Gas on the Grass

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Not keeping your word is like pouring gas on the grass.

Have you ever accidentally spilled gas on your lawn?  You’ll know if you did because the grass will die a terrible death.

Right now I have a big dead circle in my backyard, and I’m blaming the grandkids.

When we moved into our current home, the previous owner left a lot of random stuff in and around an old shed in the backyard.

One day the grandkids were exploring and dragged an old metal gas can out from under the shed, and proceeded to empty its contents…where?  Not in the dirt, of course, but right on the beautiful grass, and now it’s dead, dead, dead.

That’s the way of gas on grass.  It’s a killer.

I remember the first time I learned this lesson.  We were renting a house and the owner was proud of the lawn.  He fertilized it and gave me just two instructions, “Keep it mowed, and pull any weeds that come up.”  What he forgot to say was, “And whatever you do, don’t try to gas up the mower while the mower is sitting on the grass.”

I mean, it was only like a drop or two of gas, right?  But it still left a distinct dead spot in the middle of his luxurious lawn.

Now imagine this.  The lawn is your reputation, and the gas is when you don’t keep your word.

Not keeping your word is like spilling gas on the grass.  It puts a dead spot in your reputation.

Now imagine what happens if you break your word multiple times.  The lawn of your reputation starts to look spotty.

Now you have to start saying things like, “I PROMISE I’ll be there,” “I SWEAR I’ll do it,” “You can count on me.”

You know what?  People who keep their word don’t have to promise and swear because their word IS their promise.

Let me say that again.  Your word IS your promise.  You should never have to say, “I promise,” because your word IS your promise.

And the bigger the promise, the bigger the dead spot if you break it.

When someone breaks their wedding vows, for example, it’s like pouring gas on the whole lawn.  And then you wonder why it takes so long for people to trust you?  The more gas you pour, the longer it takes for the grass to return, if it ever does.

And remember, gas doesn’t just kill the grass.  It also contaminates the soil underneath.  

When you break your word to someone, it sinks in.  They counted on you, and you let them down, and it sinks in.  And if you do this repeatedly, you aren’t just killing the grass of your reputation.  You are contaminating the soil underneath your reputation, and that’s really bad.

In Matthew 5:37 Jesus said let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no,” “no.”  “For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

Proverbs 10:19 says that the more we talk, the more likely we are to sin.

If you find yourself having to talk a lot to convince people to trust you, it’s probably because you have killed your reputation by not keeping your word.

The old timers used to say it this way:  your word is your bond.

And the thing is, you don’t have to say it.  You don’t have to make a commitment.  You don’t have to announce, “I’ll be there at 7 p.m. sharp,” or whatever.

You don’t have to say it, but once you do, you better move heaven and earth to keep your word, because not keeping your word is like pouring gas on the grass.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

So Close to You I'm See-Through

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Sometimes God uses little scraps of words to speak mountains of truth.

I think that’s what’s happening in the song “In Awe” by Hollyn.

If my sources are correct, this song wasn’t written in the usual way.  The singer Hollyn was literally put into a vocal booth in a sound studio and told to just sing.

She said, “I didn’t have any words at first, so I took my time, closed my eyes, and for a solid hour thanked God for what He’d been doing in my life.”

And out came the song “In Awe.”

James 4:8 says that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.  It sounds like that’s what Hollyn did in creating this song, and that is definitely what I feel whenever I hear it, like I’m drawing near to God and He is drawing near to me.

And the lyrics say that.  The song opens with these words:

Can’t speak,

So close I can feel You breathe,

You’re so holy and worthy,

You know where I’ve been.

Can’t move,

So close to You I’m see-through,

No, not innocent like You,

Oh God, I’m sorry.

It reminds me of Isaiah chapter 6 where the prophet Isaiah sees the Lord, high and exalted, and Isaiah’s reaction is to realize his own sinfulness in the light of the holy God.

In the song “In Awe,” the singer is drawing into the presence of God and begins to feel the weight of His holiness, and listen to that line again:  

You’re so holy and worthy,

You know where I’ve been.

God knows where you’ve been, my friend.  He knows where I’ve been.  He knows EVERYWHERE we’ve been.  He knows any shame, any sin, any hurt, any anger and bitterness.  He knows where we’ve been, and it’s an awesome and terrible thought.

The song continues:

So close to You I’m see-through.

God sees it all, including any dark places.  There is no hiding before the living God, and listen to the singer’s response to the presence of God:

I’m not innocent like You.

Oh, my friend, we are not innocent, and we stand in stark contrast to the high and exalted, holy and worthy almighty God.  No wonder Isaiah, the mighty prophet of God, cried out in agony, “Woe unto me.  I am ruined.”

We are see-through in His presence.  He knows where we’ve been.  He knows it all.

The singer almost whimpers in God’s presence, and the song goes on:

No, not innocent like You,

Oh God, I’m sorry.

What else can be said?  What else can we say but, “Oh God, I am so, so sorry.”

But oh my friend, listen to this Bible verse.  Psalm 34:18.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

Yes, our hearts break for our sin in the presence of God, but as soon as they break, He rushes in.

The song continues:

I’m living in awe,

You don’t need me at all,

But You couldn’t love me more.

Oh man, let that sink in.  God, You don’t need me at all…but You couldn’t love me more.”

First John 3:1.  What great love the Father has LAVISHED on us, that we should be called His children.

The song continues:

Your love is overwhelming, Your love is overwhelming,

It’s only You and me here.

Your love is overwhelming, Your love is overwhelming,

I can hardly breathe here.

I’m living in awe,

‘Cause You don’t need me at all,

But You couldn’t love me more,

You couldn’t love me more,

You couldn’t love me more.

Hallelujah.  Praise God.  Thank You, Father, for the love You have lavished on us, in spite of ourselves, in spite of our sin, in spite of where we’ve been, but You couldn’t love us more, and we bow in Your holy presence and we love you back.  We love You back.  We love You back.

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Oddities in the Story of Zacchaeus

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

There’s Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree.  How did he get there?

