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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Here’s a prayer I’ve been praying lately, “Lord, let this land yield her increase.”
It’s based on Psalm 85:12 where it says, “The Lord shall give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase.”
I think your “land” can be whatever God has given you, whatever opportunities you have. I think your job is your land. Your family is your land. Your business is your land. Your church is your land.
I think we can learn from Jesus’ Parable of the Talents that God gives us raw materials, or land if you will, and He is looking for an increase.
Of course we can work and work and work and work, but like it says in Psalm 127, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.
Unless the Lord gives the increase, we labor in vain.
And so I pray, “Lord, let this land yield her increase.”
And then I got to thinking, “You know, that word ‘let,’ it’s kind of weak. It seems passive. “Lord ‘let’ this happen.” I don’t want Him to let it happen. I want Him to MAKE it happen!
So I was searching the Scriptures, looking for a way to beef up this prayer, to replace the word “let.”
And then I stumbled across Genesis chapter one, and what an eye opener. It really puts a new spin on this word “let.” I mean, when God says “let,” it’s not weak or passive.
Let there be light!
Let the dry land appear!
Let the earth bring forth plants!
Let lights appear in the sky!
Let the waters abound with living creatures and the skies be filled with birds!
Let the earth bring forth every sort of animal!
Check out this Hebrew word, Hayah. You find it in Genesis 1:3 translated “Let there be.” Hayah.
So this word “let” is pretty powerful after all, and well fitting for this prayer, which I encourage you to pray over all the “land” the Lord has given you: your business, your home, your marriage, your family, your career, your church, all your opportunities; over all of it you can pray this simple but powerful prayer.
“Lord, please let this land yield her increase.”
Amen.
May God bless you, today.
With Apples of Gold...I’m Doug Apple.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The Three Levels of Forgiveness
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Here is a teaching that will literally revolutionize your life.
It’s called The Three Levels of Forgiveness.
The first level is Rookie Forgiveness. Rookie forgiveness is when you get hurt, you suffer for a while, and then you forgive.
The question is, how long do you wait between the offense and the forgiveness? How long do you suffer in anger, hatred and bitterness? A week? A month? A year? Half your life?
What if you do like the movies and just blast your offender and take your revenge. Would that solve the problem? No, and here’s why. The offender will die, but the offense lives on! It will live on inside of you until…
Until you forgive.
So how long do you wait to forgive? Why wait at all? And that brings us to the second level of forgiveness.
After Rookie Forgiveness, the second level is: Instant Forgiveness.
This is where you forgive your offenders instantly. As soon as you see the offense coming, you forgive before it even hits you. You don’t take the hit because you forgive them instantly.
You hear someone talking behind your back. Forgive them. Instantly.
“Well Doug, that means I’m letting them get away with it!”
Ah, and that’s the problem with all of this forgiveness, isn’t it? We feel like we are letting the offender get away with it.
But you know, you can forgive...AND hold accountable. The accountability just won’t be in anger, hatred, revenge and bitterness.
For example, when a toddler screams, “Mommy, I hate you!”
The mom doesn’t take offense. She instantly forgives and goes straight to loving correction.
So someone steals from you? Instantly forgive, and hold them accountable...in love, though, not hatred.
So you don’t want to practice instant forgiveness? Keep in mind the other option is rookie forgiveness, where you go ahead and take the hit, suffer for a while, and then eventually you are going to have to forgive them anyway.
So that is level two: Instant Forgiveness. We should be tossing out forgivenesses like candy at a parade. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. See an offense coming? Forgive.
Like I said, it will revolutionize your life! And your marriage and your family and your church and your workplace.
And then comes the third level: Preemptive Forgiveness.
You know offenses are coming. Jesus said, “It is impossible that no offenses should come...” They are coming, so forgive them now, ahead of time!
“But Doug, that’s impossible.”
Think of it like an emergency bank account. You know something is going to break, so you put money in the account ahead of time.
