hand.  But what if you’re a foot?  It’s a terrible mistake to try to make a foot operate like a hand.  It’s going to be a terrible experience for everyone involved.

Instead, I should try to help you discover God’s callings and giftings in your life, and help you grow into the full person and part in the body of Christ that God has designed you to be.

I’m not talking about compromising doctrine or morality.  I’m talking about expecting people to be more like me, instead of being more like God is calling them to be.

For example, and I’ve seen this so many times in the church, extroverts want introverts to become extroverts.  They sometimes almost demand a personality shift, as if you don’t even know God, you don’t even love God if you don’t spring forth and become a boisterous extrovert.

“Oh, you don’t want to take the mic and publicly testify about the goodness of God?  You must not even love God.”  

Do you feel the uncomfortable, unsubtle pressure?  It is quite possible that the person in your church who loves God the most is the person who quietly adores the King in their heart.

The prayer warriors think everyone should spend more and more time in prayer.

The hand-lifting praisers think everyone should be a hand-lifting praiser, and once you get that down, you need to go do it at the altar, because hand-lifting praise back in the pew is for the lukewarm, you know.

The Bible scholars think everyone must become a Bible scholar.

The Bible memorizers are like, “What?  You don’t memorize the Holy Scriptures?  What are you even doing with your brain?”

Then there are the holy huggers who can’t fathom why a person might not want to be hugged.

The homeless outreach people and the prison ministers just know you are missing God if you are not one of them.

Here's one I’ve seen many times:  extroverts with a passion for evangelism heaping criticism on anyone who isn’t ready to run out into the streets and shout the gospel.  They leave zero room for someone to have a different part in the body of Christ.  “No, you must be like me if you really love Jesus, if you’re even saved at all.”

And then, even worse, I’ve seen this.  The extrovert with a passion for evangelism STOPS EVANGELIZING, because hey, “others aren’t rushing out with me, so why should I even bother?”

Christian!  Stop comparing.  Stop looking at others and trying to make them be like you.

Listen to this account from the Bible.  It involves the apostle Peter, who was perfectly willing to speak his mind, so we can get some good insights from him and his experiences.

In John 21, the risen Jesus is telling Peter how Peter is going to die, and yes, it was uncomfortable.  Then instead of soaking in that information, quietly going away and pondering it, Peter suddenly points out his fellow apostle John, and says something like, “Oh, so that’s my bleak future?  What about John?”

Jesus answered with these patient but powerful words, “What is that to you?  You follow Me.”

If you ever looked around at other believers and wanted to compare their life or calling to your life or calling, I believe Jesus would say to you today, “What is that to you?  You follow Me.”

We each have our own part in the body of Christ.  Yes, we are one body, operating in unity, with Christ as the head, but we each have a different part in the body, with different callings and giftings and personality types and backgrounds.

The church’s job is to help each individual draw near to God and discover and walk in their unique callings and giftings and thus fulfill their part in the body of Christ.

But the big mistake we often make is, instead of helping each individual fulfill their part in the body, we lump everyone together and want them to be like me, act like me, respond to God like I do, behave in a church service like I do…and it’s not going to happen.  It’s only going to drive people away.

And suddenly I’m going to look up one day and realize that the only people left in church are people just like me.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

(For more information on the body, First Corinthians 12 is a great place to start, plus Ephesians 4:15-16.)

God Is a Rewarder

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

That’s what it says in Hebrews 11:6.  God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Are we diligently seeking God?

It’s not something we do once, or once a year, or once a week.  

Diligently is how Michael Jordan sought to win basketball games.

Diligently is how Arnold Schwarzenegger sought to win Mr. Universe.

Diligently is how hungry people seek food.

Are we hungry for God?

If we are, we will diligently seek Him, and the good news is that when we do, God will reward us.

God is a rewarder.

Jesus said that when we PRAY our Father will reward us.  (Matt. 6)

Jesus said that when we FAST our Father will reward us.  (Matt. 6)

Ephesians 6:8 says that God will reward us for “whatever good we do.”

Our job is to diligently seek Him.

Then watch for it.  Suddenly, there it is.  Over and over again, there it is.  God’s rewards.

And you know what?  We don’t have to seek Him perfectly.  

We just have to seek Him diligently.

Because God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

May God bless you today!

I’m Doug Apple.

My 2021 Manifesto

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

“God, what do You want me to do this year?  Do You want me to do something different?  Something new?  Is there a new focus or goal or plan?”

