Click to Listen
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
In the morning my alarm goes off. I roll out of bed, get down on a knee, point a finger to heaven and say, “Reporting for duty, Sir.”
I want to hit the ground running for Jesus. I want to be the guy in 2 Timothy 2:3, “...a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Being a soldier in a huge army simplifies some things.
A soldier doesn’t have to make up things to do each day. He is TOLD what to do. He has orders, and his agenda is to obey those orders.
You don’t do whatever you feel like. You don’t do what everyone else is doing. You don’t go with the flow or look out for number one. You do what you are TOLD to do by your commanding officer.
So being a good soldier of Jesus Christ simplifies your schedule.
It also simplifies your education. So many people today are trying to figure out what they want to do to and what education they need.
But a soldier submits himself to the commander, and the commander orders the training that prepares the soldier for the mission.
And being a soldier means being provided for. A soldier doesn’t worry about his provisions. That’s the army’s job. Food. Clothing. Shelter. Weapons. All provided for the soldier.
Now I know that being a good soldier of Jesus Christ is not the same as being a soldier in an army.
And yet that is how I approach each day. I say to Jesus my Commander, “Show me Thy ways, O Lord. Teach me Thy paths. What do You want me to do? How do You want me to do it? When do You want me to do it? Lord, I want to do YOUR will every day. I want to follow You as my Good Shepherd, as my Provider and Leader and Commander.”
So my alarm goes off. I roll out of bed, get down on a knee, bow my head, point a finger to heaven and say, “Reporting for duty, Sir.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Friday, June 30, 2017
My Eyes Are Ever Toward the Lord
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.
That’s my own personal mix of Psalm 25:15 and Psalm 27:4.
Add to that the message of Psalm 101:3, I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
What a contrast!
We can ever turn our eyes toward the Lord to behold the beauty of the Lord, or we can set before our eyes vile things.
And when we set before our eyes vile things, it BLINDS us to the beauty of the Lord.
You say, “Man, I’m TRYING to see the beauty of the Lord, but I’m not seeing it.”
Maybe it’s because you are setting before your eyes vile things, and it’s blinding you to the beauty of the Lord.
You say, “What is the beauty of the Lord, anyway? It’s not like we can look into heaven and see it.”
You can look into your HEART and see it...if Jesus is there.
If God is in your heart, you can easily see His beauty in the work He is doing sovereignly in your life.
You can see His beauty in His creation. You can see His beauty in His concepts like love and peace and joy, righteousness and justice and holiness.
Imagine going to a theater and watching a vile movie. It’s vile, but it’s exciting and bold and loud. You’re on the edge of your seat, captivated.
Then you walk out of the theater, and there’s a little flower springing up through the cracks of the sidewalk. It’s beautiful and amazing. Miraculous! Uncreatable by any mere mortal.
But we are blinded to it by the vile, bold and brassy. We wonder where the beauty of the Lord is while we walk right over it.
Make a vow today. I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
Instead, my eyes are ever toward the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.
That’s my own personal mix of Psalm 25:15 and Psalm 27:4.
Add to that the message of Psalm 101:3, I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
What a contrast!
We can ever turn our eyes toward the Lord to behold the beauty of the Lord, or we can set before our eyes vile things.
And when we set before our eyes vile things, it BLINDS us to the beauty of the Lord.
You say, “Man, I’m TRYING to see the beauty of the Lord, but I’m not seeing it.”
Maybe it’s because you are setting before your eyes vile things, and it’s blinding you to the beauty of the Lord.
You say, “What is the beauty of the Lord, anyway? It’s not like we can look into heaven and see it.”
You can look into your HEART and see it...if Jesus is there.
If God is in your heart, you can easily see His beauty in the work He is doing sovereignly in your life.
You can see His beauty in His creation. You can see His beauty in His concepts like love and peace and joy, righteousness and justice and holiness.
Imagine going to a theater and watching a vile movie. It’s vile, but it’s exciting and bold and loud. You’re on the edge of your seat, captivated.
Then you walk out of the theater, and there’s a little flower springing up through the cracks of the sidewalk. It’s beautiful and amazing. Miraculous! Uncreatable by any mere mortal.
But we are blinded to it by the vile, bold and brassy. We wonder where the beauty of the Lord is while we walk right over it.
Make a vow today. I will set before my eyes no vile thing.
Instead, my eyes are ever toward the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
What Then?
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Second Corinthians 2:11 says we are not unaware of the devil’s devices.
Whenever I read that I think, “Oh yes we are.”
Jesus called Satan “the father of lies,” so if you ever fell for the lies of a man, how quickly will you fall for the schemes of the master deceiver?
He’s as smooth as a snake, but here is one way to smoke him out.