He climbed, which must have been a funny sight.  I have 13 grandkids.  We see them in trees all the time, but we never see older people in trees.  And we NEVER see older rich people in robes up in trees.

But that was Zacchaeus, an older, rich, short man in robes, climbing up a sycamore tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus who was coming that way in what basically must have been like a parade.

Why was Zacchaeus so interested in Jesus?

Why is ANYONE so interested in Jesus?

In fact, why on earth are millions of people on earth still to this day so interested in Jesus?

It can’t be because he was a local phenomenon, flash in the pan, 15 minutes of fame guy.  Nobody is that interested in someone like that.

Rich guys in robes don’t climb trees for that.

So why was Zacchaeus there?  That’s one of the oddities in this story of Zacchaeus.  Why was he there?

Luke 19:3 says he “…sought to see who Jesus was…”

So it sounds like Zacchaeus was doing the seeking, desiring to know more about Jesus.

Then comes another oddity in the story.  Luke 19:5 says that when Jesus came to the place where Zacchaeus was, “He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’”

As a child, I remember standing outside Busch Stadium in St. Louis and watching the players arrive.  There they were, in the flesh, all those stars I had seen on TV and on my baseball cards.  

None of them ever turned to me and called me by name and said they were coming to my house.  It would have blown my mind!  “How did they know my name?  Why are they coming to my house?”

But that’s what happened to Zacchaeus.  Jesus looked up into the tree, called him by name, and said, “I’m coming to your house.”

The life of Zacchaeus is transformed in the presence of Jesus.  He gives half of his possessions to the poor, and he pays back fourfold everyone he has taken advantage of.

Then Jesus says something so joyful and jubilant, “Today salvation has come to this house!”

Man, that’s just like Jesus, just going in and revolutionizing someone’s life, turning them around in just moments in His presence.

And He’s still doing it today!  He did it for me and He’s done it for millions.

And here’s the final and grandest oddity in the story of Zacchaeus.  It’s right at the end, almost an afterthought, and yet it puts the entire story of Zacchaeus into a different light.

In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, “…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Wait a minute.  The story starts with Zacchaeus seeking Jesus.  But at the end we find that Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus!

Wow.  That explains Jesus stopping right at the tree and looking up and calling him by name.  It explains Jesus’ offer to go to his house.  It wasn’t that Zacchaeus was seeking Jesus.  It was that Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus!

One more Scripture before I close.

In John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…”

Why did Zacchaeus run ahead and climb up into the sycamore tree to see Jesus?  Maybe he thought he was just curious.

And maybe you think you are just curious.  You want to know more about Jesus.

But you know what?  You aren’t just curious.  Zacchaeus wasn’t just curious.  God the Father was drawing him, and if your heart and mind are wanting to know more about Jesus, God is drawing you.

He stands at the door and knocks, and if you will answer, He will come in, and just like Zacchaeus, a little time in the presence of Jesus and your life will be changed forever.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

How to Handle Opportunities

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

It’s one of the most exciting times in life.

It’s when opportunity presents itself.

It’s exciting because you have to make a choice, and you know that your choice will affect your future, and maybe the future of many others.

It’s exciting, and nerve wracking.

In fact, some people are scared of opportunities precisely because of the possible huge ramifications.  They think, “Well, if I don’t choose at all, at least I won’t make the wrong choice.”

Tell that to the man in Jesus’ parable who hid his talent in the ground instead of using the opportunity wisely.

Ah, now that’s the key:  using opportunities wisely!

So how do we do that?

First of all, the Bible tells us not to “give opportunity” to the flesh, or to the devil.  So when we are looking at an opportunity and deciding what to do about it, we clearly want to avoid things that are sinful.

We don’t become unequally yoked.  We don’t cheat people.  We don’t take advantage of people.  We don’t enter into win-lose situations where I win and you lose.  That may be taking advantage of an opportunity, but it’s wrong and sinful.

Galatians 6:10 says, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all…”

So how do we handle opportunities?  One thing we are looking for is how we can use this opportunity to do good for all, not just me.  We’re looking for opportunities to create win-win situations, where everyone’s situation is improved and no one comes up a big loser.

One question to ask is, “How can I use this opportunity to solve problems, both my problems and other people’s problems?”

Proverbs tells us that lazy people ignore opportunities, and ignorant people don’t even notice them.  

I think God often brings opportunities into our life.  

Back to the parable of the talents, in Matthew 25 Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”  Like what?  It’s like a rich man who gave opportunities to his servants, and he wanted to see how they would handle them.

Maybe you never thought of it that way.

I think God brings opportunities into our life, and then He watches, like a patient Father, to see what we will do with them.

What He wants is for us to take advantage of the opportunity in order to do good.

Next comes the question of which opportunities to work on, because in this day and age the world is crawling with opportunities and you can’t possibly take on all of them.

Back to the book of Galatians.  

Galatians 5:16 tells us to “walk in the Spirit,” which means to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:18 tells us to be “led by the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:25 tells us to “live in the Spirit.”

As Christian believers, we have to learn to discern the leading and speaking of God’s Holy Spirit inside of us.

And then when opportunity presents itself, we can watch for God’s Spirit in us to rise up and put a fire in us that says, “Yes, there it is.  Go for it.”

Yes, it can still be nerve wracking, because it’s important!

But don’t be like the lazy and ignorant and even wicked person who lets opportunities pass by, ignoring them while supposedly “playing it safe.”

It didn’t work for the man in the parable of the talents, and it won’t work for us!

So when you see the opportunity arise, take a good look, pray for wisdom, listen to the Holy Spirit, and be ready to strike while the iron’s hot, going forward in faith and trust that God is with you, and He will help you turn it into a winner for everyone involved.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Have Patience With Yourself

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

I’ve shared this parable with a bunch of people lately.

Jesus was often asked about the kingdom of heaven, and I can imagine Him looking up, hand on his bearded chin, pondering and saying, “What is the kingdom of heaven like, and to what shall I compare it?  Hmmm…”

“It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

Question:  how long does it take a tree to grow from a seed?  A long time.