That was my prayer coming into the new year, and nothing new really came to mind.

Meanwhile, I’ve been praying through various books of the Bible.

What does that look like?

Here’s how I do it.  I read until something pops, until something jumps off the page, until something makes me go, “Ooo, that’s good.”

Then I underline it and turn it into a prayer.

For example, the last thing I underlined at the end of last year was Second Corinthians 6:16 where it says, “Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them…”

What jumped out to me in that verse is the phrase, “I will…walk in them.”  I know about God living in us, but walking in us?  I like it.  It’s an action word.  I want God to walk in me, to use me to make a difference.

So I underline that verse and turn it into a prayer, “Lord, please walk in me.”

Then came my first prayer time of the new year and I came across this verse in Second Corinthians 7:13.  Paul is commending the Corinthians because they had greatly blessed his friend Titus.  It says, “…his spirit was refreshed by you all.”

Ooo, that’s good.  Underline it.  His spirit was refreshed by you all.

Turn it into a prayer.  “Lord, please use me to refresh the spirit of everyone I come in contact with.”

The problem is, I can’t do that.  I’m not good enough.  I’m not smart enough.  I’m not on the ball enough to even know how to refresh everyone’s spirit.  

“God, I need You to walk in me, to work through me so that I can actually do this, refresh everyone’s spirit I come in contact with.”

And suddenly it hit me.  That is my something new for the new year.  That is my 2021 manifesto.

“Lord, please walk in me, and use me to refresh the spirit of everyone I come in contact with.”

And just like that, I have a new year’s resolution, and I think it came straight from God.

I wrote it down.  I shared it with others.  I hung it up so I would see it every day.  I even made little pieces of paper so I can pass it out to others.

“Lord, please walk in me, and use me to refresh the spirit of everyone I come in contact with.”

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.

May your spirit be refreshed today!

I’m Doug Apple.

Wicked and Lazy or Holy and Hard Working

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Are you wicked and lazy, or holy and hard working?

I’m getting this from Jesus’ parable of the talents.

Two guys worked hard and increased what they had been given, but that one guy, he hid the master’s money in the back yard.  He didn’t lose it.  He just didn’t grow it.  He didn’t increase what he had been given.

Then the master returns and what’s he looking for?  

Increase!

He wants to see improvement.  He wants to see growth.

And what does he say when he doesn’t find improvement and growth?

He turns on that man and in very strong language he says, “You wicked and lazy servant.”

Wow.  He didn’t soft pedal it.  He didn’t let him down gently.  He tore him up.

Why?

Because time had been wasted.  Opportunity…wasted.

God is not into waste.  He is into growth.

He has given us gifts.  We have time.  We have talents.  We have opportunities.  

And we have an assignment.  We have a requirement.

Our requirement is to grow what we have been given.

I highly recommend that you take this to the Lord in prayer.

“God, what have I been given?  How should I grow it?”

This is a sobering time.  This needs to be taken seriously.  

In the parable of the talents, two men took it seriously, and things turned out well for them.  One of them, and I’m not going to say he didn’t take it seriously.  He wasn’t a total clown.  The master didn’t call him a clown.  He called him “wicked and lazy.”

Why was he wicked and lazy? 

Because he was entrusted with something and he didn’t grow it.  He didn’t improve it.

That is the requirement.  

Are you wondering what you are supposed to be doing with your life?

You are supposed to take what you have and grow it, improve it, make it better.

It’s time to get to work.  You sure don’t want to receive the wrath of the master.

And you certainly don’t want to hear the words, “You wicked and lazy servant.”

Instead of being wicked and lazy, I want to be holy and hard working.

“Father God, please help each and every one of us become the holy and hard working people You want us to be, not wasting any of the time or talents or opportunities You’ve blessed us with, but investing, improving and growing, from this day forward, for the glory of God, for the blessing of Your people, and for the growth of Your kingdom.  In Jesus’ name we pray…”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

(Matthew 25:14-30)

 

My Analysis of Baby Shark

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 I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

Do you know what is the all time most played video on YouTube?  

It’s been played over 7 billion times.  It’s called Baby Shark Dance.

That’s right.  It’s a very simple and very catchy song for little kids, and it is now the most played video in YouTube history.

I have a granddaughter who talks about it, but I had never seen it.  I was curious, in this day and age, what kind of weirdness they might be pushing into the impressionable minds of the youth.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised, skipping over the fact that it’s about man-eating sharks.

