Apples of Gold
Radio Script for May 19, 2008
“I Must Keep My Word, With No Loopholes”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
If I want to be a good Christian, then I must be a man of my word.
I must be a man of integrity.
If I say it, I must do it.
This applies to the big things in life as well as the small things.
If I tell my wife I will be home for dinner at six, then I better be home by six.
If I say I will call you back about something, then I’d better call you back.
If I say I will meet you, then I will meet you.
If I say I will pray for you, then I will pray for you.
If I say I will think about it, then I’d better think about it.
Anything else is of the devil.
“Whoa, that’s a leap. How did the devil get in there?”
Jesus said it, I didn’t. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Why did He say that? Because people were playing little games with their word. What they said was true, only if they swore the right way, such as, “I swear by heaven,” or “I swear by Jerusalem.” If you didn’t swear the right way, then you had a big loophole.
Jesus closed all the loopholes. Our word must have 100% integrity. It must be true to the last drop.
In Numbers 30:1, Moses told the nation’s leaders that they must not break their word. They must do everything they said they would do.
Sometimes people say they are just so busy. Oh, is that a loophole? No. We must never be too busy to keep our word.
Here is something that is very hard for some people to do. Keep your big mouth shut. It’s so easy to say you will do something. We do this so often that we don’t think it’s any big deal when we don’t do what we say.
Some people just don’t want to say “No.” They have no intention of doing it. They know they probably won’t, but they say they will just so they don’t look bad, or to get you off their back.
This is a lack of integrity. Better to have the guts up front to just say no, than to even leave the impression that you might do something that you know you probably won’t.
Here’s a popular loophole: forgetfulness. Listen, everyone forgets. Old people forget. Young people forget. Everyone forgets.
But to be a person of integrity means we don’t forget. So how can we have integrity if everyone forgets?
That’s easy. When you commit to something, write it down. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you keep your word.
I know an old guy who constantly tapes notes to himself on his steering wheel. He knows he’s not going to forget to drive, so that’s where he leaves his reminders. I know a woman who uses Post-It notes by the stack.
Now let me ask you, is forgetting your word as bad as breaking your word? After all, you didn’t mean to forget.
Look at Proverbs 18:9. “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.”
In the same way, the person who forgets to keep their word is brother to the one who breaks their word. Their motives may be different, but they both lack integrity.
So forgetting to keep your word is no excuse. It just shows you are slack in your work.
Here’s a big loophole: “But when I gave my word, I didn’t know it would turn out like this.”
Ah, yes. It’s suddenly going to cost you more than you thought. A great time to look for loopholes, right?
Wrong. This is a great test of your integrity. Psalm 15:4 talks about people who keep their word, “even when it hurts.”
First Chronicles 29:17 says, “I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity.”
How does God test our integrity? By putting us in a costly situation. If we keep our word, it’s going to cost us. That is a great test of integrity.
Job was put in a costly situation. Even his wife said, “Are you still holding on to your integrity?” But Job’s integrity was solid, and he said that when God was done testing him, he would “come forth as gold.”
Even though it costs us, there are blessings when we keep our word.
Proverbs 10:9 says, “The man of integrity walks securely.”
When you are a man of integrity, your path in life becomes a lot clearer. You don’t have as many options to weed out, because most options lack integrity. Proverbs 11:3 indicates that our integrity acts as a guide.
Galatians 6:4 says we should test our own actions. We need to look at what we do and ask, “Am I a person of integrity? Is my word good, all the time, every time?”
Yes, I want to be a good Christian. I want to be a man of God. And that means I must be a man of integrity, which means I must always keep my word, with no loopholes.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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