Set the Bar High...for the Most High

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

Do you see a man skilled in his work?  He will stand in the presence of kings!

That’s what it says in Proverbs 22:29.

Are you skilled in your work?

Are you improving your skills?

It’s a lifelong effort.  We never stop improving.

Jesus’ parable of the talents tells us the value of taking what we have and growing it.

Matthew 25:23 says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You were faithful over a few things.  I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.”

So the question is, are we being faithful with what we’ve been given?  

It’s a requirement.

First Corinthians 4:2 says it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Are we being faithful?  Are we growing what we’ve been given?  Are we improving our skills, taking them to the next level, moving towards mastery?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

Colossians 3:23 says whatever we do, we should do it with all of our heart, as if we are doing it for the Lord.  

Here are some Bible verses I often apply to my work, taken from Luke chapter 3, “the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth.”

In your work, are there crooked places and rough ways?  It’s time to make them straight for the Lord!

Sometimes I say it this way, “Set the bar high…for the Most High!”

Philippians 4:8 says, “…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy…” 

That should apply to our work!

When people want to think about something excellent or praiseworthy, our work should come to mind.

Show me a man who is skilled in his work and I will show you a man who will stand before kings!

And the most important king is the King of Kings!

So, are we skilled in our work?  How can we become MORE skilled in our work? 

How can we meet the requirement of being a faithful steward of what God has given us?

One way is by locking this mindset into our brains.

Set the bar high…for the Most High!

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

If You Are the Son of God

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

“If You are the Son of God…”

That’s what they shouted at Jesus while He was on the cross.

They said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

He could have.

He could have avoided the cross altogether.

When He was arrested, Peter pulled out a sword to fight, but Jesus told him to put it away.  Then He said, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”

He could have avoided the cross, but, He said to Peter, “How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

God had a plan, but Peter didn’t see it.

Even when God announces His plans, people often don’t see it.

In John chapter 2, while Jesus was at the huge temple in Jerusalem, some leaders asked Him for a sign, so He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  The leaders were like, “What?  It took 46 years to build this temple, and you’re going to raise it up in three days?”

But Jesus wasn’t talking about that building.  He was talking about His own body being raised up in three days after the crucifixion.

But they didn’t get it.  Even when Jesus did announce the plan, they didn’t get it.

But they did use His words against Him.

When He was on trial, Matthew 26 says, “…two false witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”

They used these same words against Him while He was on the cross, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

But you know what?  I think we do the same thing today.

We lack understanding.  We don’t see God’s plan, so we say dumb things like, “If You are really God, You’ve got to do thus and so.”

And it doesn’t seem all that unreasonable.  To tell Jesus to come off the cross if He’s the Son of God is not all that unreasonable.  But it is ignorant of God’s plans.

Much of the time we are ignorant of God’s plans, and that’s where this word “trust” comes in.

When Jesus told Peter to put his sword away, He was saying “trust Me.”

When Jesus told Peter to go back in the water and let down the nets, even though Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus was saying “trust Me.”

And Peter did trust Him.  At one point, when a bunch of fair-weather followers left Jesus, He turned and said to His disciples, “Do you want to leave, too?”

Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter didn’t know what all was going on, but he did trust Jesus.  

So what about us?  We also don’t understand what all is going on, but will we trust Jesus?

God has plans, and He’s never been in the habit of revealing them in detail.

But there is something that God is very much in the habit of:  asking us to trust Him.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding…”

Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.”

I don’t want to be one who says, “IF You are the Son of God, here’s what You have to do…”

Instead, I want to be one who says, “You ARE the Son of God.  And even though I don’t understand what all is going on, I put my full faith and trust in You.”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Take Every Thought Captive

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

There are some things we shouldn’t think about.

That almost sounds un-American, like, “What about my freedom, man?”

But our thoughts, like most everything, if left to themselves, will just meander downward.

I love the imagery of “take every thought captive.”

It means you don’t let your thoughts go anywhere they please.  Captives don’t get that luxury.

The idea comes from Second Corinthians 10:5 where it talks about taking every thought captive and bringing it into the obedience of Christ.

So how do we take every thought captive?

The Bible has some guidelines.  Let’s start with Philippians 4:8, “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

That knocks out a bunch of the stuff we see online, and a bunch of stuff we hear in gossip.  We shouldn’t think about them because they aren’t excellent or praiseworthy.

