My Heart Is On Fire By Doug Apple - A Short Christian Devotional To Open The Scriptures And Make Your Heart Burn Within You!

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 n

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

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 va

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 bod

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That’s what it says in Hebrews 11:6. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Are we diligently seeking God? It’s not something we do once, or once a year, or once a week. Diligently is how Michael Jordan sought to win basketball games. Diligently is how Arnold Schwarzenegger sought to win Mr. Universe. Diligently is how hungry people seek food. Are we hungry for God? If we are, we will diligently seek Him, and the good news is that when we do, God will reward us. God is a rewarder. Jesus said that when we PRAY our Father will reward us. (Matt. 6) Jesus said that when we FAST our Father will reward us. (Matt. 6) Ephesians 6:8 says that God will reward us for “whatever good we do.” Our job is to diligently seek Him. Then watch for it. Suddenly, there it is. Over and over again, there it is. God’s rewards. And you know what? We don’t have to seek Him perfectly. We ju

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) “God, what do You want me to do this year? Do You want me to do something different? Something new? Is there a new focus or goal or plan?” That was my prayer coming into the new year, and nothing new really came to mind. Meanwhile, I’ve been praying through various books of the Bible. What does that look like? Here’s how I do it. I read until something pops, until something jumps off the page, until something makes me go, “Ooo, that’s good.” Then I underline it and turn it into a prayer. For example, the last thing I underlined at the end of last year was Second Corinthians 6:16 where it says, “Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them…” What jumped out to me in that verse is the phrase, “I will…walk in them.” I know about God living in us, but walking in us? I like it. It’s an action word. I want God to walk in me, to use me to make a difference. So I underline that verse and turn it i

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire. (Luke 24:32) Are you wicked and lazy, or holy and hard working? I’m getting this from Jesus’ parable of the talents. Two guys worked hard and increased what they had been given, but that one guy, he hid the master’s money in the back yard. He didn’t lose it. He just didn’t grow it. He didn’t increase what he had been given. Then the master returns and what’s he looking for? Increase! He wants to see improvement. He wants to see growth. And what does he say when he doesn’t find improvement and growth? He turns on that man and in very strong language he says, “You wicked and lazy servant.” Wow. He didn’t soft pedal it. He didn’t let him down gently. He tore him up. Why? Because time had been wasted. Opportunity…wasted. God is not into waste. He is into growth. He has given us gifts. We have time. We have talents. We have opportunities. And we have an assignment. We have a requirement. Our requirement is to grow what we have been given.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) Do you know what is the all time most played video on YouTube? It’s been played over 7 billion times. It’s called Baby Shark Dance. That’s right. It’s a very simple and very catchy song for little kids, and it is now the most played video in YouTube history. I have a granddaughter who talks about it, but I had never seen it. I was curious, in this day and age, what kind of weirdness they might be pushing into the impressionable minds of the youth. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised, skipping over the fact that it’s about man-eating sharks. It starts out simple enough, singing “Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.” I like that because kids and people in general have a soft spot in their heart for babies. People can become jaded over time, but this song has planted the seed seven billion times about the cuteness and happiness of babies. It’s new life! Then it says, “Mommy Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.” I like that because a child shoul

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) As I write this in October 2020, Florida State football fans are licking their wounds once again, this time after being thrashed by Louisville. Five times in the first half alone, Louisville busted open huge plays against Florida State’s defense. After the game senior linebacker Emmett Rice was talking about the Florida State defense. He said, “We just weren’t doing our jobs. Like eight of the eleven would do their jobs and the big play would happen. If all eleven did their jobs, those big plays would not happen.” He said, “You’ve got to do what the defense is assigned to do. If you’ve got to stay in your gap, stay in your gap. You can’t be out there freestyling.” That’s true for the FSU defense, and wow, it is so true for the body of Christ. I have said it a hundred times and I’ll keep saying it. Each of us must fulfill our part in the body of Christ. God has gifted us and called us, each one of us, to particular things. We need to diligen

