Read the Bible Creatively.

You cannot appreciate something thousands of years old without guidance.  An art teacher can help you appreciate the challenge of carving statues from marble.  A musician might point out advances in the way instruments were designed.  An architect might talk about the way ancient roofs were sloped to ensure snow did not accumulate.    

The same is true when you read literature.  When you open a Bible, you are digging into a text that is thousands of years old.  If you can find someone to guide you, listen to them. But when you are reading the Bible alone: USE YOUR IMAGINATION.  Ask yourself questions.  Why did he write this?  What would the first readers have thought he was trying to say? What emotions are hidden beneath the surface? And most important of all—every teenager’s favorite question: SO WHAT?  Why would God put this in His book?  Why would He want me to read this? What is He trying to teach me?

Another way to use your imagination is to put yourself in the passage.  For example, preachers sometimes read John 3:16 as “For God so loved me that He gave His only Son so that when I believe on Him, I will have everlasting life.”

Psalm 21 is a great song by King David in which he counts his many blessings.  But I think it is more meaningful to read it once as though you ARE the king, speaking about yourself (as David was).  So where David refers to himself with the third person phrase, “the king,” I am going to change this to first person, using “I” and “me”—

“Lord, I find joy in Your strength, How greatly I rejoice in Your victory!  You have given me my heart’s desire and have not denied the request of my lips.  For You meet me with rich blessings; You place a crown of pure gold on my head. I asked You for life, and You gave it to me—length of days forever and ever. My glory is great through Your victory. You confer majesty and glory on me. You give me blessings forever. You cheer me with joy in Your presence….” Psalm 21:1-6.

Never hesitate to ask hard questions and use some imagination when you read the Word.

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Not Just Any Songwriter.

Everyone should learn to write songs.  Teachers make children write poetry, stories, and essays.  But songs?  Perhaps songs are too difficult.  It’s not just the music—it’s the HEART.  A good song touches the heart of not only the writer but the singer and the audience.  David Allen Coe has the ghost of Hank Williams sing about it:

“Drifter, can you make folks cry when you play and sing?

Have you paid your dues?

Can you moan the blues?

Can you bend them guitar strings?

Said, ‘Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside?

‘Cause if you’re big-star bound,

Let me warn ya’ it’s a long hard ride.”

Coe sums up songwriting: “Can you make folks cry when you play and sing… Can you make folks feel what you feel inside?” 

King David could.  He wrote songs that have touched people for thousands of years. 

It’s as if David were the Shakespeare of songwriting.  No one in history will ever write as many songs loved for as many years as David.

And here’s the thing: he even wrote passionate songs praising KING SAUL.  That’s right. David was so humble before God’s anointed king, and so comfortable in his place as a servant to Saul (though David KNEW God had chosen him to be king after Saul), that David praised Saul in song after his death:

“How the mighty have fallen!…

Saul and Jonathan, loved and delightful,

They were not parted in life or in death.

They were swifter than eagles,

Stronger than lions.” 2 Samuel 1:19-23.

Could you write a song praising the man who had hunted you across the wilderness for years and years?  If not, perhaps you have a heart issue.  Are you humble? Are you a forgiver?

God, help us love people the way you love them, forgive the way David forgave. Make us humble, yet confident, and patient enough to wait on your perfect timing—just as David waited on you.

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Hands Off.

Saul knew God had chosen David to replace him, and he became obsessed with jealousy. David spent at least eight years a fugitive, running from a man who wanted to kill him.

How would you feel? What if one day while you and your men were hiding in a cave, Saul came in alone to relieve himself? Then one of your men encouraged you: “Now’s your chance. God sent Saul here so you could kill him.” What would you do?

David cut a corner from Saul’s robe—and felt bad about it. After Saul left the cave, David went outside and confessed, handing over the fabric. Saul admitted “God really has chosen you, for you are a better man than I, because you did not take my life.”

God allowed David a second opportunity while Saul was sleeping—and David stole the king’s sword and shield. Again, Saul recognized David’s good heart.

Finally, a man reported to David that Saul was wounded in battle and begged the man to kill him, so he did, and he brought Saul’s crown to David.

David said:

“How is it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed? … Your blood is on your own head because your own mouth testified against you saying, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’” 2 Samuel 1:14-16.

David had the man EXECUTED.

Why? Because David respected the anointing. He would never touch the Lord’s anointed, not even when Saul was trying to kill David. He left the power of life and death in God’s hand. David never hesitated to kill. But David would NEVER touch God’s anointed.

The rule?

“Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” Psalm 105:15.

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D.I.Y.–Do It Yourself.

I love DIY projects: build your own porch, re-pipe your house, remodel your bathroom.  But a man must know his limits.  Some things are NOT DIY projects.  For me that means, no, I cannot remove the .bb from the palm of my son’s hand.  No, I cannot remove 10,000 honeybees from the walls of my garage—even if they do sting me every time I mow.  No, I cannot set my own broken bones after watching a YouTube video.