Ask the question, “What then?”
For example, you had a terrible week and you just need some relief. Then someone invites you to a place where the alcohol is flowing. There’s your relief!
But what then? You get drunk and forget your problems, but what then? Get drunk again and forget again? But what then?
See? Asking “what then” pokes holes in Satan’s stupid, gassy temptations. They cannot hold up to the What Then line of questioning.
So you’re having problems in your marriage. Meanwhile, this other person really understands you. They get you. They even like you! You’d rather go spend time with them than go home to your unhappy mate. The game is afoot.
But what then? So you spend time with them. What then? Are you going to bust up your family, break your vows, squander friendships and shipwreck your integrity? And for what?
But when God leads you, and you follow His ways, the What Then question brings fulfilling answers!
If you are having marriage problems, maybe you get some marital counseling. What then? Then you learn and grow together and solve some problems. What then? Then you are building a home and family on deeper love and respect. When then? Then you grow old together, fully respected by family and friends, with a deep and lasting family legacy which can be replicated by generations to come!
So yes, the devil has his devices, but we do not need to be unaware.
And one way to unmask him is to ask this simple question.
What then?
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Second Corinthians 2:11 says we are not unaware of the devil’s devices.
Whenever I read that I think, “Oh yes we are.”
Jesus called Satan “the father of lies,” so if you ever fell for the lies of a man, how quickly will you fall for the schemes of the master deceiver?
He’s as smooth as a snake, but here is one way to smoke him out.
Ask the question, “What then?”
For example, you had a terrible week and you just need some relief. Then someone invites you to a place where the alcohol is flowing. There’s your relief!
But what then? You get drunk and forget your problems, but what then? Get drunk again and forget again? But what then?
See? Asking “what then” pokes holes in Satan’s stupid, gassy temptations. They cannot hold up to the What Then line of questioning.
So you’re having problems in your marriage. Meanwhile, this other person really understands you. They get you. They even like you! You’d rather go spend time with them than go home to your unhappy mate. The game is afoot.
But what then? So you spend time with them. What then? Are you going to bust up your family, break your vows, squander friendships and shipwreck your integrity? And for what?
But when God leads you, and you follow His ways, the What Then question brings fulfilling answers!
If you are having marriage problems, maybe you get some marital counseling. What then? Then you learn and grow together and solve some problems. What then? Then you are building a home and family on deeper love and respect. When then? Then you grow old together, fully respected by family and friends, with a deep and lasting family legacy which can be replicated by generations to come!
So yes, the devil has his devices, but we do not need to be unaware.
And one way to unmask him is to ask this simple question.
What then?
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, June 12, 2017
Wisdom Preserves You
(Click to Listen)
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Wisdom preserves you.
If you want to save yourself, if you want to preserve yourself, get some wisdom!
Proverbs 4 says, “Get wisdom...she will preserve you.” (NKJV)
One great example is your teeth.
What are three obvious things that wisdom says will preserve your teeth?
Well, it’s wise to brush your teeth.
It’s wise to floss your teeth.
And it’s wise to go to the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups.
Follow this wisdom and your teeth will be preserved.
And yet I know so many people who chuck this wisdom out the window. And what is going to happen? Their teeth are not going to be preserved.
Think of tobacco products. Wisdom says, “Don’t use tobacco products and you will be preserved.”
Now I’m thinking of the woman my age who has been smoking, I guess, since high school, and when I saw her Facebook picture I was aghast! She almost looked old enough to be my mother, because all that smoking was sucking the life out of her.
Wisdom, though, would have preserved her.
My dad had a bad motorcycle accident when I was in high school. His wisdom in wearing a helmet preserved his life. But his wisdom in not riding motorcycles since then preserved him from all such accidents.
Wisdom in wearing a helmet will obviously preserve you if you have an accident, and wisdom in choosing a car over a motorcycle means you will never, ever be harmed on your motorcycle.
Wisdom preserves you, so get wisdom!
You ate that questionable food and ended up writhing in the bathroom.
Wisdom preserves you!
In your health. In your marriage. In your family. In your career. In your business. In your church. In all things, keep working to grow in wisdom, because one thing is clear.
Wisdom preserves you.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Wisdom preserves you.
If you want to save yourself, if you want to preserve yourself, get some wisdom!
Proverbs 4 says, “Get wisdom...she will preserve you.” (NKJV)
One great example is your teeth.
What are three obvious things that wisdom says will preserve your teeth?
Well, it’s wise to brush your teeth.
It’s wise to floss your teeth.
And it’s wise to go to the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups.
Follow this wisdom and your teeth will be preserved.
And yet I know so many people who chuck this wisdom out the window. And what is going to happen? Their teeth are not going to be preserved.
