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

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 25, 2011

“Make Your Decisions at the Altar”

 

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

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

Here it is.  Make your decisions at the altar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what does that have to do with making decisions?

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

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

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

How much more should our decisions go through God?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make that decision at the altar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And make your decisions at the altar.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

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

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 23, 2011

“Living the Most Excellent Way”

 

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

Our love should be maturing.

We should see growth over time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 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-

Thoughts I Refuse to Entertain - Apples of Gold - March 11, 2011 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 11, 2011

“Thoughts I Refuse to Entertain”

 

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

Some thoughts I refuse to entertain.

Yes, they come knocking, but I won’t let them in.  I hear them come up on the porch, but I refuse to entertain them, or show them any kind of hospitality at all, other than a stone cold “take a hike.”

One of those thoughts is, “I don’t feel like getting up today.”  I never entertain that thought.  If it bothers to pay me a visit, I kick it out immediately.  When my alarm goes off, I get up.  I want to get up.  “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  In fact, my alarm is a praise song that immediately starts my day on the right foot.

Another thought I refuse to entertain is, “I don’t feel like exercising.”  As you might imagine, my job in radio is not exactly physical.  You don’t get much of a workout turning a microphone off and on, so I exercise.  I love the results.  I love the health and the feeling of wellbeing that it brings, so I do it.  Sure, the thought pops up sometimes, “You don’t feel like doing this today.”  Or sometimes, when I’m out jogging, the thought occurs to me, “Wow, this is hard, I should just turn around and go home.”

But those are thoughts I refuse to entertain.  They pop up, but I immediately shoot them down.  I refuse to think about them at all.  I have decided to exercise and it’s not up for debate.

I have also decided to memorize the book of John.  It’s a big job, and once in a while the thought pops up, “You need a break,” or “You’re getting burned out.”  That is a thought I refuse to entertain.  I immediately stamp it out, because I am committed to this.  I will not let some random, loopy thought drag down my attitude.  It’s a wonderful job, a rewarding job, a job I love to do that will bear some of the best long-term fruit of my life, and I refuse to think for one second about quitting or even delaying it.

Now listen to this.  I refuse to entertain any critical thoughts about my wife.  Let that sink in for a minute.  I refuse to entertain any critical thoughts about my wife.  I am committed to her forever, until death do us part.  No, we certainly aren’t perfect people, but I refuse to let my mind marinate in critical thoughts.  Where’s the value in that?

Many spouses end up in a downward spiral of critical thinking.  They get stuck on something and can’t get it out of their head.  Maybe it’s several somethings, and they sink their teeth into them like a bulldog.  They are critical, negative thoughts about their spouse, and they will not let them go.

What’s the point?  Does that help you reach the goals in your marriage?  Do you even have goals in your marriage?

Some of the goals for my marriage are found in Ephesians chapter 4.  Paul wrote, “I…beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Man, that is an awesome scripture for marriage!  We are to walk worthy of the calling of God.  We are to walk in gentleness and humility and patience.  We are to bear with one another in love.  We endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

How can I do all that while entertaining critical thoughts about my wife?  I can’t, so I don’t.  I refuse to entertain critical thoughts about my wife.  If they pop up, I kick them out, and I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful the results are! 

Ephesians 4:7 goes on to say, “To each one of us grace was given…”  She was given grace.  I was given grace.  We both have been given grace, and God’s grace is sufficient for our marriage; so for me to think critical thoughts of the recipient of God’s grace…that would be counterproductive and I won’t do it.

These thoughts stand in the way between me and things that are important.  That’s why I refuse to entertain them.

Listen to me.  You do not have to think about every thought that comes along.  Some of them must be booted out immediately!

People who have affairs – they started with thoughts that should have been booted out.

People who commit crimes – all crimes begin with thoughts that should have been booted out.

Fear – some people live their lives in fear instead of faith, and those fearful thoughts need to be booted out and replaced with faith in the Almighty.

I refuse to think anything negative about my job.  Some people turn thoughts about their job into a thorn in their side.  They dwell on the negative and live in the critical.  They whine about going to work and everything about work.  Why do that?  Do not dwell on anything negative or critical about your job.  That’s just thought poison.  Work as unto the Lord, the Bible says.  (Colossians 3:23)  If our work is unto the Lord, then we have no business dwelling on critical thoughts about the Lord’s work.

