Even though his parents had dedicated him to God from birth in a Nazirite vow, selected as the one who would begin to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines…and even though God early on blessed his life with superhuman strength, and the Spirit stirred within him…Samson’s life was filled with unwise decisions, an unchecked temper, compromise upon compromise, unbridled pride, and the inability to control his sexual desires. But still God was able to use him. (Hebrews 11:32) For despite all of Samson’s massive mistakes, God still accomplished His plan & purpose through him. Consequentially, you may look at your messed up life today and conclude that God could never use you…that you’ve wandered too far from Him to be of any good…but all you have to do is look at Samson and know you’re never too far from God’s plan & purpose.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Matthew 11:28 ” Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus calls all…the weary, the addicted, the burdened, and the hopeless, to find rest & refreshment in Him. No where in the Bible does it tells us that we need to have our act together, our character all shined up, and ourselves all pretty & perfect BEFORE the Lord will accept us. In John 7:37 Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” Jesus has no prerequisites, and no requirements beforehand that have to be met before He will accept anyone into His Kingdom…He only demands our faith & trust in Him. “Come to Me”, had me thinking this morning about a great old Hymn by Charlotte Elliot that George Beverly Shea sang at the Billy Graham Crusades. It’s first verse went something like this: “Just as I am, without one plea, but that Your blood was shed for me, and that You bid me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” Jesus wants you to come to Him just as you are today… with all your problems, addictions, and mental health baggage…and He will give you the peace you’ve been searching for.
Philippians 3:10,12 ” That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and may share in His sufferings…Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.”
What the Apostle Paul was explaining to the Church in Phillipi was “The Already and the Not Yet.” Justification is by faith, and faith alone on the basis of Jesus Christ’s merits, not ours. Our ongoing Christian Walk, imperfect as it is, finds its focus and power in Christ’s death and resurrection. Thus, as our personal fellowship with the Lord deepens, so does our participation in His sufferings. In verse twelve, this prize not yet won but what Paul strove for was “The not yet”… Salvation in its fullness. Know then as a Believer, you too will share in Christ’s suffering… but also know that your suffering will prepare you to share in His glory.
Philippians 2:3 ” Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
You may think I’ve got my life together…I don’t. You may think I’m better than you…I AM NOT. Daily I mess up and make unwise decisions. I say things that shouldn’t be said, judge others harshly in my mind, and occasionally yell at the dog. To think that I’m superior in merit, rank, or position over anyone else is absurd, for I know how corrupt my human nature is. If wasn’t for Jesus, I would still be that beggar looking to fill the insatiable appetite inside, that only the bread of life could satisfy. (John 6:35) Without Him, I’d still be wandering in the world’s darkness, lost and doomed. (John 8:12) I am no better than you, but praise God, I am not like I used to be…for I have found the Way, the Truth, and the Life through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)
Romans 10:11-13 ” As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trust in Him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ “
The Apostle Paul wrote the Book of Romans predominantly to Gentiles, but being a Jew himself, he had also brought the Gospel Message to his countrymen. Though in Philippians 3:5-6, he showed that his confidence was not in his lineage & pedigree as a Jew under the Law, but under God’s grace. He wanted both Jew and Gentile to realize that they were all sinners and had all been adopted by God as His children. Hense, the wall of separation between Jew & Gentile was removed…with no human distinctions or preferential status. (Galatians 3:26-28) And we have that same trust and security today that God providentially watches over and preserves His people, in order to accomplish His ultimate plan and purpose for the Kingdom.
“Faith which accepts one Word of God and rejects another is not faith in God, but faith in our own judgment or our own taste.” Charles Spurgeon
We can’t go through our Christian life cherry-picking what we will accept & reject in the Bible…either we receive God’s Word as infallible, or we don’t. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 in Matthew 4:4 when He said, “Man doesn’t live by bread alone, man lives by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Every Word in the Bible is fit for God to direct, provide, and give us victory. His Word is truth, (John 17:17) in a world swirling with falsehoods & lies. So, we can’t pick and choose what we’ll accept & what we’ll reject in His Word…for it just shows how prideful we have become…thinking we know more than God. Proverbs 10:8 tells us that, “The wise heart will receive commandments.” and in contrast, I Thessalonians 4:7-8 warns us, “For God didn’t call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction doesn’t reject man but God…”
II Chronicles 19:9 ” You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.”
Earlier in Chapter 18, God had allowed King Jehosaphat to escape death from the imposing Syrian army. But God also chastised him for his past doublemindedness. So here in Chapter 19, King Jehosaphat personally traveled throughout the kingdom drawing people back to God. He also set up a court system to enforce the Mosaic Law…charging these men to use the Law to influence their decisions…not politics, cronyism, family ties, or under the table bribes. Sure, they had many negative cases & situations arise, but they were to place their trust, heart, and mind steadfastly in God’s Word, not their own understanding. And in doing so, would draw the people back to God by their obedience.
I Peter 3:12 ” God’s ears are open to our prayers.” (Quoted from Psalm 34:15)
How’s your prayer life doing? Is it something you look forward to, or is it always an arduous endeavor? What do you do when you know you should pray, but you don’t “feel” like it? Well, join the crowd! Even the disciples struggled with prayer and asked Jesus to, “Teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1) So let’s look at prayer from a different angle. Charles Hodge calls prayer the converse of the soul with God…taking our feelings & emotions out of the equation of communing with our heavenly Father and placing it at a far higher realm. So not “feeling” like praying has no merit whatsoever. Neither is the sweet phrase we use so often addressing someone who’s going through a tough time…”I’ll pray for you.” but not taking the time to actually do it. What a terrible waste of an opportunity to build not only your faith, but theirs as your prayers are made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) So from now on, when you don’t “feel” like praying…pray twice as much, twice as hard, and with twice the fervor…and see what happens.
Acts 20: 32 ” Now I commit you to God and to the Word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
The apostle Paul was on what you might call his Farewell Tour. He had called together the Elders of the Church in Ephesus in order that he might remind them of just how far that Church had come. Paul had invested himself for three years there…both in public & private teaching and instruction in God’s Word…and now was the time for the Elders to step up and step into the role of Shepherds and Overseers. He charged them with, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the Church of God, which He bought with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28) Paul could easily be speaking to the Church today as Baby-Boomer Pastors and Elders are retiring at an increasing rate. He is charging the younger generation to heed the call and step up to serve the local Church.
Isaiah 48:10 ” He has tried you in the furnace of affliction.”
Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Those who dive in the sea of affliction – bring up pearls! There is a sweet joy that comes to us through sorrow. Sickness has frequently been more use to the saints of God, than health has.” Illness & affliction can take on many faces, with just as many circumstances, situations, and outcomes. It could be you that is currently challenged with a disease process or infirmity…or it could be like me, who is a twenty-four-hour Caregiver for someone battling chronic illness. To understand this quote from Spurgeon we only need to look at Job and his season of affliction, loss, and searching out of God’s answers. Job drew on his foreknowledge of God and how He used affliction as a means for spiritual discipline and education. (Job 36:15) He also knew that affliction could bring us back from wandering away from God. (Psalm 119:67) Job was then reassured that – the Lord would sustain him on his sickbed and restore him, (Psalm 41:3) that his hope in his affliction wouldn’t ever perish, (Psalm 9:18) and that the Lord would ultimately deliver him. (Psalm 34:19)
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