The Do-It-Yourself approach can save a little money.  But most of us probably should not DIY our medical care.  The same is true for veterinary medicine: I’ve seen men trim hooves, claws, horns, even teeth.  And you can administer all kinds of drugs.  But there are limits.  When our horse Secret had a bad tooth, I never considered pulling it by myself.

The question is: when do you call in a professional—and when do you do it yourself?

One thing you can do yourself is HANDLE YOUR OWN EMOTIONS.  You can take responsibility for your feelings, your anger, depression, or discouragement. We don’t think of that as our responsibility.  More often, we blame circumstances for our feelings.  When we are angry, we blame the thing we are angry about, rather than admitting that we are responsible for our own anger.  David understood:

Emotion is a DIY project: it is no one else’s responsibility. 

Look at the way he talks to his own soul:

“Why are you in despair, o my soul? Why have you become depressed within me? Hope in God for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” Psalm 42:11.

“the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea for help. The Lord accepts my prayer” Psalm 6:9.

“You will not abandon me to Sheol. You will not allow Your faithful one to see decay” Psalm 16:10.

Lord, remind us that we can usually fix our own emotions, first, by taking responsibility for them, and then by replacing wrong thoughts with right thoughts.

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Who Will Help You?

How desperate have you been?  Have you faced a terminal illness? Feared for your life? Did you think you would lose the house or your job or your marriage? Have you lost a dream or had to choose a new one? Been rejected by a close friend?  Stood on the edge of a cliff, one sudden gust from disaster?  Been followed on a dark night, terrified of what might happen? Faced a dangerous dog or snake or violent man, road-raging in traffic?

We all face different risks, different perils. Everyone will—and you will again.

The question is not whether you will face danger or death, but who will meet you there. Who will rescue you? Who can you count on in the worst moments of your life?

David experienced many, many dangers, more risks and perils, more enemies and wars than any hundred Americans.  And he knew where to turn when everything was on the line:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains,

Where will my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

The Maker of heaven and earth….

The Protector of Israel

Does not slumber or sleep….

The sun will not strike you by day

Or the moon by night.

The Lord will protect your coming and going

Both now and forever”

Psalm 121:1-2,4,6-8.

Of course, God will protect you.  Of course, you turn to him when there is no one else.  So why don’t you turn to him in the smaller, more everyday moments?

“Just as you have trusted Christ to save you, trust Him too for each day’s problems. Live in vital union with Him” Colossians 2:6-8.

God, remind us to come to you when we face both the dragons and the nits.

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Mountains.

“I lift my eyes to the mountains.

Where will my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

The Maker of Heaven and Earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2.

These lines are well-known. You may recognize them from various songs. They convey the idea that when you are hurting and broken, you look to the horizon, to a place far from your current struggle, like snow-capped peaks that you know are several days’ journey away. You look to the mountains and pray and ask yourself who will help you.

And the answer comes: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.” He is so much bigger than the mountains, the oceans, the rivers and forests. God is the One who created it all. He is your help.

And when you lean on Him, YOU will become as solid as those mountains.

“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.” Ps. 125:1-2.

Do you trust God? Are you trusting Him with your problems right now? When you trust God, He can make you as solid as a mountain—and as sure-footed as the deer that scale the mountains. You will not stumble.

“The Lord is my strength,

He has made my feet like the feet of a deer,

And makes me to walk on mountain heights.” Habakkuk 3:19.

Pray. Dear God, remind us to ALWAYS bring our problems to You. You are our only answer, our only hope. Our help comes from You. You give us strength and faith and You will make us confident and steady as a mountain. In You, we cannot be shaken. Thank you that when everything around us falls apart, when everything else fails, You will never fail. You give us steady feet like a deer and You will bring us to the mountain heights where there is plenty of green grass. Thank You for being our Protector and Provider. We love You! Help us love Your word and study it daily.

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Pascal’s Wager: a Dollar Against a Million.

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian.  Pascal made famous an interesting argument for the existence of God: PASCAL’S WAGER.  Imagine life as a bet.  Pascal says it may be difficult to prove the existence of God with reason, but because life is a wager, we should wager that God DOES exist.  Why?  Because if you and I make a bet, and I bet God exists and you bet that He does not, then when we die, if I am wrong, I have lost nothing.  But if you are wrong, you have lost everything. 

Think of it this way—if I follow the Bible and do my best to live a life pleasing to God, but at death discover there is no God, what have I lost?  I have lived a fulfilling, successful life.  But if you are betting there is no God, you will probably to live a life that is sometimes quite selfish and principled only as long as the principles continue to appeal to you.  If you then die and discover that the claims of the Bible are true, then you have lost everything. This is like betting with odds, and the odds are a dollar against a million—if I lose, I lose a dollar, but if I win, I win a million.

Psalm 128 reminds me of Pascal’s message to the believer—that even if there were no heaven, following God’s word will cause us to enjoy a good life HERE ON EARTH:

“How happy is the man who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways!  You will eat what your hands have worked for, you will be happy, and it will go well for you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your house, your sons like young olive trees around your table. In this way the man who fears the Lord will be blessed.  May the Lord bless you from Zion, so that you … will see your children’s children!” Psalm 128:1-6.

