Ever tell a lie? Maybe just a little white lie? Maybe a whopper? Either way - did you notice that for some reason, it never stopped there? You always think that will be the end of it, but it never is. If you were asked if you did your homework and you answered 'yes' and then your teacher sends a note to your mom when you didn't hand in the homework assignment. And sometimes, you think you've gotten away with it - but later on down the road it creeps back in again - and of course by this time you've forgotten what the whole story was to begin with...
I think Samson had different levels of strength. He obviously had physical strength, we see that every time the scripture reads, "and the Lord came upon him" he tears things apart. We also know that it was his hair that kept his physical strength going (according to the rules God had set forth). I believe he also had strength of character. but I think THAT strength was in his avoidance of unclean (dead) things (according to the rules God had set forth). It is in these verses that he breaks that vow. He eats from the dead lion - BIG No-No. But he doesn't lose his physical strength, we'll see in the next few verses how his strength of character seems to be completely gone.
Isn't that the way it is with sin in our life - like the little white lie. Samson had only broken one of the vows that were required of him, but it was slowly breaking down the whole of him. We may think it is just a 'small' sin - but it can eventually destroy us. That co-worker that you felt deserved to have a little gossip spread about them. The husband that will never find out. The 'one-time' and you'll never do it again. The little sip that won't hurt. The fudge on taxes that the government won't miss. The name-calling behind their back that they may never hear.
It may not affect you completely right away. It may not even be noticed by anyone at first. But be certain, it will clearly destroy you. The biggest problem in society today is not Bush, it's not Obama, it's not cancer and it's not AIDS - the biggest problem is sin. Jesus is the cure. It's time for a vaccination.
3 comments:
In my little blog world all my cyber friends seem to be on a common thread: wake up to what you are doing that isn't God's best and repent.
I loved the way you showed Samson's initial fudging the rules to take license that eventually set him up to lose it all. It is the little things that get us, isn't it?
Yes, Jesus came to give us the solution...His grace and power.
I hate needles too so I better try harder to fly right and keep on the straight and narrow. I know someone who loves telling little white lies. The trouble is the next lie has to be bigger to cover the first and the third has to be bigger and so on and so on. Pretty soon what started out as a little white lie is too big to handle and like you said, things just start crashing in.
Last night we had a discussion with our oldest son about political promisses. We were discussing how many politicians don't do what they say they would once they are elected. He asked why they weren't arrested for this and we didn't have a good answer. I guess the real answer is God will judge us more harshly. Great post.
Again, a great post, Dorothy. And it even includes advice my mother gave me when I was very young--if you tell one little lie, it is going to follow you. And then you have to lie to cover that lie, and so on and so on and so on. Then, you forget what you've actually said, and OOPS--you're caught!!
I don't care for needles either (funny since I work in the medical profession), but I'm signing up for my booster shot today!!
Beth
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