Think of tobacco products. Wisdom says, “Don’t use tobacco products and you will be preserved.”
Now I’m thinking of the woman my age who has been smoking, I guess, since high school, and when I saw her Facebook picture I was aghast! She almost looked old enough to be my mother, because all that smoking was sucking the life out of her.
Wisdom, though, would have preserved her.
My dad had a bad motorcycle accident when I was in high school. His wisdom in wearing a helmet preserved his life. But his wisdom in not riding motorcycles since then preserved him from all such accidents.
Wisdom in wearing a helmet will obviously preserve you if you have an accident, and wisdom in choosing a car over a motorcycle means you will never, ever be harmed on your motorcycle.
Wisdom preserves you, so get wisdom!
You ate that questionable food and ended up writhing in the bathroom.
Wisdom preserves you!
In your health. In your marriage. In your family. In your career. In your business. In your church. In all things, keep working to grow in wisdom, because one thing is clear.
Wisdom preserves you.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Turn Thee Unto Me
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Here is a simple prayer you can pray anytime, for anyone, starting with yourself.
Four simple words: turn Thee unto me.
Turn Thee unto me.
Yes, that’s the old King James English, and it’s pretty simple. It’s a simple prayer saying, “Lord, please turn towards me.”
And when the Lord turns toward us...well imagine a shepherd surrounded by sheep. Then imagine the shepherd turning his attention specifically to one particular sheep. He kneels down. He cares for the sheep. He loves on the sheep. He checks on the sheep.
A sheep never feels more loved and secure and KNOWN than when the shepherd turns toward that particular sheep.
And that’s what this prayer encapsulates. “Lord, turn Thee unto me.”
It’s asking for God’s specific attention, for His specific favor and care and love and mercy. It’s asking for His guidance and wisdom and light.
It all comes when the Shepherd turns Thee unto me.
So you can pray this for yourself, just like David did in Psalm 25:16.
Or you can pray it for others, anyone and everyone!
“Lord, turn Thee unto my brother.” “Lord, turn Thee unto my sister.” Lord, turn Thee unto my boss and my coworkers and my pastor and my church.” “Lord, turn Thee unto our president and our senators and congressmen.”
It’s a powerful prayer, and it doesn’t require a bunch of words, because there is an eternity full of power in this one simple prayer.
“Turn Thee unto me.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Here is a simple prayer you can pray anytime, for anyone, starting with yourself.
Four simple words: turn Thee unto me.
Turn Thee unto me.
Yes, that’s the old King James English, and it’s pretty simple. It’s a simple prayer saying, “Lord, please turn towards me.”
And when the Lord turns toward us...well imagine a shepherd surrounded by sheep. Then imagine the shepherd turning his attention specifically to one particular sheep. He kneels down. He cares for the sheep. He loves on the sheep. He checks on the sheep.
A sheep never feels more loved and secure and KNOWN than when the shepherd turns toward that particular sheep.
And that’s what this prayer encapsulates. “Lord, turn Thee unto me.”
It’s asking for God’s specific attention, for His specific favor and care and love and mercy. It’s asking for His guidance and wisdom and light.
It all comes when the Shepherd turns Thee unto me.
So you can pray this for yourself, just like David did in Psalm 25:16.
Or you can pray it for others, anyone and everyone!
“Lord, turn Thee unto my brother.” “Lord, turn Thee unto my sister.” Lord, turn Thee unto my boss and my coworkers and my pastor and my church.” “Lord, turn Thee unto our president and our senators and congressmen.”
It’s a powerful prayer, and it doesn’t require a bunch of words, because there is an eternity full of power in this one simple prayer.
“Turn Thee unto me.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Friday, May 05, 2017
A Robe of Light
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
He covers Himself with light, as with a garment.
He’s wearing a robe of...not white...but LIGHT.
A robe of light.
Psalm 104 says it, and let that sink in for a minute.
The Lord our God wraps Himself in light.
I don’t know if you’ve ever studied the properties of light, but they are amazing.
And if you think God created light when He created the sun, moon and stars, think again.
In Genesis 1:3, on Day One, God said, “Let there be light.”
Then He didn’t create the traditional sources of light until DAY FOUR.
It’s impossible to imagine this, because when it comes to light, all we know is light that comes from a light source.
But when God wraps Himself with light as with a garment, it’s not because a spotlight is on Him. It’s not because He is wearing a garment full of light bulbs like some crazy Vegas show.
He is wrapped in pure, total, original light. The kind of light that came before the sun, moon and stars!
And it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen, or even can see!
First Timothy 6:16 says that God dwells in unapproachable light.
And remember that light includes gamma rays and X-rays and radio waves and microwaves. It’s shooting out photons of energy, and no wonder “no man can approach!”
