THE LORD SPOKE (April 13)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Judges 15-16

He was a he-man with a she-problem. Throughout his life he struggled with this problem, or maybe we should say, he lost every struggle in this area.

In his first “marriage”, Samson looked in the wrong place to find a wrong wife. Without God’s approval and over his parents’ counsel, he forced the issue with disastrous results. Alienated from all her family and friends (Judg. 14:18-19), Samson couldn’t even enjoy his own honeymoon - she cried the whole time. His best man ran off with the bride (Judg. 14:20) and Samson ended up in a violent spat with his father-in-law (Judg. 15:1f). We’re left to imagine what his mother-in-law was like, but it probably wasn’t good.

Next he goes to a prostitute in Gaza (Judg. 16:1) and then back to the Sorek Valley for a dalliance with Delilah (Judg. 16:4). Shortly after, he’s left standing there with a weaver’s loom attached to his head and listening to her say, “You’ve made a fool of me.” One wonders, who’s the bigger fool?

That’s Samson’s lowest moment. When Delilah awakens him with the warning that the Philistines were coming, he thought, “‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” (Judg. 16:20). Four times previously he had experienced a great empowering from the Lord when the Spirit had “come upon him” (Judg. 13:25; 14:6; 14:19; and 15:14). He knew what it meant to be moved and strengthened by the Lord but when this ugly moment came, he didn’t even realize that God was no longer with him. He’d grown so used to acting on his own strength - to trusting in his own power and ingenuity - that he no longer even knew the difference. How tragic!

How about you? Are you trusting in the Lord daily for guidance, for strength, and for your relationships - both vertical and horizontal? Do not let yourself become so desensitized spiritually that you can’t hear His voice or sense His presence.


New Testament: Acts 14

The crowd can be very fickle. One day the people of Lystra called Paul and Barnabas “gods” and “wanted to offer sacrifices to them” (Acts 14:13). The next thing you know they’d been swayed by outside influences that “won the crowd over” and they stoned Paul instead (Acts 14:19).

Iconium hadn’t been much better. At first a goodly number came to faith (Acts 14:1) but then the Jewish opposition succeeded in polarizing the town. A plot developed to stone Paul and Barnabas and they had to skip town (Acts 14:5-6).

They continued to do exactly what God had called them to do. In Lystra and Derbe they “continued to preach the good news” (Acts 14:7). One of the positive results was that Timothy, who was from Lystra, became a disciple (see II Tim. 3:10-11). Likewise, Gaius was from Derbe (Acts 20:4).

The lynching happened at Lystra but after a short visit in Derbe where do you find Paul and Barnabas again? Going back to Lystra! And from there to Iconium, Antioch, Pisidia, Pamphilia, Perga, and Attalia. Everywhere they went they...

1. “preached the good news” (Acts 14:7,15,21,25)
2. “strengthened the disciples” (Acts 14:22)
3. “appointed elders for them in each church” (Acts 14:23)

When they returned to their sending church, they gave a complete report. And did you notice? They were able to say they had completed the work! Do you ever feel like your work is complete? To be sure, Paul went back to the same area in subsequent missionaries journeys and did more work. But, at this point, he was able to say that the job was done. That can only come from having very clear objectives, developing a plan, and then working the plan.

And that’s just what he did. When God opened the door (Acts 14:27) he marched right through. Are you hesitating in front of some door right now? Put on your hiking boots and get going for God!