It also knocks out a whole category of self-talk, because this also applies to our thoughts about ourselves.  

Some people are in a horrible rut of thinking awful things about themselves, yet Philippians 4:8 says to think on the good things, and Second Corinthians 10:5 wants us to bring all the negative self-talk into the obedience of Christ, who loves us and wants the best for us.

So I recommend memorizing Philippians 4:8 and bringing all of our thoughts captive into that wonderful, biblical, positive corral.

Here’s another biblical guideline for taking every thought captive:  Philippians 3:13.  It says to forget what is behind.  We are to forget the past and press on toward the future that God has for us.

That knocks out a whole category of thinking that some people never get beyond…those things in the past.  Some people can’t get past that wrong that was done to them, and some people can’t get past that victory way back when, so they end up stuck in the past.  But Philippians 3:13 says to forget what is in the past.  We don’t think about the things in the past.  Instead we press on toward what God is doing now and in the future.

Along this same line is our next guideline found in First Corinthians 13:5.  It says that love keeps no record of wrongs.  That’s another whole category of thinking that we need to take captive for Christ:  all the wrongs that were ever done to us.  We need to stop thinking about them.  And if they come to our mind, we don’t dwell on them.  We take them captive and submit them to Christ who wants us to love our enemies, which is nearly impossible to do as long as we are thinking about how they did us wrong.

Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on things above, on heavenly things, Godly things, holy things.  We take our thoughts captive and train them to think on eternal things, like loving God and loving people, things like God’s Word and God’s plans.

I’ve been talking about my motto of living “Lean and Clean for the King,” and this is a subcategory of that:  keeping our thoughts lean and clean by taking every thought captive for Christ and by not thinking about a bunch of things that don’t do any good anyway.

So, if we’re ready to go to the next level, this is one thing we’re going to have to do:  take every thought captive.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Lean & Clean for the King

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

Lean and clean for the King.

That’s my personal motto.

What does it mean?

It means I want to cut the fat, the dirt, even the dust from my life so I can operate lean and clean for the King, by which I mean King Jesus, the King of Kings.

A serious athlete puts his body in peak condition.  It means cutting some things from his life.

Serious actors go to great lengths to prepare for certain roles.  It means cutting some things from their life.

And serious Christians will cut some things from their life to become all that God wants them to be.

I want to cut the fat from my body so it can be a fully functioning vessel.

I want to cut the fat from my schedule so that my time is used wisely.

I want to cut the fat from my thinking, taking every thought captive, and stopping my brain from running off in every direction.

“But Doug, that sounds like work.  I thought we were saved by grace, not by works.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 literally says that.  We are saved by grace…but then what?

But then keep reading.  It says we are saved BY grace…FOR good works.

What are we supposed to be doing, now that we are saved by grace?

Good works!

And if we want to be great at doing good works, we have to cut the fat, get in shape, and get prepared to run the race.

“But Doug, what about my liberty in Jesus?”

Yes, thank God, we have liberty in Jesus!  

Now look at Galatians 5:13, “…ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Yes, we have liberty, but we don’t sit back on our fat liberty and indulge the flesh.  That’s stupid.  It’s wasteful.  It’s selfish.  

We have been created for good works.  We have been called to love and serve one another.  

That is the race.  It’s the high calling.  It’s the most fulfilling.  It’s what we were made to do from the foundation of the world.

And to do it, we need to get in shape for it.  We need to cut the extraneous, the bloated, the unruly, the undisciplined parts of our life and bring it all under submission, in humility, through His grace, and for His glory.

And for me, I sum up the whole process in this one little phrase.

Lean and clean for the King.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Why Did Christians Threaten John Lennon?

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

Why did Christians threaten John Lennon?

He was a 20-something year old pop star for the Beatles in the 1960’s when he made an offhanded comment about Jesus.  

It stirred up the ire of many Christians, even to the point of John Lennon getting threats, even death threats.

Why would Christians threaten John Lennon?

Maybe they were thinking, “Who does he think he is, making cracks about our Lord and Savior?  We can’t let him get away with it.”

Interestingly, we find a similar story in the Bible.

In Luke chapter 9, Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, and they were going through various towns.

Verse 52 says, “…and as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans...”

So the disciples enter this Samaritan village and guess what happens.  They reject Him.  They don’t want Jesus coming to their town.

I can see why the disciples would be angry.  Jesus does nothing but good everywhere He goes, and you reject Him?  How dare you!