How long does it take the kingdom of heaven to grow inside of us?  A long time.

So my message is:  have patience with yourself.  Mighty trees take a long time to grow.

In Luke 17 the Pharisees were asking Jesus about the kingdom, and Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

How is the kingdom of God within you?  Here is a quick breakdown.

We’re all born in sin.  We are all sinners.  Jesus died for our sins.  When we turn to God and receive His forgiveness for our sins, that takes care of the sin problem that separates us from God, and then a glorious thing happens.

He puts His Holy Spirit inside of us.  

That is the kingdom of heaven “mustard seed” being planted in us.

This is God beginning His good work in us, and Philippians 1:6 says that He who began His good work in us will be faithful to complete it.

In other words, that kingdom of heaven “tree” is going to grow.

The kingdom of heaven tree is going to bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

If you look at your life and say, “Wow, I am lacking in the fruit of the Spirit,” then I say, “Have patience with yourself.”  It takes a long time for a tree to grow.

Back in the day The Hemphills had a powerful little song called, “He’s Still Workin’ on Me.”  It said:

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart,

“Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part,”

But I'll be perfect just according to His plan,

Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

He's still workin’ on me,

To make me what I ought to be,

It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,

The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars,

How loving and patient He must be,

He's still workin' on me.

Yes, God is still workin’ on me.  He’s growing that tree of the kingdom of heaven inside of me.  It’s going to bear the good fruit of the Spirit, but trees take time.  They have to grow roots.  They have to grow limbs and leaves.  They have to weather the seasons, but watch.  In time they will bear the good fruit the Creator has designed for them.

And so will you and I and all of God’s people, because His Spirit is inside of us, working on us, growing us, and raising us up to be full grown, fruit-bearing people.

So if you find yourself falling short of where you want to be in your walk with God, just remember that mighty trees take a lot of time to grow, so…

Have patience with yourself, because God’s still workin’ on you.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

(Listen to the original version of He's Still Workin' on Me by The Hemphills here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-V5FHvTycg)

Let's Play Two

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

“Your boss is taking advantage of you.”

“What?  I’m just walking his dog.”

“Yeah.  That’s not part of your job.  You’re a radio station manager, not a dog walker.”

“Okay, well, call it my senior citizen ministry.  I’m helping the old guy out.”

“Call it what you want.  You’re being taken advantage of.”

“No. What I’m doing is loving my neighbor.  If someone shows you how you can love them, and you can easily do it, just do it.”

“But doing personal favors is not your business.”

“Mankind is my business!”

Okay, so now I’m quoting Marley talking to Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, but mankind is our business.  

Jesus said something oh so powerful in the Sermon on Mount.  In Matthew 5:41 He said, “…whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”

This is where we get that phrase, “Go the extra mile.”

How it worked back then was, a Roman soldier could legally tell you to carry his gear for a mile.  So Jesus said, “If that soldier makes you carry his gear for one mile, go ahead and carry it for two miles.”

Now that’s next level Christianity!

Serving others should come as naturally to a Christian as playing ball does for a ballplayer.

I’m thinking of Ernie Banks, the hall of fame baseball player for the Chicago Cubs.  In fact his nickname was Mr. Cub.  He also had another nickname, “Mr. Sunshine” because of his positive attitude.

Ernie Banks had a popular catchphrase he was known for.  He would say, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame…let’s play two!”

Now I imagine a lot of ballplayers probably hate doubleheaders.  It’s twice the work in the same day.  But Ernie, with his go-the-extra-mile positive attitude was like, “Let’s play two!”

Imagine Ernie back in Bible days.  A Roman solder barks at him, “Carry my gear for a mile,” and Ernie cheerfully responds, “Let’s go two!”

I know it seems to go against our rights, and a law like that wouldn’t fly for a hot minute in America today, but listen for a second.

Sometimes clinging so tightly to our rights is actually a burden that keeps us from freely loving and serving others.  

So watch for it.  Suddenly an opportunity to serve someone will appear.  The door will open, and what will we do?  We can ignore it.  We can go ahead and serve them but with a bad attitude.

Or we can cheerfully, with the joy of the Lord as our strength, choose to go the extra mile and say, “Why stop at one?  Let’s go two!”

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Set the Bar High...for the Most High

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Do you see a man skilled in his work?  He will stand in the presence of kings!

That’s what it says in Proverbs 22:29.

Are you skilled in your work?

Are you improving your skills?

It’s a lifelong effort.  We never stop improving.

Jesus’ parable of the talents tells us the value of taking what we have and growing it.

Matthew 25:23 says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You were faithful over a few things.  I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.”

So the question is, are we being faithful with what we’ve been given?  

It’s a requirement.

First Corinthians 4:2 says it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Are we being faithful?  Are we growing what we’ve been given?  Are we improving our skills, taking them to the next level, moving towards mastery?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

Colossians 3:23 says whatever we do, we should do it with all of our heart, as if we are doing it for the Lord.  

Here are some Bible verses I often apply to my work, taken from Luke chapter 3, “the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth.”

In your work, are there crooked places and rough ways?  It’s time to make them straight for the Lord!

Sometimes I say it this way, “Set the bar high…for the Most High!”

Philippians 4:8 says, “…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy…” 

That should apply to our work!

When people want to think about something excellent or praiseworthy, our work should come to mind.

Show me a man who is skilled in his work and I will show you a man who will stand before kings!

And the most important king is the King of Kings!

So, are we skilled in our work?  How can we become MORE skilled in our work? 

How can we meet the requirement of being a faithful steward of what God has given us?

One way is by locking this mindset into our brains.

Set the bar high…for the Most High!

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

If You Are the Son of God

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

“If You are the Son of God…”

That’s what they shouted at Jesus while He was on the cross.

They said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

He could have.

He could have avoided the cross altogether.

When He was arrested, Peter pulled out a sword to fight, but Jesus told him to put it away.  Then He said, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”

He could have avoided the cross, but, He said to Peter, “How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

God had a plan, but Peter didn’t see it.