Some people dwell on negative things from the past.  Talk about a worthless waste of good brain power!  Forgive, forget and move on.

Some people dwell on doubts about God.  Yes I see where they are coming from, but God saved me.  He changed my life.  I see His good fruit in my life, so even though I don’t understand it all, the debate about God is over.  It’s a non-issue, so I refuse to entertain any doubtful thoughts about God.

What does the Bible say about controlling our thoughts?

Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

That is what we are to focus our brain power on, thinking on things that are good, and things that are of God.

And with that in mind, there are some thoughts I simply refuse to entertain.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Hannah Montana Destroyed My Family - Apples of Gold - February 23, 2011 -vi-

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Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 23, 2011

“Hannah Montana Destroyed My Family”

 

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

Billy Ray Cyrus makes an incredible statement in next month’s GQ magazine.

He says that the hit TV show “Hannah Montana” destroyed his family.

Billy Ray is the father in the show, and Hannah Montana is played by his daughter Miley.

It sounds like a wonderful opportunity, doesn’t it?

I mean, just imagine that you are loving father with a 12-year-old daughter, and the Disney corporation offers to pay you both a lot of money to do a family-friendly TV show together.  You get to work with your daughter.  It’s a good job with a good income, and you can all be together in one place.  Doesn’t that sound like a great opportunity for your family?

In the interview, Billy Ray was asked, “Do you wish Hannah Montana had never happened?”

“I hate to say it, but yes, I do,” he said.  “Yeah, I’d take it back in a second.  For my family to be here and just be everybody okay, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic.  Heck, yeah.  I’d erase it all in a second if I could.”

It might seem like Hannah Montana has been around forever, but just five years ago you’d never heard of it.  The show debuted in March 2006, and took off like a rocket.  By Christmas, Disney was selling Hannah Montana dolls and clothing and jewelry; and by February 2008, the Hannah Montana franchise was so important that Disney gathered dozens of leaders for an international meeting to plan Hannah Montana’s future.

And there was Billy Ray Cyrus and his little girl Miley, right in the middle of it, a real father-daughter success story.

And yet Billy Ray says it destroyed his family and he would take it all back in a second.  How can that be?

Let’s take a look at something Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

That seems to be a fitting description of Billy Ray’s family, “great was its fall.”  That includes a divorce from his wife and separation from his famous daughter.

Meanwhile, Miley keeps tarnishing her Hannah Montana image.  Her 18^th birthday party was held in a bar and video was captured of her smoking a bong.

Billy Ray said, “There’s a train wreck happening and my daughter’s right in the middle of it.”

He said he heard about other photos or videos that Miley’s handlers were “trying to make disappear.”  When he tried to intervene and see what was going on in his daughter’s life, one of her handlers told Billy, “It’s none of your business.”

Can you imagine being the father of a teenager and being told “It’s none of your business”?

That may not be what Billy Ray originally signed up for, but it’s a result of building on a foundation of sand.  That is exactly the kind of thing that happens to a family when it builds on worldly sand instead of the rock solid teachings of Jesus.

The thing is, from the outside looking in, most people would have drooled over Billy Ray’s situation.  They would have hopped right into his shoes, not realizing that he would take it all back in a second.

That should be a lesson for all of us.  It’s so easy to covet someone else’s situation.  The little green-eyed monster of jealousy sinks his teeth into us, and we become dissatisfied.

The point is, we should not look at someone else as the standard.  No one has the blueprint for our lives besides Jesus.  We need to look at His words and do them.  Then we will build on rock, not sand.  Then our families will stand strong, even in the midst of great storms.

Then we can avoid wasting years of our life chasing worldly dreams, only to end up saying along with Billy Ray, “I’d erase it all in a second if I could.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Blessed is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord - Apples of Gold - February 22, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 22, 2011

“Blessed is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord”

 

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

Here’s a word you can write in big capital letters.

TRUST

Print it out and hang it on your bulletin board.

Write it with a big black marker on a piece of duct tape and stick it somewhere.  Let it be a constant reminder to put your trust in the Lord.

Trusting God means we have confidence in Him.  We put our faith in Him.  We believe in Him.  We rely on Him.  We bank on Him.  We lean on Him.

Trusting God means letting go of our trust in other things. 

What other things are we prone to trust?