It starts out simple enough, singing “Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I like that because kids and people in general have a soft spot in their heart for babies.  People can become jaded over time, but this song has planted the seed seven billion times about the cuteness and happiness of babies.  It’s new life!  

Then it says, “Mommy Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I like that because a child should be close to its mother, with all those loving bonds, and all the cuddly time and sweet words.  Babies need to be with their mommy.

Next it says, “Daddy Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I’m so glad that daddy made it into the most popular video of all time on YouTube.  I’m glad daddy is in the picture.  Daddy is with the family, with Mommy and with Baby, the way it’s supposed to be, the way God designed it to be.  And Daddy has a big strong voice, a commanding presence.  Daddy is here and it’s time to pay attention.

Next it says...what do you think it says?  It says, “Grandma Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

I love that!  I’m married to a grandma and we have 13 grandchildren.  My wife is so in love with her grandchildren.  She has such a mighty bond with them, and they love her completely.  It is a wonder to behold.  Grandmas are so important, and I was excited to see them make the list on the world’s most popular YouTube video.

Next up is “Grandpa Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

Man, that says so much.  Grandma and Grandpa, still together, still involved in the family, still an important part of the close-knit family structure.  It is the extended family providing a powerful foundation for the following generations to build on.  

It all sounds traditional, doesn’t it?  In a world today that wants to throw out tradition like some old stale tuna, it’s refreshing to see something so popular that in the most simple way is promoting a solid family structure into the minds of the young.  The world will be a vastly better place if they can just hold onto that ideal.

Next the song takes a turn with the lyrics, “Let’s go hunt, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

Soooooooooo many videos for kids talk about play and fantasy and fun, and that’s fine, but I’m so glad this most popular song talks about work.  There’s work to be done.  It’s time to hunt.  You want to eat?  We’ve got to work.  And we’ll all work together as a team to provide for and support one another as a family.  It’s time to hunt.

The song then takes another turn saying, “Run away, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

Why would I like that?  Because you know what?  There is a time to run away.  There are things in life we should run away from.  There are dangerous people, dangerous places, dangerous situations and even dangerous thoughts.  A big part of life is knowing when to run away. 

And finally the song says, “Safe at last, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”

What an adventure!  Life is an adventure!  And there is a safe place to run to.  There’s Mommy and Daddy.  There’s Grandma and Grandpa.  There’s home and safety and security, inside the fold of the family.  You may venture outside to go on the hunt, but you always end up back home, safe and sound, surrounded by your loved ones.

Okay, yes, it’s a silly song for kids, and it has sharks, and I’m reading a lot into it, but like I said, in this day and age with so many strange notions being force fed into the minds of the young, I know the power of a seed, the power of a tiny thought repeated hundreds of times.  And the seeds of this most popular video in YouTube history are solid:

Baby,

Mommy,

Daddy,

Grandma,

Grandpa,

Family,

Work,

Danger,

Safety.

If you get those things right, you’re gonna have a pretty good life.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Stay in Your Gap

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

As I write this in October 2020, Florida State football fans are licking their wounds once again, this time after being thrashed by Louisville.  Five times in the first half alone, Louisville busted open huge plays against Florida State’s defense.

After the game senior linebacker Emmett Rice was talking about the Florida State defense.  He said, “We just weren’t doing our jobs.  Like eight of the eleven would do their jobs and the big play would happen.  If all eleven did their jobs, those big plays would not happen.”  He said, “You’ve got to do what the defense is assigned to do.  If you’ve got to stay in your gap, stay in your gap.  You can’t be out there freestyling.”

That’s true for the FSU defense, and wow, it is so true for the body of Christ.

I have said it a hundred times and I’ll keep saying it.  Each of us must fulfill our part in the body of Christ.  God has gifted us and called us, each one of us, to particular things.  We need to diligently seek Him, spend time with Him and learn from Him so that we can each fulfill our Kingdom assignment.

As Emmett Rice said, we can’t be out there freestyling.  When we do, we leave gaps, and that’s a huge problem.

If you make your life’s decisions based on worldly values rather than your Kingdom assignment, you are freestyling and you are leaving gaps.

Think of God as the Coach.  He sees the big picture.  He is drawing up the perfect game plan, and He assigns each player their part.

And then some players start freestyling, leaving their assignment to do something else, and leaving gaps where they were supposed to be.

Have you ever looked at the church and felt like the game plan wasn’t working?  Well, here is a huge reason:  too many players not fulfilling their assignments.