Even when God announces His plans, people often don’t see it.

In John chapter 2, while Jesus was at the huge temple in Jerusalem, some leaders asked Him for a sign, so He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  The leaders were like, “What?  It took 46 years to build this temple, and you’re going to raise it up in three days?”

But Jesus wasn’t talking about that building.  He was talking about His own body being raised up in three days after the crucifixion.

But they didn’t get it.  Even when Jesus did announce the plan, they didn’t get it.

But they did use His words against Him.

When He was on trial, Matthew 26 says, “…two false witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”

They used these same words against Him while He was on the cross, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

But you know what?  I think we do the same thing today.

We lack understanding.  We don’t see God’s plan, so we say dumb things like, “If You are really God, You’ve got to do thus and so.”

And it doesn’t seem all that unreasonable.  To tell Jesus to come off the cross if He’s the Son of God is not all that unreasonable.  But it is ignorant of God’s plans.

Much of the time we are ignorant of God’s plans, and that’s where this word “trust” comes in.

When Jesus told Peter to put his sword away, He was saying “trust Me.”

When Jesus told Peter to go back in the water and let down the nets, even though Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus was saying “trust Me.”

And Peter did trust Him.  At one point, when a bunch of fair-weather followers left Jesus, He turned and said to His disciples, “Do you want to leave, too?”

Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter didn’t know what all was going on, but he did trust Jesus.  

So what about us?  We also don’t understand what all is going on, but will we trust Jesus?

God has plans, and He’s never been in the habit of revealing them in detail.

But there is something that God is very much in the habit of:  asking us to trust Him.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding…”

Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.”

I don’t want to be one who says, “IF You are the Son of God, here’s what You have to do…”

Instead, I want to be one who says, “You ARE the Son of God.  And even though I don’t understand what all is going on, I put my full faith and trust in You.”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Take Every Thought Captive

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

There are some things we shouldn’t think about.

That almost sounds un-American, like, “What about my freedom, man?”

But our thoughts, like most everything, if left to themselves, will just meander downward.

I love the imagery of “take every thought captive.”

It means you don’t let your thoughts go anywhere they please.  Captives don’t get that luxury.

The idea comes from Second Corinthians 10:5 where it talks about taking every thought captive and bringing it into the obedience of Christ.

So how do we take every thought captive?

The Bible has some guidelines.  Let’s start with Philippians 4:8, “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

That knocks out a bunch of the stuff we see online, and a bunch of stuff we hear in gossip.  We shouldn’t think about them because they aren’t excellent or praiseworthy.

It also knocks out a whole category of self-talk, because this also applies to our thoughts about ourselves.  

Some people are in a horrible rut of thinking awful things about themselves, yet Philippians 4:8 says to think on the good things, and Second Corinthians 10:5 wants us to bring all the negative self-talk into the obedience of Christ, who loves us and wants the best for us.

So I recommend memorizing Philippians 4:8 and bringing all of our thoughts captive into that wonderful, biblical, positive corral.

Here’s another biblical guideline for taking every thought captive:  Philippians 3:13.  It says to forget what is behind.  We are to forget the past and press on toward the future that God has for us.

That knocks out a whole category of thinking that some people never get beyond…those things in the past.  Some people can’t get past that wrong that was done to them, and some people can’t get past that victory way back when, so they end up stuck in the past.  But Philippians 3:13 says to forget what is in the past.  We don’t think about the things in the past.  Instead we press on toward what God is doing now and in the future.

Along this same line is our next guideline found in First Corinthians 13:5.  It says that love keeps no record of wrongs.  That’s another whole category of thinking that we need to take captive for Christ:  all the wrongs that were ever done to us.  We need to stop thinking about them.  And if they come to our mind, we don’t dwell on them.  We take them captive and submit them to Christ who wants us to love our enemies, which is nearly impossible to do as long as we are thinking about how they did us wrong.

Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on things above, on heavenly things, Godly things, holy things.  We take our thoughts captive and train them to think on eternal things, like loving God and loving people, things like God’s Word and God’s plans.

I’ve been talking about my motto of living “Lean and Clean for the King,” and this is a subcategory of that:  keeping our thoughts lean and clean by taking every thought captive for Christ and by not thinking about a bunch of things that don’t do any good anyway.

So, if we’re ready to go to the next level, this is one thing we’re going to have to do:  take every thought captive.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Lean & Clean for the King

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Lean and clean for the King.

That’s my personal motto.

What does it mean?

It means I want to cut the fat, the dirt, even the dust from my life so I can operate lean and clean for the King, by which I mean King Jesus, the King of Kings.

A serious athlete puts his body in peak condition.  It means cutting some things from his life.

Serious actors go to great lengths to prepare for certain roles.  It means cutting some things from their life.

And serious Christians will cut some things from their life to become all that God wants them to be.

I want to cut the fat from my body so it can be a fully functioning vessel.

I want to cut the fat from my schedule so that my time is used wisely.

I want to cut the fat from my thinking, taking every thought captive, and stopping my brain from running off in every direction.

“But Doug, that sounds like work.  I thought we were saved by grace, not by works.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 literally says that.  We are saved by grace…but then what?

But then keep reading.  It says we are saved BY grace…FOR good works.

What are we supposed to be doing, now that we are saved by grace?

Good works!

And if we want to be great at doing good works, we have to cut the fat, get in shape, and get prepared to run the race.

“But Doug, what about my liberty in Jesus?”

Yes, thank God, we have liberty in Jesus!  

Now look at Galatians 5:13, “…ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Yes, we have liberty, but we don’t sit back on our fat liberty and indulge the flesh.  That’s stupid.  It’s wasteful.  It’s selfish.  

We have been created for good works.  We have been called to love and serve one another.  

That is the race.  It’s the high calling.  It’s the most fulfilling.  It’s what we were made to do from the foundation of the world.

And to do it, we need to get in shape for it.  We need to cut the extraneous, the bloated, the unruly, the undisciplined parts of our life and bring it all under submission, in humility, through His grace, and for His glory.

