Things That Will Help You Get Up and Get Out - Apples of Gold - April 22, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 22, 2010

“Things That Will Help You Get Up and Get Out”

 

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

“To find what will help you get up and get out,
Write down all the things you are zealous about.”

Okay, so here are some things I am zealous about.

I am zealous about the fact that Jesus Christ is the light that came into the world; and He will bring light into every life that turns to Him.

I am zealous about God’s eternal truth which we discover both through the study of the Scriptures and through the Holy Spirit who dwells within believers.

I am zealous about eternal life – that life goes on long after we die, and that our short life here is just the beginning.

I am zealous about the forgiveness of sins – which is available through Jesus Christ.  This forgiveness is the ultimate life changer which makes us right before God and clears the way for His Spirit to dwell within us.

I am zealous about the leading of the Lord and the wisdom He gives.  In a world where people constantly stumble and fall and make wrecks of their lives, God’s wisdom puts us on a straight, uncluttered path where we can walk upright and secure.

I am zealous about morality and honesty and integrity – hallmarks of the straight and narrow road that leads to life.  These qualities build a strong foundation for any society.

I am zealous about marriage, when the two become one flesh – one man and one woman together forever, ‘til death do they part.  This is the cornerstone of the family, which is the cornerstone of society.  Get the family right and all the rest will fall into place.

I am zealous for the church, the body of Christ, the family of God.  Your blood family may be broken, but God has lovingly provided you with something better – His own “body” which builds itself up in love, where everyone has a part and each part has a share in both the benefits and responsibilities.

I am zealous for education, the constant learning and training and growing of the mind and skills.  God gave us the raw materials and we are now responsible for turning them into something useful.  We take 1’s and make them 2’s.  We take 2’s and make them 4’s.  Everyone is born knowing nothing, and every speck of wisdom and knowledge we will take to our grave – if we don’t pass it on to the millions of children born every year.

I am zealous for discovery and invention.  God gave us a planet full of raw materials.  When Adam walked in the garden, the earth had everything we needed for cars and space ships and flat screen TVs.  And there are a million more new discoveries and inventions just waiting for us, if we will put our minds and hearts and souls to the task.

I am zealous against waste.  I don’t believe in wasting minds or food or money or time or talents.  There are too many needs, too much to be done, too much to be gained if we will just be mindful of not wasting things. 

I am zealous for good parenting.  The world is so thoroughly shaped by parents, what they did and didn’t do, how wise or unwise they were.  We must constantly be training and helping and encouraging parents to be the best they can be, because the future of the world is being shaped by parents right now.

I am zealous for creativity.  God is a creator, and we are made in His image, and I believe we are all called to create.  Instead of blowing time we should be setting our minds to creativity.  We need entrepreneurs to create new businesses.  We need writers to create influential plays and songs and novels and text books.  We need creative speakers and painters and even creative problem solvers in politics and social service.  Put your mind to the task – think – and create.

I am zealous for exerting your influence on society.  All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing; so the good men and women need to get off the couch and exert their influence, shine their light and make an impact.  If you think you have to be a great leader to do this, you are wrong.  Just be yourself and get to work.  Don’t think someone else is going to do it.  Don’t wait, because it may never happen.  It’s time to step out and make your mark on the world.

These are just a few things I am zealous about.  They may not be the same things you are zealous about, but you need to be zealous about something.  You need to be fired up about a few good godly things.

Romans 12:11 says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Yes, things happen in life, like a fire hose pounding your zeal.

So I want to encourage you today, stir it up!  Ask God to stir it up for you!  Like the old hymn writer said, “My zeal inspire!”

And if you need your zeal to be inspired today, lend an ear to this little rhyme.

“To find what will help you get up and get out,
Write down all the things you are zealous about.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

You Never Know What Your Kids Are Dealing With - Apples of Gold - April 21, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 21, 2010

“You Never Know What Your Kids Are Dealing With”

 

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

I kept my P.E. clothes in a gym bag with the school logo on it.

Why didn’t I just throw them in my locker?

Because I was afraid to go to my locker.

Why was I afraid to go to my locker?

Because I was a skinny freshman in a P.E. class with grown men. 

Now I should have been okay, because my last name begins with an A.  My P.E. locker should have been right there in the front row, out in the open.

But it wasn’t.  For some reason my assigned locker was back in the dark, damp corner, right between two monsters.

Well it didn’t take long to figure out it was going to be a long year. 