And that’s what some Christians were saying to John Lennon in the 60’s.  How dare you!

Back to Luke chapter 9, the disciples James and John are so angry that they go up to Jesus and say, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

Wow.  That’s not just a little threat on a single perpetrator.  That’s a threat to wipe out a whole town.

And Jesus responds accordingly.  He turns on them and rebukes them and says, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

That’s a lesson we all need to learn.  What do we do when someone speaks badly about Jesus, or about the faith, or the Bible, or the church?  

We love them.  We speak the truth in love to them.  We treat them honorably as humans made in God’s image.  We shine the light and hope and peace of Jesus.

And one thing we don’t do is threaten them, because Jesus did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.

Did all the threats on John Lennon lead anywhere close to saving him?  

Do any threats we might make today lead anyone anywhere close to salvation?

The goals of Jesus are redemption, salvation, freedom, hope, and a right relationship with God.

And these do not come from threats.

So how did the story in Luke chapter 9 end?  Verse 56 simply says, “And they went to another village.”

And that’s the lesson for us.  If someone is speaking ill of Jesus, we don’t threaten them.  We don’t get all worked up about it.  Jesus didn’t.  What He did get worked up about was His own followers making threats against those who reject Him.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This is what should be shining through all of God’s people out to everyone, even to celebrities who make less than positive comments about Jesus.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

What Do You Do Best?

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

What do you do best?

Do it for God.

Those things you are good at, even if they don’t seem to be “churchy,” offer them up to God as an offering.  

“Lord, I offer this up to You.  I love You so much, and I’m so grateful for everything.”

I’m not talking about anything sinful, of course, but I am talking about the host of things that people are good at besides preaching or teaching or singing or whatever else is on the short list of obvious Christian ministries.

What if you are good at computer coding? 

What if you’re good at auto mechanics?

What if you’re good at sewing?

What are you good at?

Do it for God.

First Corinthians 10:31 says whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 says whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father.

Colossians 3:23 says whatever we do, we should do it with all of our heart, and do it for the Lord.

Romans 12:11 says never be lazy, never be lacking in zeal, work hard, keep your spiritual fervor, and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

So what do you do best?

Do it for God.

Are you gifted in certain ways?  You’re better at some things than others, right?  Where did those aptitudes come from?

James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven.

If you have a good gift, God gave it to you, and the best thing to do is to offer it back to Him as an offering, as a sacrifice of praise, using it for His glory, growing it for His glory, blessing other people with it, for His glory.

That seems obvious with the more churchy gifts, but it’s less obvious with the rest.

When my kids were in a Christian elementary school, the parents all pitched in, and one job I took was cleaning the bathrooms every Tuesday and Thursday night.  I figured it was a disgusting job (it was) and that one gift God had given me was that I don’t mind doing disgusting jobs.  

So I did it, I did it well, and I offered it up to God as an offering.  I prayed for the kids and the school while I cleaned.  And I especially remember one night when God’s presence just overwhelmed me.  I was cleaning a toilet, and tears of joy rolled down my face.  I felt so full in my soul.  God did it, and I think He did it because I was offering my best to Him, even in a humble, non-church situation.

What do you do best?

Do it for God.

Offer it up to Him as a sacrifice of praise.

Busy with small children, changing diapers, cleaning up messes, doing laundry?  Do your best.  Do it as unto the Lord.  Do it for Him and watch Him fill your soul.

If you don’t know what you do best, ask around.  Ask your family, your friends, anyone who knows you, and soon enough you’ll get the picture.  

Then take that and grow it, work it, expand it, make it great, and all the while offer it up to Him, back to Him, with thanksgiving and praise.

So I’ll leave you with this question to ponder, one more time.  

What do you do best?

Then do it…for God.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Christians Should Stop Saying This

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

Cringey statements.

We’ve all made them.  We’ve all heard them.

Cringey statements are those things we say that make other people cringe, and they often make US cringe when we think about them later.

Here is a statement I hear Christians say sometimes.

“I love them…but I don’t like them.”

I get the point.  You’re talking about a person who says or does things you don’t like, but as a Christian, we’re supposed to love them, so what do we say?  “I love them, but I don’t like them.”

But you know what?  No one is feeling the love here.  “You love me, but you don’t like me?”  I’m not feeling it.

“Well Doug, how can I like someone who is so unlikeable?”

Look.  As Christians we don’t divide the world into the likeable and the unlikeable.  That would be terrible.