And for me, I sum up the whole process in this one little phrase.

Lean and clean for the King.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Why Did Christians Threaten John Lennon?

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Why did Christians threaten John Lennon?

He was a 20-something year old pop star for the Beatles in the 1960’s when he made an offhanded comment about Jesus.  

It stirred up the ire of many Christians, even to the point of John Lennon getting threats, even death threats.

Why would Christians threaten John Lennon?

Maybe they were thinking, “Who does he think he is, making cracks about our Lord and Savior?  We can’t let him get away with it.”

Interestingly, we find a similar story in the Bible.

In Luke chapter 9, Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, and they were going through various towns.

Verse 52 says, “…and as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans...”

So the disciples enter this Samaritan village and guess what happens.  They reject Him.  They don’t want Jesus coming to their town.

I can see why the disciples would be angry.  Jesus does nothing but good everywhere He goes, and you reject Him?  How dare you!

And that’s what some Christians were saying to John Lennon in the 60’s.  How dare you!

Back to Luke chapter 9, the disciples James and John are so angry that they go up to Jesus and say, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

Wow.  That’s not just a little threat on a single perpetrator.  That’s a threat to wipe out a whole town.

And Jesus responds accordingly.  He turns on them and rebukes them and says, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

That’s a lesson we all need to learn.  What do we do when someone speaks badly about Jesus, or about the faith, or the Bible, or the church?  

We love them.  We speak the truth in love to them.  We treat them honorably as humans made in God’s image.  We shine the light and hope and peace of Jesus.

And one thing we don’t do is threaten them, because Jesus did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.

Did all the threats on John Lennon lead anywhere close to saving him?  

Do any threats we might make today lead anyone anywhere close to salvation?

The goals of Jesus are redemption, salvation, freedom, hope, and a right relationship with God.

And these do not come from threats.

So how did the story in Luke chapter 9 end?  Verse 56 simply says, “And they went to another village.”

And that’s the lesson for us.  If someone is speaking ill of Jesus, we don’t threaten them.  We don’t get all worked up about it.  Jesus didn’t.  What He did get worked up about was His own followers making threats against those who reject Him.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This is what should be shining through all of God’s people out to everyone, even to celebrities who make less than positive comments about Jesus.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

What Do You Do Best?

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

What do you do best?

Do it for God.

Those things you are good at, even if they don’t seem to be “churchy,” offer them up to God as an offering.  

“Lord, I offer this up to You.  I love You so much, and I’m so grateful for everything.”

I’m not talking about anything sinful, of course, but I am talking about the host of things that people are good at besides preaching or teaching or singing or whatever else is on the short list of obvious Christian ministries.

What if you are good at computer coding? 

What if you’re good at auto mechanics?

What if you’re good at sewing?

What are you good at?

Do it for God.

First Corinthians 10:31 says whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 says whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father.

Colossians 3:23 says whatever we do, we should do it with all of our heart, and do it for the Lord.

Romans 12:11 says never be lazy, never be lacking in zeal, work hard, keep your spiritual fervor, and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

So what do you do best?

Do it for God.

Are you gifted in certain ways?  You’re better at some things than others, right?  Where did those aptitudes come from?

James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven.

If you have a good gift, God gave it to you, and the best thing to do is to offer it back to Him as an offering, as a sacrifice of praise, using it for His glory, growing it for His glory, blessing other people with it, for His glory.

That seems obvious with the more churchy gifts, but it’s less obvious with the rest.

When my kids were in a Christian elementary school, the parents all pitched in, and one job I took was cleaning the bathrooms every Tuesday and Thursday night.  I figured it was a disgusting job (it was) and that one gift God had given me was that I don’t mind doing disgusting jobs.  

So I did it, I did it well, and I offered it up to God as an offering.  I prayed for the kids and the school while I cleaned.  And I especially remember one night when God’s presence just overwhelmed me.  I was cleaning a toilet, and tears of joy rolled down my face.  I felt so full in my soul.  God did it, and I think He did it because I was offering my best to Him, even in a humble, non-church situation.

What do you do best?

Do it for God.

Offer it up to Him as a sacrifice of praise.

Busy with small children, changing diapers, cleaning up messes, doing laundry?  Do your best.  Do it as unto the Lord.  Do it for Him and watch Him fill your soul.

If you don’t know what you do best, ask around.  Ask your family, your friends, anyone who knows you, and soon enough you’ll get the picture.  

Then take that and grow it, work it, expand it, make it great, and all the while offer it up to Him, back to Him, with thanksgiving and praise.

So I’ll leave you with this question to ponder, one more time.  

What do you do best?

Then do it…for God.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Christians Should Stop Saying This

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Cringey statements.

We’ve all made them.  We’ve all heard them.

Cringey statements are those things we say that make other people cringe, and they often make US cringe when we think about them later.

Here is a statement I hear Christians say sometimes.

“I love them…but I don’t like them.”

I get the point.  You’re talking about a person who says or does things you don’t like, but as a Christian, we’re supposed to love them, so what do we say?  “I love them, but I don’t like them.”

But you know what?  No one is feeling the love here.  “You love me, but you don’t like me?”  I’m not feeling it.

“Well Doug, how can I like someone who is so unlikeable?”

Look.  As Christians we don’t divide the world into the likeable and the unlikeable.  That would be terrible.

God wants us to love people, all people, every single person.  We can walk down the street and in our mind say, “I love that guy and that guy and that guy.  I love her and her and her…all of them…likeable and unlikeable…agreeable and disagreeable…every single person.”

That is God’s calling and His desire for us…to love one another, to love our neighbor, to even love our enemy.

Love is the natural state for God’s people, but we pile on so much baggage that it almost becomes unrecognizable.

Like when we talk about “liking” someone.  This isn’t the first grade playground.  “I don’t like Joey because he’s mean.”

As grown up Christians, we’re supposed to love people, even mean people, and God has put inside of us all the love in the universe in the form of His Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love.  

