Day 70, or March the 11th. God can change you
if you let him. Our thoughts today are rooted
in Judges, chapter 15, verse 7. Samson said to
them, Since you acted like this, I swear that
I won't stop until I get my revenge on you. First,
the big picture surrounding this verse. Today
we're considering one of the best known of Israel's
judges. He is one of the best known characters
in the Bible. I remember regularly reading the
account of Samson as a child. I used the Sunday
school gift that I still have today, a King James
Bible. Samson was dedicated to God by his parents,
but he rebelled when it came to living according
to the promises involved with being a Nazarite.
He did, however, keep the long hair part of the
agreement. He wasn't good with women, and it
finally cost him his hair and his eyesight when
he was betrayed by Delilah and captured by the
Philistines. In his last days, he came to his
senses and turned back to God. He died bringing
a whole temple down upon him and his enemies.
And now, our action step for today. Samson was
an impetuous man who acted first and thought
second. Some of us have this same weakness, and
I believe that is why Simon Peter is amongst
the most popular disciples of Jesus. However,
we need to be careful with this line of thinking.
Just because someone has a particular weakness
and is nevertheless used greatly by God, it doesn't
mean that their weakness is acceptable in other
people. I have to say that I do see red on occasions
when people say, well, that's just so -and -so.
That's what they're like. Not good enough. We
are responsible before God to work with him on
our sanctification. It's not simply a matter
of sitting back and expecting God to do everything.
If you have a particular weakness which you know
is harming your daily witness, then ask God today
to help you to begin to put it right in your
life. Take the first step and God will be alongside
you immediately, strengthening you in your resolve.