Day 132, 10th January: Judges, John and Proverbs
Beyond Your Gifts
Sarah Macfaden, Soul Survivor: Called to Lead
Today’s readings
Judges 14:1-15:20
John 7:14-44
Proverbs 11:29-12:7
Tearing up a lion with your bare hands, stripping 30 people of their belongings and striking down a thousand men sounds like a dramatic Hollywood storyline. The superhuman strength demonstrated is like that of the Incredible Hulk except for 10 key words: “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power”.
We read at the end of the O.T passage yesterday that the Spirit of the Lord began to stir in Samson but it did not say what the Spirit was doing. We catch our first glimpse of what He may be up to in verses 5-6. God fills him with strength. If a Lion came bounding towards me, although I like to appear tough and fearless, I don’t think my reaction would be to just stand there, let alone tear it to shreds. Samson was confident in his ability, in his strength, he stood his ground. The strength demonstrated God’s purpose for Samson and continues as his story unfolds. But it this story also demonstrates Samson’s boldness to stand his ground and use his gift.
What about the dead lion? Remember all those rules we’ve read over the past few months of Old Testament? look again at Numbers 6. Samson was a Nazarite so he wasn’t meant to drink wine or touch dead things and yet he not only touches the dead lion, he eats from it! He’s flaunting the rules and compromising on the vow he made. He’s overconfident and thinks he’s invincible because of what He can do.
Jesus was also bold and stepped up to use his gifts, teaching in an environment where people wanted to sieze him. It wouldn’t have been a quiet classroom where the pupils are listening intently. But the difference between him and Samson is, ultimately, Jesus rested in God. Confident in his role, and God’s, and it’s God’s Sovereignty that saved him.
When it comes to gifts God has given us we need often do one of two things: Some of us don’t embrace them enough. Looking back at Samson he teaches us a lesson. His strength became part of him, he would kill a lion and not even bother to mention it! If it had been me the photos would have been all over facebook… In that we need to follow his example and own the gifts God has given us. What is your purpose? What are the things you do so easily that you may not realise are a gift from God?
For others of us the challenge is trusting our gifts too much. This was Samson’s fatal error – he trusted the wrong place. Jesus shows us the better way – to trust the Giver not the gifts. One way this can work out practically is choosing to do things that we know are beyond our ability. When was the last thing you did something you knew was beyond your gifts? Why not try something today…
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Today’s picture was taken by…
Alice Cook reading the Bi1Y with her Mum. Thanks Alice!
If you’d like to take your own picture to potentially be featured on the blog, then get your Soul Survivor Bible in One Year, and take a picture of yourself – and your Bible – at some interesting or colourful location. Then email it to us at editor@soulsurvivor.com.
The pictures will need to be a pretty good resolution (we use 640px by 360 px so at least as big as that), landscape photos work best and if you include the day of the reading in the picture then make sure you send it to us a good few days before that reading, so we have time to include it in that day’s post! We’ll credit all photographers!