Other people, for one; but Psalm 118 says it’s better to trust in the Lord than to put our confidence in man.

In the book of Second Kings, the Israelites trusted Egypt to be a faithful ally.  God said, “If you lean on Egypt, it will pierce your hand like a broken reed.”

Psalm 44 talks about not putting our trust in weapons.

Psalm 49 talks about not trusting our wealth.

Proverbs 11:28 says, “He who trusts in his riches will fall…”

Of course we know that trusting in idols is foolish.  Isaiah 42 says that those who trust in idols will be put to shame.

Proverbs 28 warns us against even trusting our own heart.

So what can we trust?

The Lord.

Psalm 4:5 says, “…put your trust in the Lord.”

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”

Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at all times…”

First Timothy 4:10 says, “…we trust in the living God...” 

We aren’t trusting in a religion or a superstition.  We aren’t trusting in a set of moral principles or even a holy book.  We put our trust in the almighty, living God.

And good things happen when we do.

Psalm 34:8 says blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.

Psalm 84:12 says, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.”

Psalm 31 says that God has prepared goodness for those who trust in Him.

Proverbs 28 says that those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

Psalm 18:30 says that God is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Proverbs 29 says that all who trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Psalm 32 says that mercy surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

Isaiah 26:3 lists trusting God as a key ingredient to experiencing peace.

First Chronicles 5 says that God answered their prayers because they trusted Him.

I like the example of King Hezekiah.  According to Second Kings 18 he trusted in the Lord so that “there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.”

Or what about Job who made the incredible statement, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

Or David who said, “Oh Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust…” (Psalm 7:1)

David knew what it was like to trust God in hardship.  He trusted God when promises were delayed.  He trusted God when things didn’t go as expected.  He trusted God in the face of giants, both figuratively and literally.

David trusted God, and he was blessed for it.

And the same is true for us.  It’s not the easiest thing to do, but it’s a great thing to do; so write that word down somewhere in big capital letters:  TRUST.

Trust in the Lord at all times, with all your heart, knowing that this saying is true both now and forever.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future - Apples of Gold - February 21, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 21, 2011

“He Who Holds Your Ear Holds Your Future”

 

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

He who holds your ear holds your future.

Choose wisely who you listen to because they will greatly affect your life.

You will become a disciple of those you listen to the most.

Do you listen to Rush Limbaugh everyday?  Then, in a sense, you are putting your future into his hands.

Every morning on my way to work I listen to Family Life Today.  When my children were young, I listened to Focus on the Family.  I chose to give my ear to wise men with great depth of knowledge on marriage and family, and it had a mighty impact on me as a husband and father.

I know a pastor’s wife who cheated on her husband.  She said one thing that influenced her was listening to the wrong music.  Whatever music you listen to, it will have an impact on your future.

I was standing in a parking lot last week and a couple men pulled up in a pickup truck.  I could hear the music loud and clear, and it was very denigrating to women.  I hope their wives or girlfriends are paying attention, because that music will affect their future.

Success speakers know this truth.  That’s why they tell you to buy their CDs and listen to them over and over. 

Some people are disciples of Donald Trump.  They want to be rich like he is, so they listen, knowing that his words can affect their future.

Let’s say you watched Oprah everyday for 20 years.  Do you think she affected your life?  Think about her philosophies and those of her guests.  Think about the books she recommended.  If you watched that much Oprah, I’m guessing she was a large influence in your life.

If you read Cosmopolitan and watch Sex in the City, your future is going to be quite different from the person who reads PC Magazine and watches the History Channel.

He who holds your ear holds your future.

What I’m saying is, the people we listen to are the people who influence us.  Those who influence us change our thoughts and actions, and that changes our future; so we need to choose wisely who we listen to.

Think about it.  Who do you listen to the most? 

Who should you listen to most?

Here is my suggestion, and it breaks down into four S’s.  The first S is:

Scripture.

I think God’s Word is the highest wisdom, and I want that wisdom to hold the most sway over my future.  That means I need to hear Scripture more than I hear Sports Center.  Yes, I did just say that.

One way I do that is by memorizing Scripture.  As many of you know, I’m on a quest to memorize the book of John before I turn 50.  I’ve already memorized the books of Ephesians and Colossians, and I keep going over them so I don’t forget them.  That is one way I keep my ear tuned in to Scripture.