So do we just ignore all the mean things people do?

No, but we need to separate their actions from their being.  We can dislike, even hate their actions.  And yes, there comes a time when we can’t be around someone, when they are so corrupt that they will suck us into their vortex if we get too close.

So we abhor those actions, but the person is someone made in the image of God, whom God loves, whom Jesus died for, and the Holy Spirit inside of us wants to love them through us.

So we stop making the cringey statement, “I love them, but I don’t like them.”  No one’s feeling it.  If there’s any love there at all, it is nearly unrecognizable.

But here is something we can say instead, and it really is a powerful, biblical, positive and loving statement.  

Instead of saying, “I love you, but I don’t like you,” we can say this.

“I love you, and I want God’s best for you.”

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

What Am I Denying Myself?

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Do you want to be a follower of Jesus?

If so, He gives a prerequisite.

Jesus said if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves.  

So the question is, what am I denying myself?

It’s almost un-American to deny ourselves anything.

King Solomon denied himself nothing at all, and it wrecked his kingdom.

I approach this in a childlike way.  I just say, “God, I am denying myself this because I’m so hungry for You.”

Deny myself what?

It’s been many things over the years, and it’s always something.  Yesterday a friend said, “Would you like a muffin?  Or are you fasting muffins now?  I can’t keep track of what you are fasting.”

Well, right now I’m fasting candy and cookies and frozen dairy treats.  I’ve actually been fasting candy and cookies for three years now.

I pray, “Father, I’m denying myself these things that are pleasant in this world because I’m so hungry for the things of the Kingdom of God.”

I’m currently fasting all beverages except what I call the front-line soldier beverages of water and black coffee.

I pray, “Father, I’m fasting all drinks besides water and black coffee because I’m so thirsty for You.  As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after Thee.”

I don’t really know exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Deny yourself,” but I’m pretty sure that if I’m denying myself nothing, I’m not meeting the standard.

So like I said, I approach it like a child.  I just pick some things and deny them to myself.  I fast from them.  I do it out of a heart and a passion to follow Jesus.

He is the Good Shepherd.  I want to be a sheep that follows closely.  I’m desperately hungry for that, to follow as closely as I possibly can.

And He said that if I want to follow Him, then I must deny myself, so that is what I’m doing, in my own humble, child-like, sheep-like way.  

And I hope you consider doing the same.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Honor All People

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

So you want to have a radio program.  We have a few rules, and here’s one of them:  no bashing on other people.

Yes, you can talk about what is true.  You can talk about what is being done wrong.  You can even talk about people who are doing wrong, but the rule stands:  no bashing on other people.*

“But Doug, what about their politics?  What about their lifestyle?  What about their bad doctrine?  What about their evil ways, their deceptions, their cunning, conniving, crafty, criminal lives?”

I don’t care what they’ve done.  I don’t care what they’ve said or what they’re promoting.  If they are out of bounds you can point that out, but you don’t trash them in the process.

Why not?  Where does that come from?  Is it even possible?

In First Peter chapter 2 verse 17 we encounter three of the most powerful words you will ever read in all of the Scriptures.  It says, “Honor all people…”

Honor all people.

Now why would that be in the Bible when there are clearly people and actions and ideas that are dishonorable?

It’s because God, as always, is setting for us the very highest standard.  

Do you want to live at the very highest standard?  Are you ready to rise above the fray, to live at a new level in your walk with God?

Then honor all people.

And what about their dishonorable attributes?  Do we ignore them?  Skip over them?  Make light of them?

Of course not, but we approach every single person on the planet with honor.  

Why?

Because they are people, creations of God, created in His image, and thus they are worthy of honor.

Listen.  Every single human being is an image bearer of God, and that alone makes them worthy of honor.  

And then to whatever degree each of us is living outside of God’s boundaries of what is truly honorable, then that is where God’s redemption must come in and do its work.

And if we really want to open the door for the good news, the glad tidings of God’s redemption through Jesus Christ, we have to realize that it won’t happen by bashing on people.  

Romans 2:4 says that it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.

Is there anyone on the planet whom you disrespect, even despise, and you would rejoice at their downfall?

Then stop it.  There’s a better way.  There’s a higher way.  Are you ready to live at the very highest level of Christianity?

Then here’s the thing to do, and it’s found in these three simple words in First Peter chapter 2 verse 17.

Honor all people.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

* We speak the truth in love.  We let our speech always be with grace, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  

One side note:  Peter wrote this at the time when Nero was living his abominable life as the emperor of Rome, and that included doing terrible things to Christians, and yet the last three words of that same verse say, “…honor the king.”  Wow.

Seed-Bearing Fruit

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Here is a Bible phrase that I am fascinated with:  seed-bearing fruit.

We take it for granted, but it is one of the most remarkable things in all of God’s creation:  seed-bearing fruit.

You bite into a delicious apple and what do you find?  Apple seeds!

So the apple tree not only produces fruit that tastes good and smells good and looks good and is good for us to eat.  It produces seeds inside the fruit that will grow more apples.

It is astounding!  And God gets all the glory.

Except from some people who give all the credit to…evolution.

I was reading a website article designed for children and proclaiming their “academic rigor.”  The author had the academic pedigree, and was answering a question from six-year-old Alice, “Where did the seed first come from?”

The answer to Alice was, “Seeds came together bit-by-bit over a really long time, as plants evolved.”

Now if you believe in evolution like this, then you already take this for granted without a second thought.  Seeds just developed as plants worked out better ways to replicate themselves over millions of years.  End of discussion.

Oh, and not just one plant came up with the idea of a seed.  This same “evolution” occurred in this plant and that plant and plant after plant…aaaalmost like there was a design to it.

Well, that’s because there was a design to it, and a Designer.  God did it, and I thank Him and glorify Him for His amazing creation!

Genesis 1:11-12 says, “Then God said, ‘Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.’ And that is what happened.  The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.” (NLT)

My reaction to that is like what it says in Psalm 52:9, “I will praise Thee forever, because Thou hast done it…”

So like I said, I love this phrase “seed-bearing fruit.”