So when Psalm 104:1 says God is clothed in majesty, don’t think of purple robes and shiny baubles, but think of this.
God robes Himself in light.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
He covers Himself with light, as with a garment.
He’s wearing a robe of...not white...but LIGHT.
A robe of light.
Psalm 104 says it, and let that sink in for a minute.
The Lord our God wraps Himself in light.
I don’t know if you’ve ever studied the properties of light, but they are amazing.
And if you think God created light when He created the sun, moon and stars, think again.
In Genesis 1:3, on Day One, God said, “Let there be light.”
Then He didn’t create the traditional sources of light until DAY FOUR.
It’s impossible to imagine this, because when it comes to light, all we know is light that comes from a light source.
But when God wraps Himself with light as with a garment, it’s not because a spotlight is on Him. It’s not because He is wearing a garment full of light bulbs like some crazy Vegas show.
He is wrapped in pure, total, original light. The kind of light that came before the sun, moon and stars!
And it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen, or even can see!
First Timothy 6:16 says that God dwells in unapproachable light.
And remember that light includes gamma rays and X-rays and radio waves and microwaves. It’s shooting out photons of energy, and no wonder “no man can approach!”
So when Psalm 104:1 says God is clothed in majesty, don’t think of purple robes and shiny baubles, but think of this.
God robes Himself in light.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Start at the End and Work Backwards
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
The ink is going to run.
If you don’t think of that, you’re going to make a bad newspaper ad like the one I’m looking at.
The words are white, surrounded by color. I’m sure it looked good on the computer screen, but they didn’t think about the end result, so the ink bled into the small, white letters making them impossible to read.
When you design a sign, don’t start on your computer screen. Go out and stand where the sign will be posted. Start at the end and work backwards.
One local church spent the money and posted a beautiful billboard; but I guess they didn’t go look at the site. The billboard was surrounded by trees, but what did they do? They made the billboard green, too!
This is great advice in so many areas of life: start at the end and work backwards.
I want to grow old and live out my days with the wife of my youth. I knew that the day we married, so looking at that end helps me make wise decisions today.
Parenting – wow. My end was that I wanted my children to grow up and be self-sustaining adults, contributing to society, and having their own relationship with Jesus; so I made my parenting decisions with those end results in mind.
And our own lives. How do we decide what to do each day? What do we value? What gets our time and attention and resources?
Start at the end and work backwards, and the end I’m thinking of is the judgment seat of Christ.
Romans 14:10 says, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
So how are you planning your life?
Start at the end and work backwards.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
The ink is going to run.
If you don’t think of that, you’re going to make a bad newspaper ad like the one I’m looking at.
The words are white, surrounded by color. I’m sure it looked good on the computer screen, but they didn’t think about the end result, so the ink bled into the small, white letters making them impossible to read.
When you design a sign, don’t start on your computer screen. Go out and stand where the sign will be posted. Start at the end and work backwards.
One local church spent the money and posted a beautiful billboard; but I guess they didn’t go look at the site. The billboard was surrounded by trees, but what did they do? They made the billboard green, too!
This is great advice in so many areas of life: start at the end and work backwards.
I want to grow old and live out my days with the wife of my youth. I knew that the day we married, so looking at that end helps me make wise decisions today.
Parenting – wow. My end was that I wanted my children to grow up and be self-sustaining adults, contributing to society, and having their own relationship with Jesus; so I made my parenting decisions with those end results in mind.
And our own lives. How do we decide what to do each day? What do we value? What gets our time and attention and resources?
Start at the end and work backwards, and the end I’m thinking of is the judgment seat of Christ.
Romans 14:10 says, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
So how are you planning your life?
Start at the end and work backwards.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, April 17, 2017
How to Read Medieval Art
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
How to Read Medieval Art.
That’s the name of the new book I picked up at the library.
How to Read Medieval Art.
So you mean there are hidden messages and clues in the art, like a mystery? I’m in! Give me that book.
Then I read something very interesting in the foreword, which was written by Thomas P. Campbell, the director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It’s also known as The Met in New York City, it’s the largest art museum in the United States, and it’s among the most visited art museums in the world.
In the foreword he points out that much of medieval art is based on biblical themes. Now listen to this. He wrote, “To modern readers and museum visitors, the narratives of the Judeo-Christian tradition may be as unfamiliar as those of Egyptian gods.”
Wow.
So here we are, with more Christian publishing, more Bibles, more books, more media, more websites, more preaching, and probably more churches and evangelism than ever.
And yet medieval art with biblical themes requires special explanation, similar to what we need to understand long-defunct, ancient Egyptian gods.
Can that be true?
It may be – partly because a chunk of the people hanging around at The Met are probably not prone to be in church this Sunday.