My friend Rodney has a great story.  His church was going through some difficulties, and some people were leaving.  He thought about leaving that church, too, and he prayed about it.  And God laid it on him in very clear language, “Do not abandon your post.”

Rodney’s response was the correct response.  He simply said, “Yes, Sir.”

So Rodney stayed at his post, filling the assigned gap instead of freestyling.

I’m not saying everyone has to stay where they are forever.  I’m saying we all need to take our assignments from the Coach, the real living God who is building His church.

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, so what should we do?  How can we discern our assignment?  Seek Him.  Diligently seek Him.  Listen and He will let us know, with authority and peace and conviction, what we need to do to fulfill our part in the body of Christ.

And once we have our assignment, we stay in that gap until the Coach gives us another assignment.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Wisdom Is Justified by All Her Children

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

Jesus made many profound statements, and here’s one He just kind of tosses out there, like a free bonus.

In Luke 7:35, Jesus said, “...wisdom is justified by all her children.”

What does that mean?

It means wisdom proves itself by the long term results.  

People can SAY anything, but how do we know if it’s wise?

Jesus gives us the litmus test.  Wisdom is justified by all her children.  In other words, what are the long term results?  If the long term results are good, it was wise.

In the moment it sounds like fun when someone says, “Eat, drink and be merry!”  Let’s do it all day.  Every day!

Why work?  Why go to school?  Why do anything hard at all? 

But wisdom is justified by all her children.  Look at the long term results for people who never go to work, never go to school, never do anything hard.  

Years ago I met a young man who was gloriously saved by Jesus Christ.  He was a new creation, full of joy.  He really wanted to grow in his faith, and that’s what led him to me.

Part of his plan for getting his life on track included going to college.  There he ran into a professor who was a vocal opponent of Christianity.  I know, it sounds like one of those Christian movies, but it was real.  

And it really attacked the faith of this young man.  He thought a college professor must really know what he’s talking about.

One day he came to me and shared how his faith was slipping because of what he was hearing from the professor.

I said, “You know, by your own words, your life was not good before.  Then you came to Jesus and suddenly you had hope and peace and joy.  Your life was radically changed for the better.  And now I’ve noticed lately that that seems to be slipping away.  So let me ask you, the professor, what is his life like?”

The young man said, “Not good.  I think he’s an alcoholic and divorced.”

I said, “Well, why do you want to take life advice from someone whose life isn’t going the way you want your life to go?”

Wisdom is justified by all her children.  So when people begin babbling on and on about all kinds of ideas, look at the actual long term results.

If someone is telling you how to live, how is that working out for them over the long haul?

If they are telling you how to parent, or handle marriage, or your money or your business or your career, how did that work out for others who did it?

Did it bring joy or sorrow?  Success or failure?  Stability or instability?

We don’t have to wonder.  We have a litmus test for knowing if something is actually wise or not, and Jesus summed it up perfectly and deeply.

Wisdom is justified by all her children.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Preemptive Forgiveness

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

“...and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

“Lord, right now I forgive everyone for everything, past, present...and future.  God, I forgive everyone in advance for anything they might do or say today, so that I am free to love them with the power of Your Holy Spirit flowing through me.”

That’s how I do it.  That is how I practice what I call “preemptive forgiveness.”

Preemptive forgiveness means forgiving in advance.

Look, you know something dumb is going to happen, right?  You don’t know who.  You don’t know when.  You don’t know what.  You don’t know why, but sure enough, there it is.  Someone is going to say something, they’re going to do something, it might be on accident, it might be on purpose, it might even be with criminal intent, but I say we forgive them IN ADVANCE and get that part out of the way, so then we can be completely free to love them in the way that God wants us to love them.

Jesus told us to love another.  He told us to love our neighbor.  He told us to love our enemies.  

But listen.  You can’t love someone you hate.  You can’t love someone properly while at the same time harboring unforgiveness.  A house divided against itself cannot stand.

In Mark 11:25, Jesus told us that if we have anything against anyone, we must forgive them.

Let it go.

And we do that with a very specific purpose in mind.  We forgive them so that we can be completely free to love them just as God wants us to love them.

The fruit of the Spirit is…love, among other things, but the first on the list is love.  God wants us to love people, He empowers us to love people, and to properly do that, we must walk in forgiveness.  

And what I’m promoting is something a bit unusual.  It is forgiving...in advance.  It is preemptive forgiveness.  

