-- Thursday, 8/26/10 -- IS IT WORTH IT? -- Judges 16:21
J.R. & Bonnie Ricks
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IS IT WORTH IT? -- Judges 16:21 NIV
Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.
Samson was born a blessed person. Before he was even conceived, God had told his parents about him… the Lord had given them instructions in what his mother should do while she was pregnant and how the boy should be raised. Before he was conceived, Samson’s life was dedicated to God's service. The outstanding blessing that God gave Samson was his incredible physical strength. But, as we've seen, Samson preferred to allow his own physical desires come first before God's plan for his life. In the end, he had to face the consequences. Instead of killing him, the Philistines preferred to enjoy tormenting and humiliating Samson, so they gouged out the great warrior's eyes and forced him to grind grain where everyone could watch him walking in circles. The question that comes to mind is, was Delilah worth it?
This is the question you and I should ask ourselves every time we choose to place our own desires before what God would have us do. Is it worth it? Is whatever we're doing worth the natural and spiritual consequences that will surely come behind it? God has promised to forgive us of our sins when we're truly repentant and ask for forgiveness. But He does not remove the consequences of sin. They are still there looming in the near distance.
For instance, if you live in the United States and you cheat on your income tax, you're going to get caught eventually. And the Internal Revenue Service is not known for its forgiving attitude. If you rob a bank, you'll eventually end up in jail. If you talk about one of your friends behind his back, eventually he's going to hear about it, and your friendship will come to a screeching halt. Many people are divorced because a spouse was unfaithful in one way or another. A woman who drinks during pregnancy can almost be guaranteed to have a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. If you play in traffic, you're bound to get run over.
The lesson here is that God has a plan for each of our lives. Before you and I were conceived, God knew our names. He knows everything about you and me. And He loves us more than we can imagine. What we have to do is decide... when sin presents itself as more enticing than following God's plan… when we are swept away by what we think we really want to do instead of what God would have us do… we need to ask ourselves… "Is it really worth it?"
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
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