Friday, March 03, 2017
Think of the Crown of Thorns
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Think of the crown of thorns, brother.
When you think you’re going to sin a little, and it’s okay, because Jesus forgave you, or will forgive you, or whatever….think of the crown of thorns, brother.
Of all the things He suffered, man, He suffered for our SINS.
Those sins that separated us from God, He suffered for those.
He suffered so we could be forgiven and made right with God.
And then we’ll so easily return to the hog slop...after a meal with the King has been prepared?
“But I’m saved, Doug, I’m free! I have the righteousness of Christ so I’m free from the bondage of the law. I live under grace, so I can pretty much do whatever I want.”
I’m saying take a good, hard look, under the bright light. Then answer the question, “Is it sin?”
If it is, drop it. Drop it immediately and walk away.
And if you need a little motivation, remember that our forgiveness came at a price, and a transaction was made, and if you are a saved, born again Christian, you are not your own. You belong to God and you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which belong to God. (First Corinthians 6)
We. Belong. To God.
He saved us so we could be with Him, be close to Him, be His.
We are His. We are to be like Him. And He is holy.
And our sin, even as His children, will block up the works, quench and grieve His Spirit, and make us stink.
So the next time you are willing to throw caution to the wind and step your big boot right into that steamy, stenchy cow pie of sin...think of the crown of thorns, brother.
Think of the crown of thorns.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Look a Fright
So there you are, looking in the mirror again.
Every morning, looking in the mirror, and making adjustments.
How much of our life is spent looking in the mirror and making adjustments?
But thank goodness we do!
I’m not sure I want to live in a world where y’all aren’t making those daily adjustments.
But what if you didn’t have a mirror? I mean literally, what if you went day after day without being able to look in the mirror, see what you look like, and make those daily adjustments?
You’d be a mess. As we say here in the South, “You’d look a fright!”
Well the same thing happens spiritually.
Every day we need to look in the mirror of the Word, the Bible, see what we look like, and make adjustments (James 1:25)
If we don’t make those daily adjustments based on the mirror of the Word, we look a fright...spiritually, that is.
One good thing is that the Word of God stays the same, like a mirror that gives a true reflection every time.
Imagine a crazy mirror that gives different reflections every time you look at it. That’s what the world is like. Just think if social media was your mirror, and you tried to groom your soul on that ever-changing fickleness.
Or the world’s idea of beauty or strength or success. It’s a shifting mirror!
But the Word of God is a good mirror, never changing, ever true.
James 1:17 – in God there is “no variation or shadow of turning.”
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.”
So to be our best, morally and spiritually, we must continue to look daily into the mirror of the Word, and make those adjustments that take away the wretchedness and help us become the beautiful creations that God has created us to be.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Squeeze It Into the Glove
When I was helping little leaguers stop dropping the ball, I would tell them, “Squeeze it into the glove!”
I know it seems obvious, but really, they didn’t all know to do that, to just squeeze the glove and hold it once they had the ball.
Now if you’re laughing at the poor kid who didn’t know about squeezing the ball into the glove, let me ask you...have you ever dropped your phone? Is your phone screen cracked right now, even as we speak?
You gotta squeeze it into the glove!
I mean, there you are, your phone is in your hand...and then you drop it. It just falls out of the glove, so to speak.
You gotta take more care. You gotta get a handle on it, get a firm grip on it. Otherwise it’s going to slip and you’re going to drop it.
And the same is true with God’s Word. And it’s far more important than catching a baseball and more valuable than your phone.
You gotta squeeze it into the glove!
So the preacher preaches a great word, and there was especially that one point that really hit home, really hit you where you live. Write it down, man! Meditate on it. Let it sink in, sink deep, take root. Learn it. Live it. Love it. Share it. Shine it!
You read the Bible, and something hits you solid. It makes your heart burn within you. Now what? Underline it, man! Highlight it! Put it on a post it note. Memorize it. Let that thing set your heart on fire!
I should be able to ask you right now, “What Bible verse really has you lit up these days?”
Jesus said, “The sower went out to his seed.” The seed is the Word, and it’s hitting soil...and you and I are the soil.
Here comes the seed of the Word! It’s coming at you. What do you do? Does it bounce off? Or maybe you catch it, for like a minute, and then you inexplicably let it fall to the ground.
Come on, man! You gotta squeeze it into the glove.
Squeeze it into the glove, man.
Squeeze it into the glove.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
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