Music, Faith, and the Devil
Dan Kunz
The choices we have for listening to music today are almost unbounded. As a teenager, my Saturdays were usually “work days”, meaning my dad found lots of work for me to do every Saturday. Mowing the lawn, cleaning the dog kennel, and hauling garbage were a few of my normal activities. The transistor radio I kept nearby, playing the latest tunes, helped immensely. (For those of you too young to know about such advanced technology as the transistor radio, you can Google it.) Now we have Sirius XM, Pandora, and a myriad of other ways to get exactly the music which suits our current mood. I especially appreciate it, because one of my favorite types of music, bluegrass, isn’t usually available on many radio stations. I think part of the appeal of bluegrass for me is its “upbeat” nature. It’s hard to be sad while banjo pickin’ and fiddle playin’ are going on!
If you’ve never heard of The King James Boys, they combine bluegrass and Gospel music. Although I haven’t listened to all their music, one song caught my attention – “The Devil’s Not Afraid of a Dust-Covered Bible”. It’s long been said that good country music is “three chords and the truth”. I don’t know about the three chords part, but it seems a lot of music certainly conveys the truth – and faith! The King James Boys’ song is a good example, and it originates from a surprising source. For those of you who are religious scholars, you may have heard of a Nineteenth Century English preacher named Charles Spurgeon. He was a Baptist minister who defended conservative, Bible-based values. He was very well-known in his day and many of his quotes remain popular today. “The Devil’s not afraid of a dust-covered Bible” is one of them. “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” “God is our portion, Christ our companion, the Spirit our Comforter, Earth our lodge, and Heaven is our home.” The more of his quotes you read, the more you may like him. He emphasized a simple faith in Jesus, our Savior, as the one and only way to be saved.
Is your Bible dust-covered or does it hold a prominent place near your bed, your easy chair, or on your kitchen counter? God talks to us every day through that amazing book. He shares the wisdom which brought the universe into being. He calms our troubled heart. He points the way to eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ. It’s all there and we have access to it 24/7! Thank God for all the people and events which made that possible, from the original writers, to the Dead Sea scrolls, to Martin Luther, to the printing press, and even to modern technology. People have no excuse for not knowing our Heavenly Father or his plan of salvation for us.
Don’t take time to read the Bible; make time to read the Bible. Being “in the Word” should become a habit, just like the Bereans. Acts 17:11 (The Bereans) received the word very eagerly and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these things were so. It doesn’t take huge amounts of daily study to benefit your spirit. The key word is daily. It will help you grow as a person and as a Christian, just don’t let the dust collect! Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.