In Luke 17:1, Jesus said, “It is impossible that no offenses should come…”  Offenses are coming.  Knowing that, what should we do?

I say we forgive them in advance, preemptively.  We bomb the enemy’s base before he even gets the offense rocket off the ground.  

That eliminates the offense altogether.  I’m not offended because hey, I forgave that already.  Now I’m free to love them in whatever way God wants me to love them, in whatever way they need to be loved, in whatever way is best for them, for their life and their future and their own walk with God, and their eternity.  

That doesn’t make us doormats.  That doesn’t mean people can walk all over us.  Listen.  Love is the power position.  Perfect love casts out fear.  Love causes you to lay down your life for others, and a person who is so sold out that they are willing to lay down their life like that...like I said, love is the power position, the very opposite of a doormat.

When you love someone, you want what is best for them.  Sometimes accountability is exactly what they need.  Sometimes being arrested is what they need.  Yes, you can call the police on someone you dearly love, because sometimes that is exactly what they need.  But you don’t do it because you are offended and hurt and bitter and harboring unforgiveness.  Listen, you can forgive...and press charges.  It can be done in love.

The point is, remove offenses from the equation.  I’m saying, never get offended again by practicing preemptive forgiveness, which sets us free from all offense, which sets us free to love people which is what we must do anyway.

And the way I do that is very practical.  Each morning I pray through the Lord’s prayer, and when I come to that part about trespasses I pray “Lord, right now I forgive everyone for everything, past, present...and future.  God, I forgive everyone in advance for anything they might do or say, so that I am free to love them with the power of Your Holy Spirit flowing through me.”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Is That God Speaking to Me?

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

In John chapter 10, Jesus said that He is the good shepherd, that He speaks to His sheep, and that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, for they know His voice.

So the question is, do I know the voice of the Good Shepherd?  How do I know if God is speaking to me?  

First of all, in John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is Spirit.”  In John 6:63, Jesus said that the words He speaks are “spirit.”  

So when we talk about hearing the voice of God, we’re usually not talking about hearing a physical voice.

Romans 8:16 says that His Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

That’s spirit to spirit communication.  I know, it’s getting deep, but I would expect nothing less.

So God is Spirit, His words are spirit, and His Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

As born again, blood-bought believers, we each have God’s Holy Spirit inside of us, teaching us and guiding us.

Now listen to this.  I’m leading up to a key that will help us answer the question, “Is that God speaking to me?”

In John 16:13, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak.”

In the next verse Jesus said, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

So when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, He speaks the words of Jesus.  It’s Jesus talking to us, through the Holy Spirit inside of us.  Back to Romans 8:16, it is His Spirit communicating with our spirit.

But the question is, when you hear that little voice, how do you know it is God speaking and not just some random thought, or worse, some random devil?

Now here is the main key of this lesson.  Luke chapter 4 verse 32 says that people were astonished at the teaching of Jesus.  Why?  Because His word was “with authority.”

And that’s the key.  That is one way we might discern the voice of God.  We answer this question.  Did it come with authority?

Some translations say, “His word was with power.”

So when we are seeking God, trying to hear from Him, and suddenly we hear a voice speaking inside of us, here’s a question to ask, “Did this message come with authority?  Did it come with the power and authority of Jesus?”

His sheep know His voice.  How?  Because our Shepherd speaks with authority.  He speaks with power.  His words come with conviction.

Yes, there are other considerations.  We should consult Scripture.  We should consult the body, by which I mean our fellow believers.  And another key is what Jesus said in John 16:14, that the Holy Spirit would glorify Jesus, so another question is, “Does this glorify Jesus?”

But here’s the main point we’re focusing on today.  When we are asking, “Is that God speaking?” we can remember the example of Luke 4:32.  His word comes with authority.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Soul Issues and Goal Issues

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

God can solve our soul issues and our goal issues.

Think about it.  Many of our problems are either soul issues, or goal issues.

Our soul issues include our identity, “Who am I?” and our value, “Am I worth anything?”

And our goal issues include our purpose, “What am I here for?  What am I supposed to be doing with my life?”

Fortunately, God can solve all of our soul issues and goal issues, and they are actually summed up very tidily in Ephesians chapter two.

The foundation of all of our soul issues is that we start out dead in our sins.  We are sons of disobedience.  We conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and are by nature children of wrath, separated from God.

The good news is that there is actually a quick solution to our soul issues, and I’m still in Ephesians chapter two.  It says that God, who is rich in mercy, loves us with His great love!  He loves us so much that, through Jesus, even though we start out dead in our sins, He makes us alive through Christ!