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) Jesus made many profound statements, and here’s one He just kind of tosses out there, like a free bonus. In Luke 7:35, Jesus said, “...wisdom is justified by all her children.” What does that mean? It means wisdom proves itself by the long term results. People can SAY anything, but how do we know if it’s wise? Jesus gives us the litmus test. Wisdom is justified by all her children. In other words, what are the long term results? If the long term results are good, it was wise. In the moment it sounds like fun when someone says, “Eat, drink and be merry!” Let’s do it all day. Every day! Why work? Why go to school? Why do anything hard at all? But wisdom is justified by all her children. Look at the long term results for people who never go to work, never go to school, never do anything hard. Years ago I met a young man who was gloriously saved by Jesus Christ. He was a new creation, full of joy. He really wanted to grow in his fait

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) “...and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” “Lord, right now I forgive everyone for everything, past, present...and future. God, I forgive everyone in advance for anything they might do or say today, so that I am free to love them with the power of Your Holy Spirit flowing through me.” That’s how I do it. That is how I practice what I call “preemptive forgiveness.” Preemptive forgiveness means forgiving in advance. Look, you know something dumb is going to happen, right? You don’t know who. You don’t know when. You don’t know what. You don’t know why, but sure enough, there it is. Someone is going to say something, they’re going to do something, it might be on accident, it might be on purpose, it might even be with criminal intent, but I say we forgive them IN ADVANCE and get that part out of the way, so then we can be completely free to love them in the way that God wants us to love them. Jesus told us t

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) In John chapter 10, Jesus said that He is the good shepherd, that He speaks to His sheep, and that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, for they know His voice. So the question is, do I know the voice of the Good Shepherd? How do I know if God is speaking to me? First of all, in John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” In John 6:63, Jesus said that the words He speaks are “spirit.” So when we talk about hearing the voice of God, we’re usually not talking about hearing a physical voice. Romans 8:16 says that His Spirit bears witness with our spirit. That’s spirit to spirit communication. I know, it’s getting deep, but I would expect nothing less. So God is Spirit, His words are spirit, and His Spirit bears witness with our spirit. As born again, blood-bought believers, we each have God’s Holy Spirit inside of us, teaching us and guiding us. Now listen to this. I’m leading up to a key that will help us answer the question, “Is that God

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) God can solve our soul issues and our goal issues. Think about it. Many of our problems are either soul issues, or goal issues. Our soul issues include our identity, “Who am I?” and our value, “Am I worth anything?” And our goal issues include our purpose, “What am I here for? What am I supposed to be doing with my life?” Fortunately, God can solve all of our soul issues and goal issues, and they are actually summed up very tidily in Ephesians chapter two. The foundation of all of our soul issues is that we start out dead in our sins. We are sons of disobedience. We conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and are by nature children of wrath, separated from God. The good news is that there is actually a quick solution to our soul issues, and I’m still in Ephesians chapter two. It says that God, who is rich in mercy, loves us with His great love! He loves us so much that, through Jesus,

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) I don’t have regrets. I do have a lot of repentances. Regrets are like weights. They can drag you down, even long after the fact. You did something you regret. It was bad. It was wrong. It was dumb. It was embarrassing. You hurt someone. You committed a crime. You failed. You stumbled. You fell. Regrets can come in unlimited ways. Every story is different, but they end up in the same stinking valley called Regret. Fortunately God has given us a mechanism to deal with regret. It’s called repentance. Whatever you did. Whatever sin you committed. Whatever way you went off the rails and into the weeds, here is the solution. Repent. What does repent mean? It means you admit it, you confess it, you own up to it, you’re sorry for it, you don’t ever want to do it again, you give it up to God, and you receive His forgiveness for it. And then it is done. You have repented and it is done. And then that old snake Regret comes calling.