No, I didn’t get stabbed or shot.  It was just a daily dose of cruelty, sometimes for laughs and sometimes just to inflict pain. 

So what could I do?  Tell the teacher?

Hardly.  I don’t know about your P.E. teachers, by mine had little sympathy.  I’d seen others report trouble only to be mocked, by the teacher. 

And we all know that squealing just makes you a bigger target.

I could fight back, but they were bigger and meaner and I really didn’t see any way to do it and win.

I could run home and tell my parents, but can you imagine that scene?  “Doug, your mommy and daddy are here.”

And that’s my point today.  I did not tell my parents.  There were probably a hundred things just like that that my parents would have been very interested to know, but I didn’t tell them.

So parents, what are your kids not telling you?  What are they dealing with that you don’t know about?

Well for whatever reason I decided that I was completely on my own.  No one was going to handle my P.E. problem but me.

So what did I do?

One of my friends had a locker out in the main room, so I asked him if I could keep my P.E. bag in his locker.  He agreed and the problem was solved.  I never went back to my locker in the corner again.

Until the teacher came along one day and caught me putting my stuff in my friend’s locker.  I have no idea why, but he suddenly made a big deal out of it.  “You are not allowed to put your stuff in someone else’s locker.” 

Now what?  Should I tell him about the monsters?  Yeah, right. 

Should I go back to the locker in the corner?  Not on your life.

So what did I do?

I just kept doing what I was doing, but tried to keep it under the teacher’s radar.  All I wanted to do was dress for P.E. without a bunch of grief, either from the dudes at my real locker, or from the teacher at my friend’s locker.  I just did what I thought I had to do to, and I told no one except my sympathetic fellow freshman.

And you know what?  I could tell you story after story about things like this that I dealt with as a boy.  Now I know we think of freshmen in high school as young men, but my goodness, they are barely teenagers. 

And something else.  What I went through was mild.  I have heard so many horror stories of things kids have gone through in those critical junior high and early high school years.  But do you think they ran home and told their parents?  Probably not.

And that’s my point today.  Parents, your children are probably dealing with a lot of things they aren’t telling you about.

So what can you do?

I think Ephesians 5 has some good advice for parents.  It says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

If there is any job that takes a lot of wisdom, it’s parenting.  It’s easy to be a foolish parent and hard to be a wise parent. 

But notice that phrase “redeeming the time.”  I think that is a parenting key.

It’s important to be there for your children, to spend time with them, because you know what?  They aren’t always ready to talk, especially when they are about 13 to 17 years old.  For whatever reason they start to clam up.

However, there are rare moments when they are suddenly willing to open up and share with you.  The trick is to actually be there when the mood strikes, to be wise enough to recognize it, and to be willing to stop and be a good listener.

So parents, it’s time to wise up and walk circumspectly.  We must redeem the time because the days are evil.

And you can start be realizing this important fact.  You never really know all the things your kids are dealing with.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

A Most Curious Cure - Apples of Gold - April 20, 2010 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 20, 2010

“A Most Curious Cure”

 

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

Yes, God could have just healed them all.

He could have just waved His mighty hand and all would be well.

But He didn’t.

Instead, He gave them one simple thing to do, one little hoop to jump through.

You can read about it Numbers chapter 21.  Moses was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, and suddenly the camp was infested with poisonous snakes.

Now the people had been whining to high heaven right before that, and they quickly connected their snotty behavior with the attack of the snakes.  So they went to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents.”  And Moses did.

And that’s when God prescribed a most curious cure.  He told Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and put it up on a pole.  And it shall come to pass that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

It doesn’t say God drove away the snakes.  It doesn’t say God kept them from biting.  It doesn’t say God neutralized their poison.  And it doesn’t say God healed everyone.

He simply told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it up on a pole.  Then anyone chomped by a real snake could live – as long as he looked up at the bronze snake.

That’s the end of the story, which leaves a lot of questions.  Did everyone look, or did some refuse to look, and die?  Did some wait to see how bad it would get, or did everyone immediately rush to look at the bronze serpent? 

Well anyway, chalk it up as just another odd story from days of yore.

And we could do that – if Jesus hadn’t brought it up during his little conversation with Nicodemus. 

As a Jewish teacher, Nicodemus would have been very familiar with this old story, so Jesus used it to shed light on a new story, one that hadn’t even taken place yet.