And that applies to our spiritual life.  Jesus said in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit…”

Verse 16 says “…that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…”

So my prayer is that my life will bear good eternal fruit, and then I add this to my prayer, “Lord, I want to bear good seed-bearing fruit.”

See, it’s one thing to produce fruit, and it’s another thing to produce seed-bearing fruit.

For example, seedless grapes.  Sure, the grapes are delicious, but that’s the end of the line.

But seed-bearing grapes, that’s another story.  They can produce generations of good fruit.

And that’s what I want for my life.  I want to bear good fruit, and I want it to be seed-bearing fruit, the kind that doesn’t end with me, but will continue producing good fruit for generations to come.

“Lord, please let me bear good, eternal, seed-bearing fruit, in Jesus’ name I pray.”

Amen.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

The Same Spot Every Day for a Year

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

As I write this, I am fresh off of watching the documentary called My Octopus Teacher.

It’s about a man who came across a small octopus in the waters off of South Africa.  The octopus caught his interest, and even seemed, for an octopus anyway, somewhat friendly.

So he made a decision.  What would happen if he came back to that same spot every day for a year?  Could he win the trust of an octopus?  What would he learn and discover in the process?  So he did it, and filmed it, and now it’s a popular documentary.

But it got me thinking about our relationship with God.  God also is very mysterious and different, full of wonders.

What would happen if we decided to go meet with God in the same spot every day for a year?

I mean, a man did it for an octopus, one of God’s incredible creations, surely we could do it for the Creator Himself, right?

Hebrews 11:6 says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

James 4:8 says that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

Isaiah 55:6 tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found.

And listen closely to Psalm 14:2.  It says that the Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if anyone is seeking Him.

Am I seeking Him?  Are you?

This man sought to form a relationship with an octopus by going to the same spot every day for a year and seeing what would happen.

What if we sought to form a relationship with God by going to meet Him in the same spot every day for a year?

One thing I know for sure.  If we commit ourselves to draw near to God like that…He will draw near to us.  And the results will be amazing.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

Glad Tidings of the Kingdom

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

Here is one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, and it’s probably not one you would think of.  Actually, it’s probably one you would skip over in a rush to get to something more “meaty.”

If my wife and I watch a movie, I often tell her to enjoy the opening shots, even while the credits are rolling, because these are often some of the most beautiful camera shots in the whole world.  A lot of times it’s panoramic, flying over mountains or over a city, or it’s fascinating views of nature or of people all over the world.

And they are almost always happy!  Even if the movie takes a darker turn, it usually starts out happy and joyful.

And that brings us to the opening scene in Luke chapter 8.  In verse one it says that Jesus went through “every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.”

I can hear the children shouting for joy!  I can see the crowds gathering with excitement.  Someone begins making music.  Someone is clapping.  Someone has a tambourine.  Some don’t even know what’s going on, but they get excited, too, because enthusiasm is contagious!

And at the center of it all is Jesus.  Jesus is coming!  

And He’s not alone.  Luke 8 says the twelve are with Him, His disciples, and it’s not just the crusty fishermen, but women are with Him as well, and some prominent women at that.  I mean, it’s basically a fun, happy, exciting road show out on tour, and they are coming to your town!

For some reason I hear Jesus quieting the crowd at some point, calling to them, “Friends!  Friends!  I have some good news!”

And the crowd settles in, and Luke 8:1 says that Jesus preaches and brings them the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.

But then, there seems to be a gap.  I mean, the Son of God, the Christ, the Anointed One is speaking and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God…what exactly did He say?

Oh, I want to know what He said!  What were these glad tidings of the kingdom?

Fortunately we have many of the words of Jesus recorded in the Bible, and we can glean from them the glad tidings of the kingdom.

Truly one of the most powerful glad tidings of the kingdom is that it is not based on money or class or lineage.  The world has always had rich people and entitled people, but Jesus said, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

What?  That’s not how the world works.  But guess what?  That’s how the kingdom works!  Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Those are glad tidings!  No matter your class, your race, your income, your education, your gender, your age, or even your appearance…the kingdom of God is for you!

Another glad tiding of the kingdom is that it is a kingdom of love.  Jesus taught us that God loves us!  And He taught us that we should love one another.  

In Luke 6:35 Jesus said, “…love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind...”

Another glad tiding of the kingdom is forgiveness.  God offers us forgiveness, and He calls us to forgive others.  Forgiveness is a hallmark of the kingdom of God.  In the Bible we read over and over again, Jesus saying these words, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Now those are glad tidings!

Another thing Jesus said was things like, “Go in peace,” and, “Peace be with you.”  In John 16:33 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace.”  Luke 1:79 says, “…to guide our feet into the way of peace.”  Living at peace with God and peace with each other, this is a cornerstone of the kingdom!

Hope.  Joy.  Kindness.  Gentleness.  Patience.  Faithfulness.  I could go on and on, but I encourage you to open the Bible for yourself.  Read those red words of Jesus, and read them for what they were:  the glad tidings of the kingdom of God!

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

More Integrity Means More Value

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

I have a favorite pair of boots.  Unfortunately they now have a crack in the bottom.

Fortunately I can still wear them, just not in the rain.  They still look nice, but they won’t keep my feet dry.

These boots have lost some integrity, and so they have lost some of their value to me.

I have a favorite pair of tennis shoes, and I do mean tennis shoes.  I wear them to play tennis.  But now the sole is coming loose, which is not good for making sharp lateral moves on a tennis court.  I still wear them…when washing the car.

Those shoes have lost some of their integrity, and so they have lost some of their value.

I have a favorite belt.  It was my favorite dress belt, nice and black with a sharp silver buckle.  I thought it was a high value, but then it started looking bad.  Oh, it still holds pants up, but it’s supposed to be a dress belt.  It has to look good, and it no longer does.

It has lost some of its integrity, and so it has lost some of its value.  I still wear it…when working in the yard.

