are you the "apple of God's eye"?

"Did you know the Bible talks about apples? No, it’s not the fruit that Eve ate and gave to Adam. In fact, the Book of Genesis doesn’t name the fruit. The Bible mentions apples a handful of times. In fact, Moses writes in Deuteronomy about the Lord watching over Jacob and being the apple of his eye. Being a church in the center of the apple capital of Minnesota we should appreciate this phrase, the apple of his eye. To be the apple of someone’s eye means to be something most precious.

Did you know or ever think of yourself as the apple of God’s eye? In Psalm 17, King David prayed: I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. 7Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8Keep me as the apple of your eye; (6-8a)

David understood the wondrous love of God. He lived and was uplifted in God’s great forgiveness. He knew that God was his refuge from trouble and struggle in life. He knew that he was the apple of God’s eye. Was this presumptuous arrogance? No, if we read the rest of David’s psalms we know that he was brought to the depths of despair over his sins. He knew what he deserved for his sins but he also knew and trusted that the Savior who was promised to come was the one who changed David’s status in the eye of God. Because of Christ, David was the apple of God’s eye. 

Could you also be the apple of God’s eye? The Savior that David knew and trusted is Jesus Christ. We have to be honest, our status in God’s eye without Christ, if an apple, would be rotten to the core. This is sin. And as much as we polish it, as much as we do to make it look good, as much as we try to remove the sting of death which is the wages of our sin, it doesn’t change our status in the eye of God. We are the apple of God’s eye because we believe that Jesus has changed that status. Jesus’ perfect life in our place and his death on the cross for our sins has won our salvation. Trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life, God’s sees us as his most precious children, the apple of his eye.

Could you also be the apple of God’s eye? Yes you are. Rejoice and give thanks to the Lord for Jesus and the faith to believe. We just celebrated the greatest festival around, that being Applefest. We celebrate the bounty of apples, we celebrate community and friendship. But we should also be reminded and celebrate that through faith in Jesus Christ, God sees us as the apple of his eye. Keep Christ First!"

Pastor Chris Christenson

First Lutheran Church

La Crescent, MN 55947

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