The second S is:

Spirit – as in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things.”  (John 14:26)

He called Him “the Spirit of truth” and said, “He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13)

As Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, and He is teaching us.  We need to tune in to the still, small voice of the Spirit inside of us.

So that is a powerful one-two punch that will mightily impact our future if we lend them our ear:  the Scripture and the Spirit.

The third S is:

Saints.

By saints I mean Christians who are grounded in the first two S’s.  Their life is founded on Scripture, and they are full of the Spirit. 

I want to lend my ear to the saints, the people of God who have built their own life on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, the people who believe it, who live it, and who are bearing the good fruit of it.

And my final S is:

Sermons.

I love to listen to good sermons.  I listen to sermons at church, of course, and I also listen to them on the radio and online.  One great source of sermons is a website called www.SermonIndex.net. 

When I think of sermons, I don’t just think of fire and brimstone preaching.  To me it includes a wide variety of teaching by Christians, covering topics from doctrine to dollars, from faith to family. 

Sermons are delivered by people with the first three S’s.  They are saints full of Scripture and the Spirit delivering a Spirit-empowered sermon based on the Word of God.

Those four S’s – Scripture, Spirit, Saints and Sermons – those are who I choose to listen to the most, because I think they will provide the best possible influence for my future.

Choose wisely who you listen to, knowing this…

He who holds your ear, holds your future.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

The Cure for Most Arguments - Apples of Gold - February 18, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 18, 2011

“The Cure for Most Arguments”

 

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

Jennifer and Jeff had a beautiful wedding.

All the family was there, tossing bird seed as the newlyweds departed in a white, horse-drawn carriage trimmed with red roses.

An idyllic scene, right?  Until you look inside the carriage.

“You’re sitting on my dress!”

“What are you all snippy about?”

“Get off my dress, you’re smooshing it.”

“Wow, we just got married and you’re already a nag.”

“We just got married and you’re already a pig.”

Fortunately they kissed and made up and life went on…something like this.

Jennifer comes home from a hard day at work and finds Jeff absorbed in a video game.  There is a huge slice of pepperoni pizza hanging over the side of a paper plate sitting on the carpet. 

She says hello but he is completely caught up in the game.  She steps into the kitchen and finds a pizza box balanced on top of a full garbage can.  And there’s his oatmeal bowl from breakfast, unrinsed in the sink.

She steps back into the living room and says, “You’re a moron!”

Just then his man dies and he looks up at her.  “What?”

“You heard me.  I can’t come home to this mess every day.”

“Wow, you’re cranky…as usual.”

“If I’m a crank it’s because you’re a jerk.  You never take out the trash and you never rinse your bowl.”

“Never?  I ‘never’ take out the trash?  And I didn’t rinse the bowl because I was running late because you hogged up the bathroom all morning.  Can’t you just go without all that makeup?  You’re sister doesn’t wear all that makeup and she looks great.”

“My sister looks great?  Well look at you, Romeo, with pizza grease all over your shirt.  You eat like a child.”

Okay, let’s stop right here.

Does any of this sound familiar?  Have you ever had conversations like this, that just swirled out of control?

What happens is one person says something with a point in it, and the other person reacts to that sharp point with something pointed of their own.  The first person reacts to that point, and off they go.  It escalates from one jab to the next – and what on earth are they talking about?  What are they really trying to communicate?

This is a common mistake in immature relationships.  We react to the pointed statement rather than the real meaning.

For example, when the wife came home to a mess and called her husband a name, what was she really trying to communicate? 

What she was really saying was, “I’m frustrated to come home to a mess after a long day at work.”  Instead of saying that, though, she said something with a sharp point.  In fact, their whole conversation was basically a reaction to sharp points. 

It is so easy for conversations to get out of hand and become hurtful, and it is so unnecessary.  Divorce courts are full of people whose main problems are toxic conversations.

People quit jobs or get fired from jobs for conversations like this.  Friendships are destroyed.  Families are broken, but there is a solution.  There’s a simple cure that can put an end to these downward spiraling conversations.

When someone speaks to you, don’t react to any pointed words.  Those words rarely represent what’s really going on, so skip over them.  Think right past them.  Just let them fall to the floor as you step back and see what’s really going on.

“But Doug, those words hurt.  I must react to them.”

Well I say forgive…instantly.  You have to forgive anyway, so why not forgive instantly? 