God wants us to love people, all people, every single person.  We can walk down the street and in our mind say, “I love that guy and that guy and that guy.  I love her and her and her…all of them…likeable and unlikeable…agreeable and disagreeable…every single person.”

That is God’s calling and His desire for us…to love one another, to love our neighbor, to even love our enemy.

Love is the natural state for God’s people, but we pile on so much baggage that it almost becomes unrecognizable.

Like when we talk about “liking” someone.  This isn’t the first grade playground.  “I don’t like Joey because he’s mean.”

As grown up Christians, we’re supposed to love people, even mean people, and God has put inside of us all the love in the universe in the form of His Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love.  

So do we just ignore all the mean things people do?

No, but we need to separate their actions from their being.  We can dislike, even hate their actions.  And yes, there comes a time when we can’t be around someone, when they are so corrupt that they will suck us into their vortex if we get too close.

So we abhor those actions, but the person is someone made in the image of God, whom God loves, whom Jesus died for, and the Holy Spirit inside of us wants to love them through us.

So we stop making the cringey statement, “I love them, but I don’t like them.”  No one’s feeling it.  If there’s any love there at all, it is nearly unrecognizable.

But here is something we can say instead, and it really is a powerful, biblical, positive and loving statement.  

Instead of saying, “I love you, but I don’t like you,” we can say this.

“I love you, and I want God’s best for you.”

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

What Am I Denying Myself?

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

Do you want to be a follower of Jesus?

If so, He gives a prerequisite.

Jesus said if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves.  

So the question is, what am I denying myself?

It’s almost un-American to deny ourselves anything.

King Solomon denied himself nothing at all, and it wrecked his kingdom.

I approach this in a childlike way.  I just say, “God, I am denying myself this because I’m so hungry for You.”

Deny myself what?

It’s been many things over the years, and it’s always something.  Yesterday a friend said, “Would you like a muffin?  Or are you fasting muffins now?  I can’t keep track of what you are fasting.”

Well, right now I’m fasting candy and cookies and frozen dairy treats.  I’ve actually been fasting candy and cookies for three years now.

I pray, “Father, I’m denying myself these things that are pleasant in this world because I’m so hungry for the things of the Kingdom of God.”

I’m currently fasting all beverages except what I call the front-line soldier beverages of water and black coffee.

I pray, “Father, I’m fasting all drinks besides water and black coffee because I’m so thirsty for You.  As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after Thee.”

I don’t really know exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Deny yourself,” but I’m pretty sure that if I’m denying myself nothing, I’m not meeting the standard.

So like I said, I approach it like a child.  I just pick some things and deny them to myself.  I fast from them.  I do it out of a heart and a passion to follow Jesus.

He is the Good Shepherd.  I want to be a sheep that follows closely.  I’m desperately hungry for that, to follow as closely as I possibly can.

And He said that if I want to follow Him, then I must deny myself, so that is what I’m doing, in my own humble, child-like, sheep-like way.  

And I hope you consider doing the same.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Honor All People

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

So you want to have a radio program.  We have a few rules, and here’s one of them:  no bashing on other people.

Yes, you can talk about what is true.  You can talk about what is being done wrong.  You can even talk about people who are doing wrong, but the rule stands:  no bashing on other people.*

“But Doug, what about their politics?  What about their lifestyle?  What about their bad doctrine?  What about their evil ways, their deceptions, their cunning, conniving, crafty, criminal lives?”

I don’t care what they’ve done.  I don’t care what they’ve said or what they’re promoting.  If they are out of bounds you can point that out, but you don’t trash them in the process.

Why not?  Where does that come from?  Is it even possible?

In First Peter chapter 2 verse 17 we encounter three of the most powerful words you will ever read in all of the Scriptures.  It says, “Honor all people…”

Honor all people.

Now why would that be in the Bible when there are clearly people and actions and ideas that are dishonorable?

It’s because God, as always, is setting for us the very highest standard.  

Do you want to live at the very highest standard?  Are you ready to rise above the fray, to live at a new level in your walk with God?

Then honor all people.

And what about their dishonorable attributes?  Do we ignore them?  Skip over them?  Make light of them?

Of course not, but we approach every single person on the planet with honor.  

Why?

Because they are people, creations of God, created in His image, and thus they are worthy of honor.

Listen.  Every single human being is an image bearer of God, and that alone makes them worthy of honor.  