So go ahead and put some forgiveness in the account ahead of time, knowing the offenses will come. You don’t know who. You don’t know when. You don’t know why. Maybe it’s next Christmas when Aunt Mable will make a horrible crack about you. Maybe it’s five years from now when your brother will swindle you out of your dad’s inheritance. We’re not asking for trouble ahead of time. We just know that someone is going to do something that hurts us, small or large or even criminal.
So send out a preemptive strike of forgiveness! I forgive you now, whoever you are.
And then, when the time comes, and the devil rears his ugly head and goes on the attack...too late. I already forgave that five years ago.
And that sets you free to go on the attack yourself! Not the attack of anger or hatred or vengeance. It’s the attack of love, loving everyone, including enemies, through the power of God in me, the Holy Spirit who empowers me to love and to love and to love and to love.
And it all starts with forgiveness.
So think about it. What level do you want?
There’s Rookie Forgiveness, where you take the hit, suffer for a while, and then finally forgive.
There’s Instant Forgiveness, where you avoid the hit by forgiving instantly, as soon as you see the offense coming.
And there’s Preemptive Forgiveness, where you go ahead and forgive the offender now, before the offense even happens.
Set yourself free from offense and hatred and anger and bitterness and revenge!
Revolutionize your life with the power of forgiveness.
May God bless you, today.
With Apples of Gold...I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Here is a teaching that will literally revolutionize your life.
It’s called The Three Levels of Forgiveness.
The first level is Rookie Forgiveness. Rookie forgiveness is when you get hurt, you suffer for a while, and then you forgive.
The question is, how long do you wait between the offense and the forgiveness? How long do you suffer in anger, hatred and bitterness? A week? A month? A year? Half your life?
What if you do like the movies and just blast your offender and take your revenge. Would that solve the problem? No, and here’s why. The offender will die, but the offense lives on! It will live on inside of you until…
Until you forgive.
So how long do you wait to forgive? Why wait at all? And that brings us to the second level of forgiveness.
After Rookie Forgiveness, the second level is: Instant Forgiveness.
This is where you forgive your offenders instantly. As soon as you see the offense coming, you forgive before it even hits you. You don’t take the hit because you forgive them instantly.
You hear someone talking behind your back. Forgive them. Instantly.
“Well Doug, that means I’m letting them get away with it!”
Ah, and that’s the problem with all of this forgiveness, isn’t it? We feel like we are letting the offender get away with it.
But you know, you can forgive...AND hold accountable. The accountability just won’t be in anger, hatred, revenge and bitterness.
For example, when a toddler screams, “Mommy, I hate you!”
The mom doesn’t take offense. She instantly forgives and goes straight to loving correction.
So someone steals from you? Instantly forgive, and hold them accountable...in love, though, not hatred.
So you don’t want to practice instant forgiveness? Keep in mind the other option is rookie forgiveness, where you go ahead and take the hit, suffer for a while, and then eventually you are going to have to forgive them anyway.
So that is level two: Instant Forgiveness. We should be tossing out forgivenesses like candy at a parade. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. See an offense coming? Forgive.
Like I said, it will revolutionize your life! And your marriage and your family and your church and your workplace.
And then comes the third level: Preemptive Forgiveness.
You know offenses are coming. Jesus said, “It is impossible that no offenses should come...” They are coming, so forgive them now, ahead of time!
“But Doug, that’s impossible.”
Think of it like an emergency bank account. You know something is going to break, so you put money in the account ahead of time.
So go ahead and put some forgiveness in the account ahead of time, knowing the offenses will come. You don’t know who. You don’t know when. You don’t know why. Maybe it’s next Christmas when Aunt Mable will make a horrible crack about you. Maybe it’s five years from now when your brother will swindle you out of your dad’s inheritance. We’re not asking for trouble ahead of time. We just know that someone is going to do something that hurts us, small or large or even criminal.