But even among church-going Christians, studies show a plunge in biblical literacy, especially among younger people.
Well, we can’t change the world, but we can make sure that in our homes and families, and in our churches, we are providing the education and teaching and biblical training that’s needed.
If we don’t, the truths of God are going to seem as mysterious to coming generations as some ancient Egyptian god.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
How to Read Medieval Art.
That’s the name of the new book I picked up at the library.
How to Read Medieval Art.
So you mean there are hidden messages and clues in the art, like a mystery? I’m in! Give me that book.
Then I read something very interesting in the foreword, which was written by Thomas P. Campbell, the director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It’s also known as The Met in New York City, it’s the largest art museum in the United States, and it’s among the most visited art museums in the world.
In the foreword he points out that much of medieval art is based on biblical themes. Now listen to this. He wrote, “To modern readers and museum visitors, the narratives of the Judeo-Christian tradition may be as unfamiliar as those of Egyptian gods.”
Wow.
So here we are, with more Christian publishing, more Bibles, more books, more media, more websites, more preaching, and probably more churches and evangelism than ever.
And yet medieval art with biblical themes requires special explanation, similar to what we need to understand long-defunct, ancient Egyptian gods.
Can that be true?
It may be – partly because a chunk of the people hanging around at The Met are probably not prone to be in church this Sunday.
But even among church-going Christians, studies show a plunge in biblical literacy, especially among younger people.
Well, we can’t change the world, but we can make sure that in our homes and families, and in our churches, we are providing the education and teaching and biblical training that’s needed.
If we don’t, the truths of God are going to seem as mysterious to coming generations as some ancient Egyptian god.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
How is Your Family Dynasty?
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Have you heard of the dynasty of King Jeroboam?
No, because it never happened.
Oh, it should have happened. The dynasty of Jeroboam was foretold by the prophet.
In First Kings 11:38, it was Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, who told Jeroboam that God was going to make him king, and that God would give him a family dynasty...IF he would listen to the Lord’s commands and do what was right in God’s eyes.
And you know what? That’s what I want to do! It’s my heart’s desire and my prayer. “Lord, I want to listen to Your commands. I want to walk in Your ways. I want to follow You, Good Shepherd, every day!”
And that, my friend, is how you build your family dynasty.
You establish your family dynasty on the foundation of God and His ways.
Look around and see. Families that put God in the center and walk in His ways – those are strong families. They aren’t riddled and pockmarked with divorce, adultery, abuse and neglect.
So how are you doing with your family dynasty?
The good news is that, even if your family is a garbage heap up until now, you can change that starting today. Start following God, walk in His ways and you will immediately begin to see the foundation start to firm up beneath you.
But poor Jeroboam. He decided to ignore the prophet.
Some of the saddest words in the Bible are found in 1 Kings 12:28. After seeking advice, Jeroboam made two golden calves.
He took the promise of the prophet and chucked it.
No dynasty for Jeroboam.
But we can build a rich family dynasty!...when we seek the Lord with all of our heart and desire to walk in His ways.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Have you heard of the dynasty of King Jeroboam?
No, because it never happened.
Oh, it should have happened. The dynasty of Jeroboam was foretold by the prophet.
In First Kings 11:38, it was Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, who told Jeroboam that God was going to make him king, and that God would give him a family dynasty...IF he would listen to the Lord’s commands and do what was right in God’s eyes.
And you know what? That’s what I want to do! It’s my heart’s desire and my prayer. “Lord, I want to listen to Your commands. I want to walk in Your ways. I want to follow You, Good Shepherd, every day!”
And that, my friend, is how you build your family dynasty.
You establish your family dynasty on the foundation of God and His ways.
Look around and see. Families that put God in the center and walk in His ways – those are strong families. They aren’t riddled and pockmarked with divorce, adultery, abuse and neglect.
So how are you doing with your family dynasty?
The good news is that, even if your family is a garbage heap up until now, you can change that starting today. Start following God, walk in His ways and you will immediately begin to see the foundation start to firm up beneath you.
But poor Jeroboam. He decided to ignore the prophet.
Some of the saddest words in the Bible are found in 1 Kings 12:28. After seeking advice, Jeroboam made two golden calves.
He took the promise of the prophet and chucked it.
No dynasty for Jeroboam.
But we can build a rich family dynasty!...when we seek the Lord with all of our heart and desire to walk in His ways.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Are You Drinking the Kool-Aid or the Living Water?
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Are you drinking the Kool-Aid or the living water?
I mean, where are you getting your values? On what foundation are you building your life?
Are you plugged into TV all day? Is your favorite news channel like an IV pumping Kool-Aid into your veins?