And it’s not because we start doing good, or because we finally get our act together.  He does it by His grace and kindness toward us, not by our own good deeds.  

This solves our soul issues.  Who am I?  Through Christ, I am a very much loved, born again child of God!  Am I worth anything?  I’m worth so much that the creator of the world, God Himself, loved me and saved me and calls me His child!

Now what about the goal issues, what am I here for?  What am I supposed to be doing with my life?

We are still in Ephesians chapter two.  Verse ten says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

What am I here for?  What am I supposed to be doing with my life?  Good works!

Just look around and say, “What good works can I be doing today?”  Then do them!

Ephesians 2:10 says we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works,” and it says that “God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

God CREATED us to do good works, and He PREPARED BEFOREHAND that we should live this way...doing good works.

One more soul issue:  the idea of loneliness.  We find the solution again in Ephesians chapter two.  We are not in this alone.  Verse 19 says we are “...fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…”  

All the Christian believers all over the world?  We are all in this together!  

And as God’s children, we have His Holy Spirit inside of us.  Ephesians 2 concludes with verse 22 which says we are “being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Yes, we are all born with many soul issues and goal issues, but the good news is that God can solve them all as we turn to Him!  

And we can find them all summed up rather tidily right here in Ephesians chapter two.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple. 

Skip Regret Go Directly to Repentance

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

I don’t have regrets.  

I do have a lot of repentances.

Regrets are like weights.  They can drag you down, even long after the fact.

You did something you regret.  It was bad.  It was wrong.  It was dumb.  It was embarrassing.  

You hurt someone.  You committed a crime.  You failed.  You stumbled.  You fell.

Regrets can come in unlimited ways.  Every story is different, but they end up in the same stinking valley called Regret.

Fortunately God has given us a mechanism to deal with regret.  It’s called repentance.

Whatever you did.  Whatever sin you committed.  Whatever way you went off the rails and into the weeds, here is the solution.  Repent.

What does repent mean?  It means you admit it, you confess it, you own up to it, you’re sorry for it, you don’t ever want to do it again, you give it up to God, and you receive His forgiveness for it.

And then it is done.  You have repented and it is done.

And then that old snake Regret comes calling.  Old memories come back.  It’s vivid in your mind.  Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I did that, said that, went there, it’s so awful.

But wait a minute.  What are you supposed to do about it?  

You can’t go back in time and make it not happen.  

Sometimes the people involved aren’t even alive anymore.  Now what?  You can’t even tell them you’re sorry.

 It doesn’t matter.  You can’t change the past and it doesn’t matter because God has given us the solution.  Repentance.

Don’t wallow in regret.  It does no good.  It helps no one.  It changes nothing.  It makes no difference.  It only drags you down, wastes time, drains your energy, saps your emotions, and for no good reason.

So when Regret comes knocking, don’t answer.  Don’t listen.  Don’t waste a minute thinking about it.

Skip regret and go directly to repentance.  That is God’s gift to us for handling all the stains.

In Isaiah 1:18, God says, “...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...”

Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west,” that’s how far God has removed our transgressions from us.

Hallelujah.

So how to handle regrets?  Don’t handle them at all.  Skip it.

Skip regret, go directly to repentance, and be done with it once and for all.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

How to Overlook an Offense

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

The Bible talks about overlooking offenses.

Why would you ever overlook an offense?

Because it is wise to overlook an offense.  It is prudent.  It is honorable.  It is virtuous.  It is to your glory.  It is to your credit.  The Message version of Proverbs 19:11 says it is to your grandeur.

And when you refuse to overlook offenses you basically waste your life in drama, burning every bridge, cutting every tie and destroying every relationship.  

But God has a better plan!

Proverbs 19:11 says, “...it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

Proverbs 12:16 says, “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.”

And I love the use of this word “overlook.”  When you overlook something, you do it because it is small, because your eyes are trained on something bigger.  

You overlook an offense because your eyes are trained on something bigger.

And what would that be?

Loving people.  

We are called to love people.  God told us to love our neighbor, and even our enemy.

So we overlook the smaller thing of the offense because our eyes are on the bigger thing of loving this person.  How can I love them?  Lord, show me, how can I love this person with Your love flowing through me?

First Corinthians 13:5, the love chapter, seems to say something crazy.  It says that love keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not keep an account of all the offenses.  Why not?