Integrity means something is sound.  It is whole.  It is complete.  It is unimpaired.  It is not corrupted.  

When you buy a house, you want a house with as much integrity as possible.  And you want a realtor with as much integrity as possible.

More integrity means more value.

If I want to be a more valuable person, then I need to be a person of integrity, without corruption.

Integrity in a person means being honest, with strong moral principles, with moral uprightness.  They are morally consistent, without moral corruption.

A man or woman of integrity has more value.  They can do more.  They can be trusted with more.

Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”

Now listen to this little revelation.  Who is the boss?  Who controls the room?  Who is the actual leader in any given situation?  It’s going to be the person with the most moral authority, and moral authority is built on integrity.

Jesus had the most moral authority of anyone who ever walked the earth.  He was also of the highest value who did the most good.  

Do you want to raise your value…in the marketplace?  In the community?  In your family?  Then raise your level of integrity, because more integrity means more value.

Proverbs 10:9 says, “He who walks in integrity walks securely…”

Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”

Proverbs 19:1 says it’s better to be poor and live with integrity than the alternative.

Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”

Are you ready to take your life to the next level?  Then you can no longer be the boot with the crack in it.  You can no longer be the slip shod shoe.  You can’t be the belt that lets its beauty slip away.

It’s time to raise the bar of our integrity, to live at the highest moral level, and to set aside all the compromises that make us weaker.

If we want to be more valuable, then we must have more integrity.

And then we can walk in the full moral authority that Jesus wants us to.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

The Biggest Mistake in the Church Today

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I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire.  (Luke 24:32)

The title of this is The Biggest Mistake in the Church Today.  I know, it is impossible to know the exact biggest mistake in the church today, apart from divine revelation, and it probably changes minute by minute anyway.

But it is such a huge mistake, I’m calling it the biggest mistake in the church today, and here it is.  It’s when we try to make people be like us instead of unleashing them to become the people that God has designed them to be.

Philippians 1:6 says that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.  The church’s mission is to help people discover what good work God is doing in them, and help them become all that God wants them to be.

Every Christian believer is a part of the body of Christ.  We are each a body part, a DIFFERENT body part.  We have various giftings and callings, talents and personalities, and a huge range of life experiences.  

God is calling each and every one of us to fulfill our part in the body of Christ.  That is the goal for each and every believer, and the goal of the church is to help each and every person come to God, walk with Him daily, and fulfill their part in the body.

What sometimes happens, though, is that the church doesn’t identify each and every individual as a separate and special part of the body.  Instead, we take the easy and common route of lumping everyone together and expecting everyone to become more like us.

Let me say it another way.  If I’m a “hand” in the body of Christ, then I look at you and expect you to be more like a hand.  But what if you’re a foot?  It’s a terrible mistake to try to make a foot operate like a hand.  It’s going to be a terrible experience for everyone involved.

Instead, I should try to help you discover God’s callings and giftings in your life, and help you grow into the full person and part in the body of Christ that God has designed you to be.

I’m not talking about compromising doctrine or morality.  I’m talking about expecting people to be more like me, instead of being more like God is calling them to be.

For example, and I’ve seen this so many times in the church, extroverts want introverts to become extroverts.  They sometimes almost demand a personality shift, as if you don’t even know God, you don’t even love God if you don’t spring forth and become a boisterous extrovert.

“Oh, you don’t want to take the mic and publicly testify about the goodness of God?  You must not even love God.”  

Do you feel the uncomfortable, unsubtle pressure?  It is quite possible that the person in your church who loves God the most is the person who quietly adores the King in their heart.

The prayer warriors think everyone should spend more and more time in prayer.

The hand-lifting praisers think everyone should be a hand-lifting praiser, and once you get that down, you need to go do it at the altar, because hand-lifting praise back in the pew is for the lukewarm, you know.

The Bible scholars think everyone must become a Bible scholar.

The Bible memorizers are like, “What?  You don’t memorize the Holy Scriptures?  What are you even doing with your brain?”

Then there are the holy huggers who can’t fathom why a person might not want to be hugged.

The homeless outreach people and the prison ministers just know you are missing God if you are not one of them.

Here's one I’ve seen many times:  extroverts with a passion for evangelism heaping criticism on anyone who isn’t ready to run out into the streets and shout the gospel.  They leave zero room for someone to have a different part in the body of Christ.  “No, you must be like me if you really love Jesus, if you’re even saved at all.”

And then, even worse, I’ve seen this.  The extrovert with a passion for evangelism STOPS EVANGELIZING, because hey, “others aren’t rushing out with me, so why should I even bother?”

Christian!  Stop comparing.  Stop looking at others and trying to make them be like you.

Listen to this account from the Bible.  It involves the apostle Peter, who was perfectly willing to speak his mind, so we can get some good insights from him and his experiences.

In John 21, the risen Jesus is telling Peter how Peter is going to die, and yes, it was uncomfortable.  Then instead of soaking in that information, quietly going away and pondering it, Peter suddenly points out his fellow apostle John, and says something like, “Oh, so that’s my bleak future?  What about John?”

Jesus answered with these patient but powerful words, “What is that to you?  You follow Me.”

If you ever looked around at other believers and wanted to compare their life or calling to your life or calling, I believe Jesus would say to you today, “What is that to you?  You follow Me.”

We each have our own part in the body of Christ.  Yes, we are one body, operating in unity, with Christ as the head, but we each have a different part in the body, with different callings and giftings and personality types and backgrounds.

The church’s job is to help each individual draw near to God and discover and walk in their unique callings and giftings and thus fulfill their part in the body of Christ.

But the big mistake we often make is, instead of helping each individual fulfill their part in the body, we lump everyone together and want them to be like me, act like me, respond to God like I do, behave in a church service like I do…and it’s not going to happen.  It’s only going to drive people away.

And suddenly I’m going to look up one day and realize that the only people left in church are people just like me.

May God bless you today.

I’m Doug Apple.

(For more information on the body, First Corinthians 12 is a great place to start, plus Ephesians 4:15-16.)