Is it soap operas? And you know that show you’re binging on is basically a soap opera, right? That’s why you can’t stop watching.
But all these things impart values and morals. Our books. Our novels. The people filling our news feeds. The click bait.
We keep going back to the same sources and drinking the artificial...but colorful!...Kool-Aid.
Meanwhile, we have an amazing source of living water – the Holy Spirit of God who lives inside every Christian believer. (John 7:38-39)
Living water – it’s a spiritual spring, teeming with life!
It’s the Spirit of God inside of us, flowing within us...but we have to tap into it. We seek God in prayer and praise and Bible study, and we tap into His living water. We draw near to Him, and He draws near to us. (James 4:8)
Then He shows us things, ways to live, attitudes to adopt; and when we do, He establishes our lives on a firm foundation.
In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said that when we hear His teachings and do them, we are building our lives on a solid foundation.
Sometimes people accuse fired up Christians of drinking the Kool-Aid. On the contrary. The world is sucking down the Kool-Aid like a maniacal third grader. And even Christians can fall for the cartoonish colors, shovels of sugar and short-lived satisfaction.
So stop with the Kool-Aid.
Instead, let us run to the living water, clean and refreshing and satisfying!
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Are you drinking the Kool-Aid or the living water?
I mean, where are you getting your values? On what foundation are you building your life?
Are you plugged into TV all day? Is your favorite news channel like an IV pumping Kool-Aid into your veins?
Is it soap operas? And you know that show you’re binging on is basically a soap opera, right? That’s why you can’t stop watching.
But all these things impart values and morals. Our books. Our novels. The people filling our news feeds. The click bait.
We keep going back to the same sources and drinking the artificial...but colorful!...Kool-Aid.
Meanwhile, we have an amazing source of living water – the Holy Spirit of God who lives inside every Christian believer. (John 7:38-39)
Living water – it’s a spiritual spring, teeming with life!
It’s the Spirit of God inside of us, flowing within us...but we have to tap into it. We seek God in prayer and praise and Bible study, and we tap into His living water. We draw near to Him, and He draws near to us. (James 4:8)
Then He shows us things, ways to live, attitudes to adopt; and when we do, He establishes our lives on a firm foundation.
In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said that when we hear His teachings and do them, we are building our lives on a solid foundation.
Sometimes people accuse fired up Christians of drinking the Kool-Aid. On the contrary. The world is sucking down the Kool-Aid like a maniacal third grader. And even Christians can fall for the cartoonish colors, shovels of sugar and short-lived satisfaction.
So stop with the Kool-Aid.
Instead, let us run to the living water, clean and refreshing and satisfying!
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
I'm Supposed to Love People...But How?
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Yes, yes, yes, I know I’m supposed to love people...but how?
I think we all know that if we are on our way to Jericho and we come across a beaten man, we’re supposed to load him on our donkey and take him to the inn, right? Like the good Samaritan.
But life is full of people and their drama, full of neighbors and friends and strangers and people we like and people we don’t like so now what?
We’re supposed to love them...but how?
First let me note that love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) So the more we let the living water of the Holy Spirit flow in our lives, the more we will love people, automatically.
And the more we quench and grieve the Holy Spirit by our own sin and selfishness and disobedience and laziness, the less we will love people...automatically.
But I’m getting to a prayer we can pray, and this has really set my heart on fire.
Philippians 1:9 says, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
So that’s my prayer. “God, please give me that depth of insight into how to love people, each and every one of them.”
I’m a father of four adult children, all married. I need to love them in different ways than when they were 5, 7, 9 and 11. What do I say? What do I give? When do I act? When do I offer my insanely wise advice, and when do I keep my big mouth shut?
To love them well I need depth of insight!
The homeless man on the corner, or at least he says he’s homeless. See how I am? I need depth of insight!
And so I pray, “Lord, please, I love You so much, and to love all these people You bring into my life, I need to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
Amen.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Yes, yes, yes, I know I’m supposed to love people...but how?
I think we all know that if we are on our way to Jericho and we come across a beaten man, we’re supposed to load him on our donkey and take him to the inn, right? Like the good Samaritan.
But life is full of people and their drama, full of neighbors and friends and strangers and people we like and people we don’t like so now what?
We’re supposed to love them...but how?
First let me note that love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) So the more we let the living water of the Holy Spirit flow in our lives, the more we will love people, automatically.
And the more we quench and grieve the Holy Spirit by our own sin and selfishness and disobedience and laziness, the less we will love people...automatically.
But I’m getting to a prayer we can pray, and this has really set my heart on fire.
Philippians 1:9 says, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
So that’s my prayer. “God, please give me that depth of insight into how to love people, each and every one of them.”