In John 3 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

It’s easy to see the comparison.  Moses put the bronze snake on a pole and lifted it up for all to see, and everyone who looked at it was saved from the poison and lived.

Well Jesus was nailed to a cross and lifted up, and whoever looks at Him, which is to say believes in Him, will be saved from the poison of sin and will live eternally.

Look to Jesus, and live!

Have you ever heard the testimony of Charles Spurgeon?  He lived in England in the 1800’s and became one of the most famous preachers in the world.  But as a young man he was lost in sin; so how did he come to Christ?

Well here’s the story, according to Spurgeon.org.*  In January 1850 a snowstorm interrupted his journey and he ducked into a Primitive Methodist chapel.  The regular minister didn’t make it in, so apparently one of the parishioners got up to deliver a message. 

The text was “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.”  Well the thin man spoke for about ten minutes and ran out of things to say.  Then he noticed Spurgeon, a stranger in the sparse crowd. 

He fixed his eyes on Spurgeon and said, “Young man, you look very miserable.”

Spurgeon said it was a “good blow” and struck him right at home. 

The speaker continued, “And you always will be miserable – miserable in life, and miserable in death – if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.”

Then the man lifted up his hands and shouted, Spurgeon said, “as only a Primitive Methodist could do.”  He said, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ.  Look!  Look!  Look!  You have nothing to do but to look and live.”

And Spurgeon said, “I saw at once the way of salvation.  I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, ‘Look!’  What a charming word it seemed to me!  Oh!  I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away.  There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to Him!.”

Yes, the story of Moses and the serpent seems quaint and ancient.

But then Jesus made it as current as today’s newspaper when He compared it to Himself. 

The Son of Man was lifted up for your sins and mine.  We can be spared from sin’s poison and live eternally!

And what does it take?

“Look!” said the Primitive Methodist preacher, “Look!”

You have nothing to do but to look to Jesus and live.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

*  http://www.spurgeon.org/heathbio.htm

© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

What You Guard the Most, That Is What You Treasure - Apples of Gold - April 19, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 19, 2010

“What You Guard the Most – That Is What You Treasure”

 

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

Do you want to know what is really important to you?

I don’t mean what you say is important, but what actually is important to you.

Here’s one way to tell.  What do you guard the most?

See, we guard what we treasure.  What we value the most we put high walls around.

For example, I know a lot of people say the Bible is important.  They say it’s important to read and study the Bible. 

But here’s the real test.  How well do they guard their Bible study time? 

If lots of things supersede their Bible study time, then they aren’t guarding it very well, which means it’s not so important after all.

You might say your marriage is important, but if so, how well are you guarding it?

You guard what you treasure, so if you treasure your marriage, you will guard it. 

If you treasure your children, you will guard them and protect them.

If you treasure time with your children, then you will guard that time.

See how this measurement works?  It’s a simple way to see what you really value the most, because what you guard is what you value.

Think of a bank.  The cash is well guarded, but the pens aren’t. 

Think of a football player.  He has cloth on his arm and hard plastic on his head.

Do you think prayer is important?  If so, then how well do you protect your prayer time?

How well you protect something shows how important you really think it is.

How important are your family pictures?  To me they are really important, which is proved by the great efforts I’ve made to protect them.  I have scanned all my favorite old photos, so now if some tragedy happens like a fire or a leaky roof and it destroys the actual prints, I still have them as digital files.

How important is your health?  Oh I know everyone says it’s important, but what are you doing to guard it?  If you don’t guard it, then it’s not as important as you say it is. 

Some people will guard against the pain of going to the dentist more than they will guard their dental health. 

So the question is, what are you guarding?  The things you put the most guards around are the things you value most.

I value time with my wife, and I put a guard around that time.  I know that if I don’t spend adequate time with my wife, it will hurt our marriage.  We will drift apart.  So because I highly value my marriage, I put a guard around our time together.

What I’m talking about here is a way to analyze yourself.  Sometimes we live in self-deceit.  We think we are something that we aren’t.

Romans 12:3 tells us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but to think of ourselves “with sober judgment.”

At church I found myself talking to a young man about his education.  He said he might go to a secular college and study theology.  Someone said, “I know two people who did that and they both lost their faith.  They were Christians going in, but now they aren’t even serving God.”

What was my two cents’ worth?  I said, “I would not put myself in a position where my faith would be constantly attacked.  My faith is precious to me so I wouldn’t do it.”

My integrity is important, so I guard it. 

My word is important, so I guard it.