Because love is overlooking them, looking to the bigger picture which is:  what is best for this person?

They were made in the image of God.  They have been gifted by God and called by God.  Jesus died for them.  He died for these very offenses.

And Jesus told us to love them.  He wants what is best for them, and so should we.

That is the big picture.  What is best for them?  How can we love them?  How can we let God love them through us?  

Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives is...love...

God puts His Spirit inside of His people, and His Spirit is going to bear the good fruit of love through us as long as we don’t block Him up.

And what is one key to not blocking up the Holy Spirit?

It is this.  Overlook the offense.  We can overlook offenses because our eyes are fixed on the bigger picture of loving people.

And that is how you overlook an offense.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple. 

Neither Boredom Nor Burnout

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32)

I’m about to say something crazy, but it’s true.

It’s not the usual way of thinking, but it’s God’s way, so listen up.

If your church has a total of a hundred people including one pastor, then your pastor should be doing one percent of the work of that church.

Pause.

Think about it.

Let me say it again. If your church has a total of a hundred people including one pastor, then your pastor should be doing one percent of the work of that church.

Did you just spit up a little?

I’m telling you, this is the way the body of Christ is designed to work. We each have a vital part in the body, and we each need to fulfill our part.

Now you might be thinking, “That’s the pastor’s full time job. I have to go to work everyday. I can’t be doing the same amount of church work as the pastor. That’s ridiculous!”

That’s true...IF you have pigeon-holed the work of the church into, like, 5 duties that a pastor does. Forget about that.

The question is, are you fulfilling your part in the body of Christ? You have a unique part, with unique giftings and callings from God Himself. And your part in the body is your part in the body, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The pastor has HIS part in the body, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. EVERY BELIEVER has their part in the body, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Are you fulfilling your part in the body? If everyone in your local congregation of one hundred people is fulfilling their part in the body, then each person is doing one percent of the work of that local congregation.

Don’t pigeon-hole God’s work into the, like, 10 jobs that you think of as “church work.” God’s work is the work of His entire body, which is explosively loaded with gifts and callings, the vast majority of which never see the light of day.

“But Doug, I can’t be doing all that church work. I have to go to work, and look after my kids, and take a little time just to enjoy life, you know.”

Yes, I know. And more importantly, God knows. He created you. He knows EXACTLY, PRECISELY WHAT YOU NEED. He put inside of every believer just what you need in the form of His Holy Spirit. He has gifted you and called you; and your most fulfilling, abundant life will come when you fulfill your part in the body of Christ.

Now the title of this lesson is, “Neither Boredom Nor Burnout.” Many Christians go sailing off in one of those two directions.

First, boredom. My daughter told me the other day, “I think so many Christians are drinking alcohol today because they are bored.” What? If you tap into the Holy Spirit and all that God has for you, boredom will go flying out the window. Fulfilling your part in the body of Christ will be the most exciting adventure you have ever been on, if you will just take the time to diligently seek God and let His Spirit lead you.

Second, burnout. Many Christians will hear a message like this, get fired up, and dive head first into church work, doing everything that comes their way.

Listen. I’m telling you to seek God and fulfill YOUR PART in the body of Christ – and that’s not anyone else’s part. You can’t do anyone else’s part. When you try to do your part and other people’s parts in the body, you will burn out. Then you can drop out altogether and say, “I got burned out in church.” Don’t fall for it.

But when you truly follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in order to understand and follow and fulfill YOUR part in the body, then you will not burn out.

Pastors who are overwhelmed? You are likely trying to fulfill several parts in the body that aren’t yours, which you cannot do.

Deacons or elders or teachers or whatever who are getting burned out in church – you are probably doing more than you are called and gifted to do. You need to fulfill your part in the body, no more (that leads to burnout) and no less (that leads to boredom).

So I close with the shocking line I opened with, and I’ll leave you to pray about it and seek God.

If your church has a total of a hundred people including one pastor, then your pastor should be doing one percent of the work of that church.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Comparison Competition Provision Pleasure

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

How are you doing in life?

How do you know?

Is it by comparing yourself to others?

“I’m doing cruddy because I’m not on a plane to Hawaii like my friends on Facebook.”

Comparing ourselves to others is a terrible trap and a waste of time.  Either we feel bad because others are doing better, or we can feel proud because we are doing better.

But how can you know how you are doing in life if you don’t compare yourself to others?

“I guess I’m doing okay.  At least I’m not as bad as those people, wow, look at them.”