You want to defend yourself from sharp words, right?  You can do that by firing sharp words back, but it’s better to defend yourself with instant forgiveness.  Instant forgiveness causes their sharp words to drop to the floor without hurting you, and that sets you free to step back and assess what is really going on.

For example, when Jeff sat on Jennifer’s dress, she reacted, and he verbally punched her.  What he should have done was forgive her instantly, then think, “What is really going on here?”

He would have seen that it was nothing personal.  She wasn’t trying to hurt him, it was just a poorly worded way of expressing dissatisfaction.  Then he would have had the presence of mind to simply say, “Oh, I’m sorry,” move off her dress and get back to enjoying the honeymoon.

Colossians 4:6 says that our conversation should be full of grace so that we can always give a right response to everyone.

To give a right response, we need to know what’s really going on.  And to know what’s going on, we have to look past the pointed words to see the big picture.

That will stop the endless volleys of pointed, hurtful words.

It will stop most arguments before they even begin, and many relationships will be saved in the process.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Why Did the World Hate Jesus? - Apples of Gold - February 16, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 16, 2011

“Why Did the World Hate Jesus?”

 

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

Ah, Jesus – the Good Shepherd.

He just walked around, petting little lambsies on the head, right?

He was a pied piper with a string of flowers in His hair, a peace sign on His robe, and nothing but kind words to say to everyone He met.  Giggling children followed Him, women sparkled at His pure love, and men joined His team.  He radiated hope and encouragement, and left nothing in His wake but happiness and joy.

That’s the way some people picture Jesus, but is that the way it was?

Listen to this revealing statement Jesus made in John 7:7.  He said the world hated Him.

Hate is a pretty strong word, but that’s what He said.  The world hated Him.

So imagine Jesus walking along and what is being left in His wake?  Many things, of course, but one of them is hate.  The world hated Jesus.

Not that Jesus was about hate, or even stirring up hate.  Look at John 15:17.  He said, “These things I command you, that you love one another.”

Now that sounds more like the Jesus we know and love!  But look at the very next verse.  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

If Jesus is a great teacher of love, why would the world hate Him?

Back to John 7:7.  Jesus said the world hated Him because He testified that its works are evil.

What kinds of things was Jesus calling evil?

Here’s a laundry list of defilement in Mark chapter seven.  Jesus said these things defile a man, “…evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.”

Jesus stood for righteousness and holiness.  He called sin “sin.” 

In John 15 He went into a long discourse about how, if the world hated Him, it would hate His disciples, too.  Then in verse 22 He offered this reason for the world hating Him.  “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

Jesus called a sin a sin.  Yes, He forgave sins.  Yes, He was the Lamb of God who gave Himself for the sin of the world.  He did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  (John 3:17)

But when you dare to draw a line in the sand and say that some things are sins and unacceptable in the sight of God, some people are going to hate you for it.

Why is that?  First of all, people don’t like to be told that they are wrong.  If people like to do something, and you tell them that it’s wrong, then it’s like giving them a shove.  It shoves them right out of their comfort zone.

It wounds their pride.  If you tell me that something I’m doing is a sin, my pride takes a hit.

Then there is the conviction and the guilt.  If I let your words sink in even a little, I’m going to feel convicted and guilty.  And if they keep sinking in I’m going to feel some shame. 

Who wants to feel those stressful, negative feelings?  Who wants to be told that their actions are wrong?  It makes them feel bad, and if they want to do something about it, it requires change, and you know how people feel about change.

So what they often do is this:  hate the messenger. 

Jesus really was a teacher of love.  John three says that God “so loved the world” that He sent His Son, not to condemn the world, but to save it.  But that spurs the reaction “saved from what?  What do I need to be saved from?”

Sin, of course.  Sin is what we all need to be saved from.  That means we are sinners.  We have all sinned.  We have done wrong, thought wrong, and lived wrong.  Even on our best days we fall short of the glory of God.

As Christians we tend to accept that message.  We hear it in church a lot, and we may have heard it all of our lives. 

But outside the church, out in the world where most people live, sin is not a welcome topic of conversation.  It is a bright light in the eyes of people who prefer darkness.  They find it annoying if not completely offensive.  “How dare you say that I am wrong, that this thing I’m doing is a sin.” 