My name is important, so I guard it.

Hiding the Word of God in my heart is important to me, so I guard my efforts to memorize scripture.  Other things try to sneak in and steal my time and motivation, so I have to guard it.

Church work is important to me, even church attendance, so I guard it.

My exercise time is important to me, so I guard it.

How can you tell what you guard the most?  One way is by checking how much time and money you spend on something.  Where your time and money go is probably where your treasure is, and that is probably what you are guarding the most.

Know thyself.  That’s another way of saying Romans 12:3, which says “think of yourself with sober judgment.”

And one good way to do that is to check and see what you are guarding the most.

See, it really doesn’t matter what you say is important to you.  You need to find out what really is important to you, and here is a good way to measure it.

What you guard the most – that is what you treasure.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

The Crowd Affects the Game - Apples of Gold - April 15, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 15, 2010

“The Crowd Affects the Game”

 

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

Dan loved playing football.

Then he suffered a career-ending injury.

Now what?

He could have slipped into depression.  He could have been angry.  He could have been jealous of his teammates.

Well he was “bummed out” he said.  It killed him, not being out on the field with his friends.

But then he had a revelation.

“I realized how much the crowd affects the game,” he said.  So he said, “You know what?  Why don’t I lead the charge?”

This was at St. Charles East High School in Illinois – the home of the Saints.

So instead of letting a black cloud envelope him after his injury, Dan did something very proactive.  He formed a group called the Superfans. 

He rallied a couple hundred students and they piled into every game to pump up the team.  They even had weekly strategy meetings.  What could they do to fire up the Saints?

Yes, the Saints still had to work on their game plan.  They did have to go out and actually play the game.

But then there is what some call the 12^th man on the field – the crowd.

Now let me repeat Dan’s quote.  He said, “I realized how much the crowd affects the game.”

And you know what?  I think that applies to all of life.

The crowd affects the game.

I said that to a woman yesterday who was telling me about her husband’s new business venture.

She said it was making her nervous.  She wasn’t sure if it was going to be successful or not.

So I reminded her that she was not simply a passive observer.  As his wife, she could have a very real impact on the success or failure of his business.

Why?

Because the crowd affects the game; and in this case she was the crowd.

Now think back to Dan after his career-ending injury.  He had the choice of either staying at home all dark and gloomy, or he could rally the troops and come out in flying support of the team.

In your marriage you have a similar choice.  When your spouse makes a decision you aren’t sure about, you can choose to be dark and gloomy, or you can come out in flying support of the home team.

This applies to your children.  Think of a dad who loves sports, but then his son loves music instead.  The dad could be all weird about it, but how much better if he’d come running out in support of his son’s music?

I think this happens a lot in church.  A visionary pastor dreams of a powerful, city-changing ministry.  He casts the vision to the members, who proceed to pick it apart.  They cast a black cloud over the pastor’s vision, then feel justified when things don’t work out.

But wait a minute.  The crowd doesn’t just predict the outcome.  The crowd affects the outcome. 

When a pastor casts a vision and the people rally to it, almost anything can happen.

For example, the pastor of the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville decided it was time to do something about the almost 200 sex businesses in the city.  He rallied people to the cause, got people out to hearings and talking to city officials and testifying in cases.  In six years they were able to clear over half those shops out of town.*

Sure, he could have taken up the fight by himself, but how discouraging if no one joins you, if everyone says, “Oh, that’s impossible.  Why even bother?  Good luck with that, preacher.”

Hebrews 10:24 tells us to spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

I like that word “spur.”  It’s like a sudden jolt of energy and enthusiasm. 

Over and over the Bible tells us to encourage and exhort one another and build each other up.

That’s not psychobabble.  It’s Bible!

So don’t forget your part in everything that’s going on around you.  Your words and your attitudes can be a real game changer, so put on your team colors and show your support!

And remember the example of Dan after his career-ending injury.  Instead of sulking at home he started the Superfans. 

And why did he do it?

Because he realized this one powerful truth.

The crowd affects the game.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

Here is the original newspaper report about Dan and the Superfans:  http://football.dailyherald.com/story/?id=49415

*  http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=CM10D08

© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

What If Love is the Final Authority? - Apples of Gold - April 14, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 14, 2010

“What If Love is the Final Authority?”

 

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

Call the authorities.

What do we usually want when we call the authorities?

We usually want an outsider to step in and mediate a situation.  We need them to provide restraint.