So send out a preemptive strike of forgiveness! I forgive you now, whoever you are.
And then, when the time comes, and the devil rears his ugly head and goes on the attack...too late. I already forgave that five years ago.
And that sets you free to go on the attack yourself! Not the attack of anger or hatred or vengeance. It’s the attack of love, loving everyone, including enemies, through the power of God in me, the Holy Spirit who empowers me to love and to love and to love and to love.
And it all starts with forgiveness.
So think about it. What level do you want?
There’s Rookie Forgiveness, where you take the hit, suffer for a while, and then finally forgive.
There’s Instant Forgiveness, where you avoid the hit by forgiving instantly, as soon as you see the offense coming.
And there’s Preemptive Forgiveness, where you go ahead and forgive the offender now, before the offense even happens.
Set yourself free from offense and hatred and anger and bitterness and revenge!
Revolutionize your life with the power of forgiveness.
May God bless you, today.
With Apples of Gold...I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, November 06, 2017
How to Overcome the Flesh
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
“Yeah, but how can I overcome the flesh?
That’s what someone asked me, and it’s a good question.
Different sins can get hold of different people – Christian people – and sometimes they even battle those sins, and lose.
So what’s the answer? How can you overcome the flesh, and the sin and temptation that go with it?
My advice is don’t try to tackle it head on, but turn your attention elsewhere.
Dealing with the flesh can be like dealing with a toddler. You can fight all day with a toddler about that thing they are fixated on, but sometimes it’s just better to say, “Hey, how about a popsicle?” Then they squeal with delight, run to the kitchen, and forget all about that other thing.
In the same way you can battle your flesh all day long. “Drop that sin. Drop that sin. Drop that sin.” But the flesh wants to hold onto it.
So what do you replace it with?
Instead of fighting the flesh head on, you present yourself to the Lord, and keep presenting yourself to the Lord. “Lord, here I am. I’m all Yours.”
Romans 6:13 tells us to present ourselves to God.
Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.
I like the words of the new song “Broken Things” by Matthew West. It says, “But if it’s true You use broken things, then here I am, Lord, I’m all Yours.”
I recommend doing it everyday. Lift your hands in surrender to heaven and present yourself as a living sacrifice to God. “Lord, here I am. I’m all Yours. I want to do want You want me to do, say what You want me to say, be what You want me to be. I want to bear good eternal fruit and I can only do that in You.”
So how do we overcome the flesh? We keep presenting ourselves to the Lord each and every day, and when our hearts and minds are fixated on Him, it just doesn’t leave any room for the flesh.
May God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
“Yeah, but how can I overcome the flesh?
That’s what someone asked me, and it’s a good question.
Different sins can get hold of different people – Christian people – and sometimes they even battle those sins, and lose.
So what’s the answer? How can you overcome the flesh, and the sin and temptation that go with it?
My advice is don’t try to tackle it head on, but turn your attention elsewhere.
Dealing with the flesh can be like dealing with a toddler. You can fight all day with a toddler about that thing they are fixated on, but sometimes it’s just better to say, “Hey, how about a popsicle?” Then they squeal with delight, run to the kitchen, and forget all about that other thing.
In the same way you can battle your flesh all day long. “Drop that sin. Drop that sin. Drop that sin.” But the flesh wants to hold onto it.
So what do you replace it with?
Instead of fighting the flesh head on, you present yourself to the Lord, and keep presenting yourself to the Lord. “Lord, here I am. I’m all Yours.”
Romans 6:13 tells us to present ourselves to God.
Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.
I like the words of the new song “Broken Things” by Matthew West. It says, “But if it’s true You use broken things, then here I am, Lord, I’m all Yours.”
I recommend doing it everyday. Lift your hands in surrender to heaven and present yourself as a living sacrifice to God. “Lord, here I am. I’m all Yours. I want to do want You want me to do, say what You want me to say, be what You want me to be. I want to bear good eternal fruit and I can only do that in You.”