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) The Bible talks about overlooking offenses. Why would you ever overlook an offense? Because it is wise to overlook an offense. It is prudent. It is honorable. It is virtuous. It is to your glory. It is to your credit. The Message version of Proverbs 19:11 says it is to your grandeur. And when you refuse to overlook offenses you basically waste your life in drama, burning every bridge, cutting every tie and destroying every relationship. But God has a better plan! Proverbs 19:11 says, “...it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 12:16 says, “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.” And I love the use of this word “overlook.” When you overlook something, you do it because it is small, because your eyes are trained on something bigger. You overlook an offense because your eyes are trained on something bigger. And what would that be? Loving people. We are called to love people. God told

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) I’m about to say something crazy, but it’s true. It’s not the usual way of thinking, but it’s God’s way, so listen up. If your church has a total of a hundred people including one pastor, then your pastor should be doing one percent of the work of that church. Pause. Think about it. Let me say it again. If your church has a total of a hundred people including one pastor, then your pastor should be doing one percent of the work of that church. Did you just spit up a little? I’m telling you, this is the way the body of Christ is designed to work. We each have a vital part in the body, and we each need to fulfill our part. Now you might be thinking, “That’s the pastor’s full time job. I have to go to work everyday. I can’t be doing the same amount of church work as the pastor. That’s ridiculous!” That’s true...IF you have pigeon-holed the work of the church into, like, 5 duties that a pastor does. Forget about that. The question is, are you

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) How are you doing in life? How do you know? Is it by comparing yourself to others? “I’m doing cruddy because I’m not on a plane to Hawaii like my friends on Facebook.” Comparing ourselves to others is a terrible trap and a waste of time. Either we feel bad because others are doing better, or we can feel proud because we are doing better. But how can you know how you are doing in life if you don’t compare yourself to others? “I guess I’m doing okay. At least I’m not as bad as those people, wow, look at them.” That’s comparison. And then there is comparison’s evil twin: competition. Competition is basically organized comparison. It’s adding standings and prizes and gold medals. “How am I doing in life? Why, I’m the XYZ trophy winner. I’m doing great!” But again, that’s just comparing ourselves to others. Is there a way to know how we are doing in life without comparison? Well, there is provision. How am I providing for myself? Lea

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) God hides things. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing...” When God created the world He concealed literally tons of things. Picture Adam and Eve in the garden. And even if you don’t believe in the garden, we all agree that when you go back just a few thousand years the world was a pretty primitive place. It was beautiful but rough, and you certainly wouldn’t have looked around and even fathomed all the discoveries that were yet to come. At that time the world was packed full of raw materials, but they were hidden. We didn’t know about electricity, for example. We didn’t even know about metal. We didn’t know about seeds. I mean, if nobody told you, you’d probably eat an apple and think, “What are these stupid black things in the middle?” So you’d throw them out in the dirt, and one day you’d see a plant growing where you tossed the seeds, but you didn’t know, so you were like, “Pull that stupid weed. We don’t need w

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) This is one of my all-time favorite illustrations. A man spends his life climbing the career ladder. He finally gets to the top, only to realize that it wasn’t what he really wanted after all. He made it to the top of the ladder, but the ladder was leaning against the wrong building. I heard that illustration as a young man and thought, “Wow, I don’t want that to be me. I don’t want to spend my life climbing the wrong ladder.” So how can you know? How can you make sure that the ladder you are climbing is going the right way? Well here’s one thing I’m smart enough to know. I don’t know! I don’t know the future. I don’t know where the world is headed. I don’t know how long I’ll be here. I don’t know what the coming generations look like, so how can I possibly know if I’m climbing the right ladder, if I’m spending my time on all the right things? Thankfully, I have found a simple formula. “Wow, Doug, so you’re actually saying that you fo

I’m Doug Apple...and my heart is on fire! (Luke 24:32) We gave away our dinner table. My wife and I raised our four children around that table. We had thousands of meals and conversations at that table. I think our close family dynamic today has a foundation in all those family dinners. But it didn’t start that way. There was a time when we were not having family dinners. I was working each evening until 6, and when I came home, the kids had already eaten. The family was a bit more scattered and I don’t think we even thought about it. Then I went to a big Promise Keepers conference in Indianapolis. Yes, there were great speakers, but the most dynamic thing for me happened during the singing. There I was, singing along with thousands of men who filled the stadium, praising the Lord, and all of a sudden a phrase popped into my head, out of the blue. It just said, “Start having family dinners.” I actually kind of shook it off and kept singing, but then it came on stronger, so I stopped singing, s