For example, if you see two guys fighting in the street.  They aren’t restraining themselves, so the authorities must step in and restrain them.

Authorities provide restraint within society.  The two guys may stop fighting at the mere thought of the authorities showing up.  But if they keep fighting, then the authorities have the power to break them up, even if it means blasting them with a taser.  They can throw them to the ground, handcuff them and put them in jail. 

Authorities provide restraint through the threat of and the use of physical force.  And if you want to go wild and simply will not be restrained, they have the option of shooting you.

Then on a national scale we have the armed forces.  Our military provides restraint for anyone who wants to harm us.  Would North Korea like to take over America?  Oh that’s right, they can’t, because we have the ability to incinerate them.

Now that’s an effective restraint!

In our world today, nuclear weapons seem to be the final authority, and that’s why we want to be careful who has them.  Unless you want to live in a wretched world, the good guys need to have the final authority over the bad guys.

And that means the good guys need to have the biggest arsenal.  Whether in our little towns or counties, or on an international scale, if you want to have the authority you must have the most powerful weapons and you must be ready to put the hammer down when the time comes.

Maybe it’s a guy thing, but that appeals to me.  The power and the authority and the ability to crush the perpetrators of evil, to wipe them off the map.  If you are doing evil, you can expect the authorities to sweep in and restrain you, even if it means using lethal force.

But then we read the words of Jesus and all his “rhetoric” about loving your enemies and doing good to those who hate you.

What?  What kind of nonsense is that?  If we love our enemies and do good to them, they will simply walk all over us.  They will have the power and the upper hand and we will become their slaves.

If they ask for our shirt and we give them our coat as well, then we will have neither shirt nor coat.  If we give them what they ask for, they will take everything.  Evil will end up with everything and good will have nothing.

It looks like doing things Jesus’ way would cause society to break down into all mayhem.

No, it looks like force is the answer, all the way up to lethal force.  That is the only way to keep society from swirling out of control and falling into the hands of evil.

Unless…

Think about this.  What if love is the final authority?

What if loving people is the display of power?

What if loving people is the show of force?

What if love is the restraint that holds people back?

I’m not saying we dismantle the army and the police force.  I’m just saying we need to take a good, long look at what Jesus said.

His big command is found in John 15.  More than once He emphasizes this command:  “Love each other.”

In verse 12 He said, “Love each other as I have loved you.”

Now think about this.  Have you ever restrained yourself out of deference to someone who loved you?

Here is an example I have heard many times.  Teenagers who want to go crazy end up restraining themselves because they know it would disappoint their parents.  I’m not talking about punishment.  I’m talking about young people who restrain themselves simply because they know their parents love them and they don’t want to disappoint or hurt them.

When you know someone really loves you, it changes you.  It changes your actions.  It sets up boundaries that you will not cross.

I’ll admit, I haven’t really wrapped my head around this concept.  How would this play out in society?  Is it even possible?

I’m not sure, but I do believe that love has an amazing power of restraint that we don’t give it credit for.

I’ll never forget the story of David Wilkerson ministering to the gangs in New York City.  One gang leader, Nicky Cruz, with his threatening switchblade, told David Wilkerson something like, “Preacher, I could cut you up into a thousand pieces.”  And Wilkerson said, “Yes, and every piece would say, ‘I love you.’”

Then there was the story of David having Nicky and his gang take up the offering at one of his meetings.  They could have easily run out with the money, but for some reason Nicky made his gang members give it all to the preacher.

Could it have been the restraint of love?

Could love really be the final authority?

What would happen in our society if we really ratcheted up our level of love for each other?

I think we would find that, instead of being limp-wristed and weak, there really is a restraining power and authority when we love people like Jesus told us to.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

O Love the Lord All Ye His Saints - Apples of Gold - April 13, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 13, 2010

“O Love the Lord All Ye His Saints”

 

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

How long has it been since you expressed your love to the Lord?

How long has it been since you just took some time to say, “I love You, Lord”?

If it’s been a while, maybe Jesus is asking you just what He asked Peter after His resurrection.

In John 21 Jesus flat out asked Simon Peter if he loved Him.

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “You know that I love You.”

Then Jesus asked him again, “Do you truly love Me?”

“Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.”

And Jesus asked a third time, “Do you love Me?”

And finally Peter said, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Now think about yourself.  Yes, you may love the Lord, and yes He knows all things, but you know what?  Love needs to be expressed!