So how do we overcome the flesh? We keep presenting ourselves to the Lord each and every day, and when our hearts and minds are fixated on Him, it just doesn’t leave any room for the flesh.
May God bless you, today.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Spiritual Growth: Outwardly Inward and Inwardly Outward
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
I asked a young man how his spiritual growth was going.
He said, “I’m reading the Bible a lot, and several devotionals.”
I said, “And how is that impacting you?”
He said, “I’m always looking for personal applications – how I can apply what I learn.”
And that, my friend, is one half of spiritual growth, what I call outwardly inward.
You read the Bible, you hear a sermon, you read your daily devotion, you listen to a teacher, you talk to Christian friends and hold one another accountable. That is outwardly inward. It starts outside of you, you receive it, and you allow it inside of you to change your heart and mind.
And then there is inwardly outward. What is that?
That is when the Holy Spirit inside of you is teaching you and leading you, convicting you and encouraging you and cheering you on...from the inside of you.
In John 7, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be inside of us, and would be like rivers of living water, flowing from the inside out.
Hebrews 10:16 says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.”
This is what the Holy Spirit does. He brings us spiritual growth from the inside out. It begins inwardly and works outward.
So when you are looking at your spiritual growth, look for two things.
Are you reading and listening and learning from the Bible and teachers and preachers, and applying what you’ve heard?
AND...is the Holy Spirit speaking inside of you, leading and guiding and teaching you, and raising up the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit inside of you?
Because that is how spiritual growth takes place: outwardly inward and inwardly outward.
May God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
I asked a young man how his spiritual growth was going.
He said, “I’m reading the Bible a lot, and several devotionals.”
I said, “And how is that impacting you?”
He said, “I’m always looking for personal applications – how I can apply what I learn.”
And that, my friend, is one half of spiritual growth, what I call outwardly inward.
You read the Bible, you hear a sermon, you read your daily devotion, you listen to a teacher, you talk to Christian friends and hold one another accountable. That is outwardly inward. It starts outside of you, you receive it, and you allow it inside of you to change your heart and mind.
And then there is inwardly outward. What is that?
That is when the Holy Spirit inside of you is teaching you and leading you, convicting you and encouraging you and cheering you on...from the inside of you.
In John 7, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be inside of us, and would be like rivers of living water, flowing from the inside out.
Hebrews 10:16 says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.”
This is what the Holy Spirit does. He brings us spiritual growth from the inside out. It begins inwardly and works outward.
So when you are looking at your spiritual growth, look for two things.
Are you reading and listening and learning from the Bible and teachers and preachers, and applying what you’ve heard?
AND...is the Holy Spirit speaking inside of you, leading and guiding and teaching you, and raising up the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit inside of you?
Because that is how spiritual growth takes place: outwardly inward and inwardly outward.
May God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
I Am One of the Triumphs of His Grace
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Maybe you’ve sung it a thousand times.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!
The triumphs of His grace.
When I sing that line, my heart cries out with joy: I am one!
I am one of the triumphs of His grace.
He set me free! He delivered me from the net of the fowler.
Have you ever heard that illustration?
Psalm 91:3 says, “Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler...”
A fowler catches birds, so imagine the tricks.
Maybe he throws down bird seed and all the birds come out and eat. Then he drops the net and they are caught!
That’s what the world does, and our sin and our flesh and our selfishness and our pride. Out goes the tempting seed, and in we rush, right into the stupid place, where the fowler is waiting.
Have you ever been caught in that trap? A lot of birds die in that trap, and yet here I am, a trophy of His grace.
How many times has the fowler wanted to spring the trap on me...but God.
But God, my Redeemer, saved me from the snares of the fowler.
The fowler sprung the trap, dropped the net, and many birds were caught. I can see the net coming down. I can see it starting to snare my feet, and just in time God snatches me out.
He spared my feet from the net of the fowler.
And that’s why I sing the triumphs of His grace, because I am one!