I’m a father of four adult children, all married. I need to love them in different ways than when they were 5, 7, 9 and 11. What do I say? What do I give? When do I act? When do I offer my insanely wise advice, and when do I keep my big mouth shut?
To love them well I need depth of insight!
The homeless man on the corner, or at least he says he’s homeless. See how I am? I need depth of insight!
And so I pray, “Lord, please, I love You so much, and to love all these people You bring into my life, I need to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”
Amen.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Power Through
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
What might you have been excellent at if you had powered through?
Let me say it again.
What might you have been excellent at – if you had powered through?
See, we’re all made in the image of God. He created us, and He packed us with individual gifts and talents.
But it’s raw material.
It’s like the planet. God created it, and He packed it full of astounding raw materials. And I think we have only just begun to discover all the amazing things He put here.
The same is true with us. Every one of us. He packed us full of raw materials, but they are hidden. They are under the surface. It’s not obvious. We have to dig, excavate, plow, work it.
I hate to see young people squandering so much time. I hate to see anyone wasting time, but especially young people, who are still so much like an undiscovered land. What might they be able to do if they just worked at it?
That’s the problem with raw materials. They require a lot of work.
Phil Collins became known as one of the best drummers in the world. But as a child it was just bare, raw materials. He liked to hit things in a rhythm.
But he worked it, hard. In his new autobiography he writes, “I must have put in my 10,000 hours before I’m even a teenager...when I’m home, I drum, to the exclusion of pretty much all else.”
You are a wonderland of raw materials, just waiting for you to discover! What are you good at? What can you be great at?
Whatever it is, greatness never comes easy. You start with the raw materials, and then you work. You work, man!
You work now, so you don’t end up older with someone like me saying, “Just think - what might you have been excellent at if you had just powered through?
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
What might you have been excellent at if you had powered through?
Let me say it again.
What might you have been excellent at – if you had powered through?
See, we’re all made in the image of God. He created us, and He packed us with individual gifts and talents.
But it’s raw material.
It’s like the planet. God created it, and He packed it full of astounding raw materials. And I think we have only just begun to discover all the amazing things He put here.
The same is true with us. Every one of us. He packed us full of raw materials, but they are hidden. They are under the surface. It’s not obvious. We have to dig, excavate, plow, work it.
I hate to see young people squandering so much time. I hate to see anyone wasting time, but especially young people, who are still so much like an undiscovered land. What might they be able to do if they just worked at it?
That’s the problem with raw materials. They require a lot of work.
Phil Collins became known as one of the best drummers in the world. But as a child it was just bare, raw materials. He liked to hit things in a rhythm.
But he worked it, hard. In his new autobiography he writes, “I must have put in my 10,000 hours before I’m even a teenager...when I’m home, I drum, to the exclusion of pretty much all else.”
You are a wonderland of raw materials, just waiting for you to discover! What are you good at? What can you be great at?
Whatever it is, greatness never comes easy. You start with the raw materials, and then you work. You work, man!
You work now, so you don’t end up older with someone like me saying, “Just think - what might you have been excellent at if you had just powered through?
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
But You Don't Want to Go to Church
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
We lay down our lives for the brethren.
But you don’t want to go to church.
First John 3:16 says, “...we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
That’s our Christian brothers and sisters...the brethren.
It’s our fellow Christians and our fellow church members, and we’re supposed to LAY DOWN OUR LIVES for them.
But you don’t want to go to church.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (NIV)
When you lay down your life, you give up your own wants and desires. You say, “What I want? I give that up. I give it up to be with you, to love you, to help you, to serve you, my brothers and sisters.”
Man, what would the church look like if we did this?
God has placed every believer in the body of Christ, and we all are assigned a particular part in the body. We all have gifts and talents and resources to be spent in the service of the body. The body will thrive and grow (be edified) as we each fulfill our part.
The church would look like a wonderland of love and service! And the fulfillment and satisfaction level would be out of this world!
But you don’t want to go to church.
Or you’re a church consumer, shopping around like a little Me Monster for the Me Me Me.
Man, that’s the OPPOSITE.
Going to church is about finding your brothers and sisters, connecting with them in the body of Christ, serving with them, working together along side in the mission of Jesus Christ!
We serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13)
Because He laid down His life for us, we ought to LAY DOWN OUR LIVES for each other.
But you don’t want to go to church.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, March 09, 2017
A Just Man
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
I want to be a just man, like Noah.
Genesis says Noah was a just man, and he walked with God.
I want to be a just man, like John the Baptist.
Mark 6:20 says that Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man...and holy.
I want to be a just man, like Joseph of Arimethea.
Luke says, “Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.”
I want to be like that: a good and just man.
I want to be a just man like Cornelius.