Jesus could have been satisfied with reading Peter’s mind, with looking into his heart and finding love; but He wasn’t.  He wanted Peter to say it and say it again.

So have you said it lately?  If not, now is a good time.  Just let the Lord know, just like David did in Psalm 18, “I love You…”

In Psalm 31 David wrote, “O love the Lord, all ye His saints…”

In fact, you can just sing out your love for the Lord!  One of my all time favorite love songs to the Lord is “I Love You (Lord Today).”  The first time I heard it was back in the 80’s when I went to hear a Gospel choir on campus.  I had never heard it before, but I’ve been singing it ever since.

I could play a professional version for you, but here’s how a regular person like you and me posted it on the internet – posted their love for the Lord for all the world to hear!

I love You,
I love You,
I love You, Lord, today.
Because You cared for me in such a special way.
That’s why I praise You, I lift You up, and I magnify Your name.
That’s why my heart is filled with praise.

Listen, when you love God, it doesn’t just sit there.  It comes out!

When you love the Lord, there is a response.

Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much, love much.

We love Him because He first loved us.

Are you a writer, maybe a poet, maybe a song writer?  Then use that gift to express your love to the Lord.

Byron Cage did it in his song “We Love You” and here’s a bit of it he recorded with J Moss.

We love You, Lord, we love You,
We love You, Lord, we love You,
We lift our voice to bless You,
We lift our hands to reach You,
We life our hearts to love You,
Holy (holy) is Your wonder,
We present our bodies,
A living sacrifice,
Holy and acceptable to You,
We love You,
We love You, Lord, we love You,
We love You, Lord, we love You.

Maybe you aren’t a writer.  Maybe you are a painter or a sculptor.  Maybe you’re a graphic designer. 

Use those gifts to express your love for the Lord!

James 1:12 says that God has promised a crown of life “to those who love Him.”

James 2:5 says God has promised a kingdom to those who love Him.

Psalm 145 says, “The Lord watches over all who love Him…”

First Corinthians 8:3 says “…the man who loves God is known by God.”

Do you love Him?

First Corinthians 2:9 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Do you love Him?

All things work together for good for whom?

This is our top priority.  Jesus called it the number one commandment, to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. 

So express it!

When you love, there is a response.  There is a giving.  There is a giving of it all!

So give it up for the Lord today!

If you love Him, use your gifts and your talents and your opportunities to express it.

In whatever way you can, communicate that simple but profound message.

“Lord, I love You.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

close with a clip from the Love Medley by God’s Chosen:

I love You, Jesus,
I worship and adore You,
Just want to tell You,
Lord I love You,
More than anything.


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Have You Found Your Place in the Body of Christ? - Apples of Gold - April 12, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 12, 2010

“Have You Found Your Place in the Body of Christ?”

 

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

Are you a Christian?

If so, then you are a part of what the Bible calls “the body of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:12 uses that exact phrase, the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is also called “the church,” and Jesus is called “the head.”

For example, Ephesians 5:23 says “…Christ is the head of the church, His body…”

So if you are a Christian today, then you are a part of the body of Christ.

Now you might think, “Well, I’m a member of one church, and you’re a member of another church, and there’s a church across the street and a church down the block and…”

Okay, wait a minute.  Listen to Colossians 3:15.  It says we are members of “one body.”  There is only one body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:25 says “…we are all members of one body…” 

First Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

Verse 14 says, “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Of course the illustration is quite simple – the human body.  Your body has hands and feet and knees and fingers and joints and bones and ligaments – lots of parts, but all working together as one body.

Well in the body of Christ, you are one of those parts, and the rest of us need you to be working efficiently.

“Well Doug, I’m a Christian, and I go to church, but I don’t really know what ‘part’ I’m supposed to be.”

Well first of all you need to know that you really do have a part, chosen by God.

First Corinthians 12:18 says “…God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.”

Verse seven says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

Verse 11 says, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.”

Romans 12 says, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”

First Corinthians 7:7 says “…each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”

So listen, God has placed you in the body of Christ as a specific part with specific gifts.

And like it says in First Corinthians 12:7, “…to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

That is the part you are to play, to use your gifts for the common good of the body of Christ.

Verse 25 says the “parts should have equal concern for each other.”

Ephesians 4:16 says the body of Christ “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

So are you doing your part of the work?  Are you working for the common good of the body of Christ?

You have been gifted to do so.  Every Christian has.  If you don’t already know, you need to find out what your gifts are, then put them to work for the common good of the body.