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The ‘LONG ISLAND MEDIUM’ TV show: Talking to the Dead or Innocent Entertainment?

The Old Testament law forbids consulting a medium.  Why?  That depends.  Many mediums are fake—masters of an elaborate con-game, the goal being to keep you spending money. 

But maybe some are sincere.  Yet even sincere or “real” mediums remain fake because they are not actually consulting the dead, but a demon pretending to be a departed loved one.  Why would the enemy bother? Because when Grandma comes back from the grave to give advice—YOU FOLLOW IT.  (The devil will tell you a dozen truths to get you to swallow one lie; Grandma’s ghost wins trust by reciting memories only Grandma could know—then gives damning advice, such as telling the lost “don’t change a thing—we’re already building your mansion in heaven.”)

King Saul wanted advice from the dead prophet Samuel, so he went in disguise to a medium.  When she did her thing, Samuel—ACTUAL SAMUEL—showed up and she screamed.  Talking to actual dead people was NOT the norm.

“She screamed, and asked, ‘Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!’ 

But the king said, ‘What do you see?’

‘I see a spirit form coming up out of the earth….  An old man is coming up… he’s wearing a robe.’

Then Saul knew that it was Samuel…

‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ asked Samuel.

‘I’m in trouble. The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me….’

Samuel answered, ‘… The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to David….  Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.’”  1 Samuel 28:12-19.

Saul died and the Bible sums it up: “Saul died … because he did not keep the Lord’s word. HE EVEN CONSULTED A MEDIUM FOR GUIDANCE, BUT HE DID NOT INQUIRE OF THE LORD. SO THE LORD PUT HIM TO DEATH.” 1 Chronicles 10:13-14.

Do not consult a medium.  It’s not innocent entertainment.

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Horoscopes, Palm Readers, & Fortune Tellers.

These things seem like harmless fun. But there’s a reason the Bible forbids them. The answers they provide can be convincing because your enemy knows you and does have some knowledge of the future. With that combination, a psychic or a fortune teller can be so persuasive. But these people get their “answers” from the spirit world, from fallen angels that come to them disguised as friendly “spirit guides.” The medium may not know she is toying with demonic forces—but she is.

For example, in 1 Samuel 28, Samuel is dead but Saul wants his advice. So Saul asks his men to find a medium. Mediums were illegal in Israel (and Saul would have them killed if discovered), so Saul and his men approach her in disguise:

“Who is it that you want me to bring up [from the dead] for you?”

“Samuel.”

“When the woman saw that it WAS Samuel, she screamed, and then she asked Saul, ‘Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!’” I Sam. 28:11-20.

Notice that the woman screams when she sees Samuel. She is used to working her “magic” and seeing her “spirit guide.” But this is the first time she actually sees the person she tried to bring up. She immediately knows something is different. And she realizes the real king Saul is involved, and this is the real prophet Samuel, and she is no longer dealing with her small “spirit guides,” but is now dealing with the holy, all-knowing and all-powerful God of the universe. No wonder she screamed!

Samuel tells Saul that he will be dead in 24 hours, because he has continued to disobey God, including by consulting a medium. God takes this sin seriously, because you are opening your mind up to the devil—the sworn enemy of God!

Please make up your mind right now: do not toy with mediums, spiritists, palm readers, crystal balls, Ouija boards, horoscopes, or any other demonic source of answers. God does not take these sins lightly!

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War.

Nothing is more intense than war.  A soldier’s entire life may seem dull when he reflects on three or four days spent fighting for his life and the lives of his brothers-in-arms.  War is INTENSE.  Men die on your left and right.  Near misses make you wonder how you survived.  You may not eat some days.  You may sleep two hours a night.  Fear creeps in during the down times.  Love, family, and home seem a million miles away. 

King Saul’s life ended in a climax of battle.  The night before, Saul saw the huge Philistine camp and “was afraid and trembled violently” 1 Samuel 28:5.  Then Saul convinced a medium to call up Samuel from the dead.  Samuel came (which shocked the medium) and told Saul he and his sons would die the next day.  Saul became terrified “and fell flat on the ground” 1 Samuel 28:20. 

The next day Saul was severely wounded by a Philistine arrow and fell on his own sword to escape being tortured.  The Philistines cut off his head, hung his body on a wall in Beth-shan, but hung his skull in the temple of Dagon.  And while Saul was fighting Philistines, David had to deal with the Amalekites—who had kidnapped the wives and children of him and his men. 

Imagine David’s point of view: while the Philistines are slaughtering the armies of David’s beloved Israel, while Saul and David’s best friend Jonathan are being killed in a battle David desperately wanted to join, the families of David and his 600 men have been kidnapped by a completely different enemy (the Amalekites, whom Saul was supposed to have dealt with long ago).  “David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep” 1 Samuel 30:4.  Not only that, David’s men now want to stone him for allowing this to happen.  David must lead the charge to track the Amalekites and rescue his wives and children and the wives and children of his men.  Where will David get the strength?

How is a man or woman supposed to handle the most difficult days of his life? 

“But David found strength in the Lord his God” 1 Samuel 30:6.

He is there—and HE IS ABLE.

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