Acts 10:22 says Cornelius the centurion was a just man, one who feared God and had a good reputation.
Hardly anyone in the Bible is called “just,” but I want to be like them, a just man.
Proverbs 9:9 says, “Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”
“Lord, I want that. I don’t want to be a fool who can’t learn his lessons. Lord, I want to be a just man who increases in learning.”
Proverbs 20:7 says the just man walks in his integrity. His children are blessed.
“Lord, I want to be that man, the just man, with integrity, whose children are blessed!”
Proverbs 24:16 says a just man falls seven times...and rises up again!
“Thank You, Lord, that even if I stumble I will rise up again! By Your Spirit I will keep the faith. I will run the race. I will live for You and love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.”
“Lord Jesus, I am clay on the wheel. Mold me into the man You want me to be.”
A good man.
A holy man.
A just man.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Tuesday, March 07, 2017
Selfish Little Baby Wah Wah Wahs
Selfishness is like a pac-man.
It just keeps eating and eating and is never satisfied.
If you live to please yourself, you will never be satisfied.
I want this. I want that. I want her. I want him.
You can consume all the dots, gobble them up, every dot you see, and you won’t be satisfied.
Selfishness is sin, and you don’t gobble up sin. It gobbles up you!
Selfishness wrecks marriages and families. It wrecks businesses and churches. And it will wreck your life.
To the degree that you are selfish, to that degree you will be hollow.
But there is a glorious alternative!
Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
As Christians, the key is that we no longer live for ourselves, but for God.
We take our eyes off of ourselves, off our desires, our wants, our selfish little baby wah-wah-wahs.
And we fix our eyes on Jesus! We focus on Him and we run towards Him!
We want what He wants! We desire what He desires.
Our heart is turned toward Him. We surrender to Him. We love Him and desire Him, and we soak up His Spirit and are filled with the Holy Spirit and fire!
He sets us on fire for Him, for God, for eternity. Our eyes are fixed on heavenly things! And like the old song says, the things of this earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
And selfishness? It melts and disappears, like cotton candy dropped in the ocean.
“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
It just keeps eating and eating and is never satisfied.
If you live to please yourself, you will never be satisfied.
I want this. I want that. I want her. I want him.
You can consume all the dots, gobble them up, every dot you see, and you won’t be satisfied.
Selfishness is sin, and you don’t gobble up sin. It gobbles up you!
Selfishness wrecks marriages and families. It wrecks businesses and churches. And it will wreck your life.
To the degree that you are selfish, to that degree you will be hollow.
But there is a glorious alternative!
Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
As Christians, the key is that we no longer live for ourselves, but for God.
We take our eyes off of ourselves, off our desires, our wants, our selfish little baby wah-wah-wahs.
And we fix our eyes on Jesus! We focus on Him and we run towards Him!
We want what He wants! We desire what He desires.
Our heart is turned toward Him. We surrender to Him. We love Him and desire Him, and we soak up His Spirit and are filled with the Holy Spirit and fire!
He sets us on fire for Him, for God, for eternity. Our eyes are fixed on heavenly things! And like the old song says, the things of this earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
And selfishness? It melts and disappears, like cotton candy dropped in the ocean.
“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
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.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Thou Knowest
I’m
Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke
24:32)
Here is a phrase I use a lot in my prayers: Thou knowest.
When I face uncertain circumstances (and aren’t they all) I simply turn my mind toward heaven and say, “Thou knowest.”
What should I do? “Thou knowest.”
How should I use my time? “Thou knowest.”
Where’s the money going to come from? “Thou knowest.”
How should I pray for my kids? “Thou knowest.”
It’s my way of expressing my serious lack of knowledge to the Lord, submitting to Him, and running toward Him in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
I surely don’t know how the world really works and what I’m supposed to do...but He knows. God knows. The Lord almighty knows. El Elyon knows.
It goes back to Ezekiel 37, when God took the mighty prophet Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones.
Imagine the quiet. The wind. The solitude. The arid land.
God says to His prophet, “Can these bones live?”
And here’s where my phrase, “Thou knowest” comes from, because that’s exactly what Ezekiel says to God in this divine moment.
Ezekiel doesn’t try to guess, or take a random stab, or even make light of it.
He just answers with the most sober, most humble and yet most trusting, sheep-like answer to the Shepherd.
Thou knowest.
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
What powerful, encouraging words!
I decided to learn and memorize all the lyrics, I mean, how many songs do you know ALL the words to, right?
And sometimes the words aren’t worth memorizing, like those hymns where sing “verse 1 and 3, and definitely not 4, but maybe 5.”
Well “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is worth singing and memorizing all the way through.
Just listen.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
I hope this causes your heart to burn within you today like it has mine.
The powerful and encouraging hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
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