That’s comparison.

And then there is comparison’s evil twin:  competition.

Competition is basically organized comparison.  It’s adding standings and prizes and gold medals.  

“How am I doing in life?  Why, I’m the XYZ trophy winner.  I’m doing great!”

But again, that’s just comparing ourselves to others.  Is there a way to know how we are doing in life without comparison?

Well, there is provision.  How am I providing for myself?  

Leave out comparing yourself to others, because someone else will always be providing more.  The question is, are you providing enough to meet your needs, and then the needs of your family? 

Provision is an important measurement for how you are doing in life, but it probably takes less than you think.  Providing all the latest whizmos for your kids is not the measurement.

“But then they won’t be happy!”

And that brings us to our final measurement for how we are doing in life:  our pleasure.  Are we happy?

We can measure that, minute by minute, but is pleasure a good measure for how we are doing in life?

So much of life isn’t what you would call pleasure.  Even the addict whose only goal is seeking pleasure doesn’t feel that much pleasure.

If you lived on a yacht on a beautiful island full of beautiful people and music and non-stop good times, before long it would just be boring.

So how are we doing in life?  We often answer that question by comparison (I’m winning!), or provision (I’m rich!), or pleasure (I’m so happy!)

But I want to suggest a different measurement for how we are doing in life.

God created us.  God put inside each of us fantastic raw materials.  We have gifts.  We have callings.  We have a purpose.  We have a part to play, assigned by God. 

So the question is, are we doing it?  Are we doing what God has gifted us to do and called us to do?  Are we running in the lane that God has assigned to us, and running for all we’re worth?

That is a measurement worth measuring.

That is a standard worth rising to.

That will bring us the best answer to that pesky, age-old question, “How am I doing in life?”

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

A World Full of Raw Materials

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire!  (Luke 24:32)

God hides things.

Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing...”

When God created the world He concealed literally tons of things.

Picture Adam and Eve in the garden.  And even if you don’t believe in the garden, we all agree that when you go back just a few thousand years the world was a pretty primitive place.  It was beautiful but rough, and you certainly wouldn’t have looked around and even fathomed all the discoveries that were yet to come.

At that time the world was packed full of raw materials, but they were hidden.  We didn’t know about electricity, for example.  We didn’t even know about metal.  We didn’t know about seeds.  I mean, if nobody told you, you’d probably eat an apple and think, “What are these stupid black things in the middle?”  So you’d throw them out in the dirt, and one day you’d see a plant growing where you tossed the seeds, but you didn’t know, so you were like, “Pull that stupid weed.  We don’t need weeds around here.  We’re hungry.”

We didn’t know it at first, but seeds are some of the mightiest raw materials in the world!  But were they obvious?  No.  They were hidden.

Now think of all the things under ground:  silver, gold, coal, oil, but Adam and Eve didn’t see a single one of them.  The world was full of raw materials, but they were hidden.

God hides things.

And the same is true when it comes to people.  God has packed each one of us with raw materials, but they are hidden and need to be discovered!

I was watching my twin grandchildren when they were quite young.  They both had pulled the straw out of their little cups and I said, “Put it back in.”  They were probably too little to do this, and my granddaughter did what was natural.  She tried and tried but didn’t yet have the ability to do it.  But my grandson surprised me when he put the straw straight into the hole.  I thought, “Hmm, that was interesting.”

And since then I’ve noticed that he has a great eye for mechanics and the size and shape of things and how they work.  Meanwhile, his twin sister is already reading like a much older child and is very good with words and speaking.

These are raw materials.  We didn’t know they were there, but we are discovering them.

Every one of us, every single human, including you, is full of raw materials.  Your creator, God the Father, put them in you, and they just need to be discovered.

And they are so different.  Look at this planet and there are tons of raw materials and they are so wildly and wonderfully different.  

And the raw materials that God has put inside you are different.  Maybe you want to be more like other people, but your skill set is different.  Your giftings are different.  And God’s calling on your life is different.  

First Corinthians 12:11 tells us that God distributes gifts to each person according to His will. 

God has plans for you!  And He has given you the giftings that line up with His plans.

Every person has gifts.  Every person is packed with raw materials, and it is our job to discover them and maximize them.  We are to discover our own, and we are to help other people discover theirs.

THEN the body of Christ will be humming along on all cylinders.  THEN the church will be living up to her potential...once we realize that every single person is packed with raw materials from God and it is our job to discover them and help them grow.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.