“But I don’t know what my part is!”

Well first of all you need to pray about it.  Christ is the head of the church, and it’s God’s Spirit inside of us that gives us these gifts and chooses which body part we will be.

Second of all, you need to work with leaders in the church; mature and more experienced Christians who can help you discover your role in the body.

Ephesians 4:7 says “…to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Then verse 11 continues by saying, “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature…”

So there are certain leaders in the church who have been called by God to prepare the rest for their place of service for the common good of the body.

A wise church leader will be able to help you do just that, so if you don’t know what your gifts are, if you don’t know what your part of the body is, then pray about it and seek wise counsel from church leaders.

There are even some good “spiritual gifts tests” out there to help you discover your gifts and callings in the body of Christ.

Maybe you aren’t a pastor or a teacher.  Maybe you aren’t one of those obvious leaders in the church, but know this.  You are an important part of the body of Christ!  God has chosen you and gifted you to do some very important things in the church.

Now you just need to find out what those are and then get to work.

The body of Christ will grow and become mature and complete, but only as each part does its work for the common good of the body.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Do You Have This Peace? - Apples of Gold - April 9, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 9, 2010

“Do You Have This Peace?”

 

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

The peace which passeth all understanding.

Do you have this peace?

The Lord bless thee and keep thee.

The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee His peace.

Do you have this peace?

David said, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

David also said, “The Lord blesses His people with peace.”

And he said, “The meek will…enjoy great peace.”

Isaiah said, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee…”

Do you have this peace?

Psalm 119 says, “Great peace have they who love Thy law…”

Proverbs says, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom…all her paths are peace.”

Colossians 3 says “…let the peace of God rule in your hearts…”

Do you have this peace?

Romans 8:6 says that to be spiritually minded is peace.

Galatians says “…the fruit of the Spirit is…peace…”

First Corinthians says God is the author of peace.

Romans 15 says He is the “God of peace.”

Do you have this peace?

The prophet Isaiah spoke these foretelling words of the Messiah:  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; and upon Him was the chastisement for our peace.

Isaiah said Jesus would be called The Prince of Peace.

Jesus Himself said in John 14, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.”

In John 16 He said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace.”

Do you have this peace?

The early church spread the Gospel of Peace.

Acts 10 says they were “telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ…”

Ephesians 2 says Jesus is our peace.

Do you have this peace?

Paul said it’s the peace that “transcends all understanding,” and he told us how to get it in Philippians 4:6-7.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Do you want this peace?

It is yours through Jesus Christ.  So draw near to God and lay your requests at His feet. 

And don’t forget the key ingredient.  Oh, this is a key to receiving the peace of the Lord.

“With thanksgiving,” Paul said, “prayer…with thanksgiving…”

And the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

It’s available.  It’s yours.  Your mind and heart and soul can experience this amazing peace that only comes from God Almighty.

So ponder this amazing gift from the Lord as I ask you one more time.

Do you have this peace?


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

She Popped - Apples of Gold - April 8, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 8, 2010

“She Popped”

 

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

The man could pick up a grape.

Big deal, right?

Well it was to him, considering the fact that he hadn’t fed himself in 19 years. 

He was a soldier that tragically lost both arms, but now he has new cutting-edge electronic arms, and he can pick up a grape. 

What’s the big deal about picking up a grape? 

The big deal is all the calculations that must be made.  For example, you have to squeeze the grape just the right amount.  Too little and you drop it.  Too much and you pop it.

That’s easy to do with our God-given fingers, but to do it with an electronic hand is a technological marvel.

So let’s call that physical discernment.  Most people can easily discern what it takes to successfully pick up a grape.

Now let’s compare that to a more challenging kind of discernment:  relational discernment. 

We can handle a grape without dropping it or popping it, but can we handle people without dropping or popping them?

How is your relational discernment?

Can you discern how well you are getting along with people?

Can you discern how your words are hitting them?

Can you discern what matters most in your relationships?

For example, I knew a man who had no children, and he was against motorcycles.  He said a motorcycle is a deathtrap on wheels.  Then he said this, “If I had a son, and he bought a motorcycle, I would disown him.” 

I questioned him about it, but he was serious. 

Well if I had to grade that situation for relational discernment, I would give it an F.

Why? 

Because he did not discern what mattered more, which was maintaining a relationship with his son.  In that situation he lacked relational discernment.  His miscalculations would have caused him to “drop” his son.