And there is one other thing that makes people hate Jesus and those who represent Him:  the aroma of judgment.  Look at Second Corinthians chapter two, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”

The world hates Christ because when He is around, or His ambassadors, they smell the judgment for their sin.  They smell the penalty of “death leading to death.” 

It’s really life that is being offered to them, but they receive it like a hammer that just keeps beating on them, and they hate it.

So Jesus loved the world, and He really was a teacher of love.  But out of His love, He could not skip over or whitewash the evil of sin. 

And as His representatives, neither can we.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Love is the Power Position - Apples of Gold - February 15, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 15, 2011

“Love is the Power Position”

 

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

“If you tell anyone what you saw here today, I will kill you.”

That’s what “Jimmy” told Chip Ingram when the two of them were teammates on a small college basketball team.

Chip was the white boy, the young point guard, and a Christian wanting to shine his faith on the team.

Jimmy was the older, powerful Viet Nam vet who had done some time and was supposedly a reformed drug addict.

Jimmy hated Christians and said things like, “I am evil, and I know if there’s a hell, I’m going there.”

Chip was just a freshman, and he had to carry Jimmy’s bag and get food for him.  Meanwhile, Jimmy persecuted Chip mercilessly for his faith and his stand to remain pure before marriage.  Jimmy worked hard to make Chip’s life miserable, and it worked.  Chip was afraid.  He was stressed.  He was having stomach problems and nightmares.

The conflict reached its apex one night when Chip was returning to his dorm room.  As he stood at his door, the door across the hall opened and there was Jimmy with some other guys smoking dope. 

Now remember, Jimmy previously had drug problems.  If anyone found out that he was using again, he would be off the team, out of school, and probably back in jail.  Chip now had the information he needed to not only get revenge, but to get Jimmy out of his life once and for all.

And Jimmy knew it.  That’s why he flew across the hall and pressed his hand into Chip’s neck.

“If you tell anyone what you saw here today, I will kill you.  I have killed plenty of men before, and one more won’t make any difference.”

Judging by the look in his eyes and the intensity of his words, Chip believed the threat was real.  And he developed a deep hatred for Jimmy.

Now what would your advice be to Chip?  What should a person do if someone is making their life miserable?

Listen to the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew chapter five He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

In Luke 6:35 Jesus said, “But 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 to the unthankful and evil.”

Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

It goes on to say, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he is thirsty, give him a drink…”

And the final phrase in Romans chapter 12:  “…overcome evil with good.”

“But Doug, I am not going to be a doormat.  I’m not going to lie down and give someone else all the power over me.”

Okay.  Listen to my next phrase carefully.  Here it is.

Love is the power position.

When you really love someone, you are walking in power.

When you walk in love, you do not walk in fear, because according to First John 4:18, “perfect love casts out fear.”

The person that is making your life miserable – every time you think of them, think of this line.  “This is someone I love.” 

Let God’s love infuse you for that person.  Let His love flow into you for them.  When you do, fear and anxiety will flow out.  Yes, it will be a miracle, because that’s not what normally happens.  People don’t normally love their enemies, but that’s what Jesus called us to do, and when God calls us to do something – get this – He empowers us to do it.

That’s what Chip Ingram did with his archenemy Jimmy.  He served him.  He began to go the extra mile, doing more than Jimmy asked.  He even spoke good words about him, instead of returning his evil words.

He did it for months, for the whole basketball season; and Jimmy just kept torturing him.

But then at the end of the season – and you can read all about it in Chip’s book “Living on the Edge,” – here is what Jimmy had to say.

“Chip, I’ve got news for you, man. There are only two of us that I respect on this team.
Everybody else is a phony.  I am evil, and I know I’m evil, but you’re the first Christian I’ve met that you’re really a Christian, and I respect you. I disagree with everything. I hate everything you represent, but you’re living it out.  I’m done messing with you. It’s not fun anymore.”

Sure, Chip could have fought back.  He could have brought in reinforcements.  He could have turned it into World War III, but he didn’t.  Instead, he followed the wisdom of Scripture.  He loved his enemy, and he went the extra mile to serve him; and God was glorified in the process.

So if someone is making your life miserable, hear the example of Chip Ingram, and listen to the teaching of Jesus.  Love them.  Every time you think of them, tell yourself, “This is someone I love.”  Then treat them like someone you love.

And don’t think you are being a doormat.  Don’t think you are giving them all the power because listen – anytime you obey God, you are walking in more power than ever before.