And then to whatever degree each of us is living outside of God’s boundaries of what is truly honorable, then that is where God’s redemption must come in and do its work.

And if we really want to open the door for the good news, the glad tidings of God’s redemption through Jesus Christ, we have to realize that it won’t happen by bashing on people.  

Romans 2:4 says that it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.

Is there anyone on the planet whom you disrespect, even despise, and you would rejoice at their downfall?

Then stop it.  There’s a better way.  There’s a higher way.  Are you ready to live at the very highest level of Christianity?

Then here’s the thing to do, and it’s found in these three simple words in First Peter chapter 2 verse 17.

Honor all people.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

* We speak the truth in love.  We let our speech always be with grace, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  

One side note:  Peter wrote this at the time when Nero was living his abominable life as the emperor of Rome, and that included doing terrible things to Christians, and yet the last three words of that same verse say, “…honor the king.”  Wow.

Seed-Bearing Fruit

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

Here is a Bible phrase that I am fascinated with:  seed-bearing fruit.

We take it for granted, but it is one of the most remarkable things in all of God’s creation:  seed-bearing fruit.

You bite into a delicious apple and what do you find?  Apple seeds!

So the apple tree not only produces fruit that tastes good and smells good and looks good and is good for us to eat.  It produces seeds inside the fruit that will grow more apples.

It is astounding!  And God gets all the glory.

Except from some people who give all the credit to…evolution.

I was reading a website article designed for children and proclaiming their “academic rigor.”  The author had the academic pedigree, and was answering a question from six-year-old Alice, “Where did the seed first come from?”

The answer to Alice was, “Seeds came together bit-by-bit over a really long time, as plants evolved.”

Now if you believe in evolution like this, then you already take this for granted without a second thought.  Seeds just developed as plants worked out better ways to replicate themselves over millions of years.  End of discussion.

Oh, and not just one plant came up with the idea of a seed.  This same “evolution” occurred in this plant and that plant and plant after plant…aaaalmost like there was a design to it.

Well, that’s because there was a design to it, and a Designer.  God did it, and I thank Him and glorify Him for His amazing creation!

Genesis 1:11-12 says, “Then God said, ‘Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.’ And that is what happened.  The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.” (NLT)

My reaction to that is like what it says in Psalm 52:9, “I will praise Thee forever, because Thou hast done it…”

So like I said, I love this phrase “seed-bearing fruit.”

And that applies to our spiritual life.  Jesus said in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit…”

Verse 16 says “…that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…”

So my prayer is that my life will bear good eternal fruit, and then I add this to my prayer, “Lord, I want to bear good seed-bearing fruit.”

See, it’s one thing to produce fruit, and it’s another thing to produce seed-bearing fruit.

For example, seedless grapes.  Sure, the grapes are delicious, but that’s the end of the line.

But seed-bearing grapes, that’s another story.  They can produce generations of good fruit.

And that’s what I want for my life.  I want to bear good fruit, and I want it to be seed-bearing fruit, the kind that doesn’t end with me, but will continue producing good fruit for generations to come.

“Lord, please let me bear good, eternal, seed-bearing fruit, in Jesus’ name I pray.”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

The Same Spot Every Day for a Year

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

As I write this, I am fresh off of watching the documentary called My Octopus Teacher.

It’s about a man who came across a small octopus in the waters off of South Africa.  The octopus caught his interest, and even seemed, for an octopus anyway, somewhat friendly.

So he made a decision.  What would happen if he came back to that same spot every day for a year?  Could he win the trust of an octopus?  What would he learn and discover in the process?  So he did it, and filmed it, and now it’s a popular documentary.

But it got me thinking about our relationship with God.  God also is very mysterious and different, full of wonders.

What would happen if we decided to go meet with God in the same spot every day for a year?

I mean, a man did it for an octopus, one of God’s incredible creations, surely we could do it for the Creator Himself, right?

Hebrews 11:6 says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

James 4:8 says that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

Isaiah 55:6 tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found.

And listen closely to Psalm 14:2.  It says that the Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if anyone is seeking Him.

Am I seeking Him?  Are you?

This man sought to form a relationship with an octopus by going to the same spot every day for a year and seeing what would happen.

What if we sought to form a relationship with God by going to meet Him in the same spot every day for a year?

One thing I know for sure.  If we commit ourselves to draw near to God like that…He will draw near to us.  And the results will be amazing.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

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.