When our own kids were small, my wife and I had a challenge to our relational discernment.

Like most parents, we applied pressure to our children to do right and not wrong.  That meant they got in trouble when they did wrong.

Now remember the grape.  Apply too little pressure and it drops, apply too much pressure and it pops.

Well getting in trouble was too much pressure for one of our children, so when it looked like she was going to get in trouble, she popped, by which I mean she popped out a lie.

For whatever reason, the other kids were willing to face the music and get on with life, but not this one.  She was going to lie and then lie some more if she thought she could avoid trouble.

This is where relational discernment came in.  We looked closely at her reactions.  We talked with each other about what she did and why she did it.  We analyzed our parenting and made adjustments.

Discernment means being able to see the big picture, and our big picture in this situation was that our child would tell the truth.  So we changed our parenting.  We started saying something that we did not say to the others.  We said, “Look, you aren’t going to be in trouble.  Just tell us the truth.” 

I wouldn’t recommend that line in most situations, but here comes the key word again:  discernment.

Discernment is like a detective looking for clues.  He observes and perceives and distinguishes. 

That’s the way we deal with people, with discernment.  We discern how to relate to people for the best long term results. 

In First Kings 3:9 King Solomon prayed for one thing, “a discerning heart.”

A prayer in Psalm 119 says “…give me discernment…”

Proverbs 2:3 indicates that we should “cry out for discernment.”

Physical discernment comes naturally.  We can all pick up a grape without dropping or popping it.

But getting along with people?  That’s something we need to cry out to God for, and something we need to work on.

We could all use a little more relational discernment.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Is This How You Want It to End? - Apples of Gold - April 7, 2010 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 7, 2010

“Is This How You Want It to End?”

 

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

They only scored 12 points.

They played the entire first half and only scored 12 points.

It was a team record for futility, and they did it last night while playing for the national championship.

I’m talking about the University of Connecticut – the UConn Huskies.

Now you need to know that UConn had not lost a game in two years.  That’s two undefeated seasons in a row, a record, and yet halfway through the championship game they were getting clobbered.

So it’s halftime, and what do you say?  What can a coach say that might turn things around in the second half?

One thing he said was something like, “Is this how you want it to end?”

And that’s a great question for all of us.  No matter where we are in life, we can ask ourselves this question.  “Is this how I want it to end?”

If the answer is no, then that should motivate us to change.

But perhaps you feel beaten.  You are battered and bruised and worn out.  You just don’t have the strength to keep going.

Maybe the Huskies felt that way, but then something happened.  Their star player suddenly caught fire, and it strengthened the whole team!  They went from looking disjointed and defeated to looking like the champions they are.

So maybe you are sitting there battered and bruised and worn out, but the good news is, as a Christian you are part of a team – the body of Christ.

And on this team we have a star player, Jesus.  The Bible says He is the “head of the body.”

I am so glad the pressure is not on me.  I don’t have to do all the scoring or make all the big plays.  I am not the head, not the star, not the team leader.  Jesus is.

I put my faith in Him to do the heavy lifting for the team.

Does that mean I just sit back and let Him do it all?

No, because I have my part on the team.  I am part of the body of Christ; not the head, but still an important part.

Now remember the Huskies.  They were down, but then they were strengthened by the team leader.

And if you are down today, you can certainly be strengthened by our team leader!

Luke 24:49 uses this phrase, “power from on high.”

Acts 1:8 uses this phrase, “…power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…”

Ephesians 3:16 talks about being strengthened with might through God’s Spirit inside us.

Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to His power that works in us.

I’m sure you remember Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I could go on and on, but you get the point.  God gives us power through His Spirit inside of us.  We have all the power and strength and might that we need.

So maybe it’s halftime, and you feel defeated.  If so, I have a question for you.  Is this how you want it to end?

If not, then look to the team leader, the head of the body.  Look to Christ for new strength and motivation.  Put your faith completely in Him.

Then be strong in the Lord!  Allow the power of God inside you, the Holy Spirit, to rise up and have His way in your life.

He will energize you.  He will strengthen you.  He will come up with plays exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or imagine, according to His power that works inside you.

If this is not how we want it to end, then it’s time for us to be energized by our Team Leader.

It’s time we start looking like the champions we really are!


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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

(close with chorus from The Words I Say by Sidewalk Prophets – “be strong in the Lord…”)


2 Corinthians 2:14  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip 
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

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

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