When you love your enemies and serve them, keep this little phrase in mind.

Love is the power position.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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

Our Nation's Fabric of Integrity - Apples of Gold - February 8, 2011 -vi-

Click here to listen to the radio version.   

Click here to search the AOG archives.

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for February 8, 2011

“Our Nation’s Fabric of Integrity”

 

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

I did my own laundry in college.

One day I decided that my t-shirts needed to be whiter.  I had never fiddled with bleach before, but I knew it made things really white, so I bought some.

I wanted my shirts as white as possible, so I figured pure bleach would be the best.  I poured it into a bowl, put in a t-shirt, and went to class.

When I came back, I looked in the bowl and it was really white.  Excellent!  I grabbed a fork to lift it out of the bleach and, what on earth?  The shirt was in tatters! 

I didn’t realize that bleach was so powerful it would literally dissolve fabric. 

There’s another guy whose wife bleached his socks.  She didn’t bleach them nearly as much as I bleached my shirt, but it was still too much.  They didn’t realize it, though, until he wore them to work one day, and while he worked, his left sock basically dissolved inside his shoe.

Those fabrics started out strong enough to be worn for years, but the decaying process was hyper-accelerated by the bleach.

Now keep that in mind as I talk about our country.  The United States is held together by a fabric of integrity.

Picture a giant piece of fabric covering the whole country.  Our nation is only as strong as that fabric of integrity.

The fabric is made up of billions of stitches, and those stitches represent each moment of integrity. 

I had a moment of integrity when I did my taxes over the weekend.  I prepare my tax return online, using one of those services where they ask you a lot of questions and guide you through the process. 

Last year we donated my daughter’s old car to charity, and they gave us a receipt.  While I did my taxes, that contribution came up in the questions. 

And then came my moment of integrity.  They asked how much the receipt was for, and I told them.  Then they asked how much I had originally paid for the car.

Uh oh.

We bought the car from a relative, and actually paid less for it than the charity gave us a receipt for.  Yes, it was worth more than that, and yes, we put a lot of money into it; but that’s not what they were asking.  They just wanted to know how much we originally paid for it.

I’m no tax expert, but I immediately had the feeling that if I told the truth, it was going to cost us.  I sat there for a second, my mind reaching for ways around this.

It was a moment of integrity, for me and for the nation.

Does it sound like I’m blowing it out of proportion?  I’m not.  It was just one stitch in a fabric of billions of stitches; but it was my stitch, and I was responsible to make it a good one.

Think of that fabric again, a fabric of integrity stretching across the nation.  I am responsible for my portion of that fabric.  I need to make sure that each stitch of mine is a good one in the nation’s fabric of integrity.

I decided to tell the truth, even if it cost me money.  If I hadn’t, I believe I would have dissolved a stitch in the fabric of integrity.  Like the bleach on my t-shirt, one little portion of the national fabric would have lost it’s strength due to my little act of corruption.

That’s what it is, you know.  The flip side of integrity is corruption.  Don’t think that only applies to crooked politicians.  Anytime we don’t operate at the highest integrity, we put corruption in the system, and dissolve a portion of the fabric of integrity.

Think about this.  The less integrity a nation has, the less justice it has. 

Do you want integrity in business?  What about medicine?  How about academic integrity or journalistic integrity?  What about integrity in marriage or in ministry?

We need integrity in every area of life, and it all comes down to each one of us and our individual moments of integrity. 

What happens to the country if there are more and more moments that lack integrity?  If more and more people cheat on their taxes?  If more people cheat on their spouse?  If more people live by situational ethics instead of rock solid moral principles?

If that happens, the fabric of the nation will grow weak, and eventually fail.

What if you answer the phone for someone, and they say, “Tell them I’m not here”?  That is a moment of integrity.

As you can see, the standard is high, and none of us is perfect.  Everyone has spoiled the fabric at times, but the good news is we can repent.  We can turn to God, and with His help, we can become people of mighty integrity.  We can be like Job who said, “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.”  (Job 27:5)

There is a fabric of integrity across this nation, and we will stand or fall based on its strength.

And that strength all comes down to us, to our portion of the fabric, to the decisions we make in each moment of integrity.


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

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


© 2011 The Arrow’s Tip 
 To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here:  http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one:  douglas_apple@msn.com

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

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

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