I am one of the triumphs of His grace...all glory and praise and thanks be to God.
May God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Maybe you’ve sung it a thousand times.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!
The triumphs of His grace.
When I sing that line, my heart cries out with joy: I am one!
I am one of the triumphs of His grace.
He set me free! He delivered me from the net of the fowler.
Have you ever heard that illustration?
Psalm 91:3 says, “Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler...”
A fowler catches birds, so imagine the tricks.
Maybe he throws down bird seed and all the birds come out and eat. Then he drops the net and they are caught!
That’s what the world does, and our sin and our flesh and our selfishness and our pride. Out goes the tempting seed, and in we rush, right into the stupid place, where the fowler is waiting.
Have you ever been caught in that trap? A lot of birds die in that trap, and yet here I am, a trophy of His grace.
How many times has the fowler wanted to spring the trap on me...but God.
But God, my Redeemer, saved me from the snares of the fowler.
The fowler sprung the trap, dropped the net, and many birds were caught. I can see the net coming down. I can see it starting to snare my feet, and just in time God snatches me out.
He spared my feet from the net of the fowler.
And that’s why I sing the triumphs of His grace, because I am one!
I am one of the triumphs of His grace...all glory and praise and thanks be to God.
May God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, October 09, 2017
The Jesus Fire
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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Do you have The Jesus Fire?
That’s a question I’ve been asking people lately.
“Do you have The Jesus Fire?”
Unfortunately most people are telling me, “No,” or “I don’t know,” or “Not like I used to.”
One man told me, “I guess I just don’t have the fire like you do.”
I told him, “As a believer, you have the same fire as me or any other believer. It’s the same fire of the Holy Spirit inside all Christians.”
The question is, are you fanning the flame? Or are you quenching the Spirit?
What do I mean by The Jesus Fire?
I get that from the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11, where John said that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit...and fire.
So I call it The Jesus Fire, and when I say, “Do you have The Jesus Fire?” I’m basically asking, “Is the Spirit of God rising up in you as a roaring fire?”
If the answer is yes, then hallelujah! Thank God!
If the answer is no, now what?
Now you need a healthy dose of James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, you need to go into your room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in the secret place.
You need to say, “Lord, I love You, and I desire to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness!”
You need a healthy dose of Psalm 25:4, “Show my Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths.”
Yes, you can be filled with the roaring Jesus Fire if you want it!
It just means humbling ourselves before God, coming to Him in surrender and saying, “Not my will, but Your will be done.”
So fan the flame, and let The Jesus Fire rise up in you today!
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32)
Do you have The Jesus Fire?
That’s a question I’ve been asking people lately.
“Do you have The Jesus Fire?”
Unfortunately most people are telling me, “No,” or “I don’t know,” or “Not like I used to.”
One man told me, “I guess I just don’t have the fire like you do.”
I told him, “As a believer, you have the same fire as me or any other believer. It’s the same fire of the Holy Spirit inside all Christians.”
The question is, are you fanning the flame? Or are you quenching the Spirit?
What do I mean by The Jesus Fire?
I get that from the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11, where John said that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit...and fire.
So I call it The Jesus Fire, and when I say, “Do you have The Jesus Fire?” I’m basically asking, “Is the Spirit of God rising up in you as a roaring fire?”
If the answer is yes, then hallelujah! Thank God!
If the answer is no, now what?
Now you need a healthy dose of James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, you need to go into your room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in the secret place.
You need to say, “Lord, I love You, and I desire to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness!”
You need a healthy dose of Psalm 25:4, “Show my Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths.”
Yes, you can be filled with the roaring Jesus Fire if you want it!
It just means humbling ourselves before God, coming to Him in surrender and saying, “Not my will, but Your will be done.”
So fan the flame, and let The Jesus Fire rise up in you today!
God bless you, today.
I’m Doug Apple.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Reporting for Duty, Sir
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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.
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.
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.
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