Take it seriously

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession” (I Peter 2:9)

You know what one of the worse things a follower of Jesus Christ can do?  The answer is – forget who we are.  Peter said in his first epistle that we are “chosen” “royal” “holy” “God’s possession.”  What a resume!  But if we forget how special God has made us, our blessing might well become an affliction.

It did for one man in the Old Testament.  His name was Samson.  Now, we all know the story of Samson and Delilah.  And we probably would all place the blame for the way Samson ended up on his little chick, Delilah.  But let’s stop and ask ourselves how Samson slid down the road to ruin in the first place.  Was it really the fault of that seductive female hussie?  Or did the fault rest on Samson’s shoulders?

Samson was a gift from God to his parents, Manoah and his wife.  He was so special to them that they dedicated him to be a lifelong Nazarite.  That set him apart as one holy to God, who was to be protected from things like strong drink, touching anything unclean, and even getting a shave and a haircut at the local barbershop.  But more importantly, young Samson was blessed by God.  As a blessed child, he was given amazing strength that God used for unbelievable victories. 

Now Samson knew he was special.  None of the other boys in his school had the looks, the golden locks of hair, nor the strength he had.  But the one thing Samson lacked was self-control.  And a lack of self-control can be very dangerous to any of us.  You see, Sammy had a susceptibility to sensual pleasures.  It was that lack of restraint that contributed to his downfall.                                                                 

But here’s the saddest part of Samson’s tragic story.  As a result of his moral and spiritual decline, the lord departed from him.  And according to Judges 16:20, we are told, “he did not know that the Lord had left him.”  What a sad statement!  As a result, Samson ultimately forfeited God’s blessing on his life and ended his days in humiliation, grievous bondage, and his ultimate death.  So, what was Samson’s greatest sin?  Was it lust and sexual pleasure?  Personally, I don’t think so.  I believe Samson’s greatest sin was that he presumed upon God’s blessings.

Let each of us learn from Samson’s life.  Yes, we are special in Christ.  And yes, we are chosen, royal, holy, and God’s possession.  But if we ever start to presume upon the possession we have in Christ – if we ever think we can do whatever we want and disregard the price our salvation cost Jesus – we too like Samson, will become distracted from God and not even notice the many blessings that God removes from our life.  We need to take what God has given us in Christ seriously – very seriously.iHis

                                                                                     Darlene