So here I am up late at night (fell asleep really early trying to put Jazzy nite-nite... it's a team effort!) trying to figure out exactly how to stay regular at blogging. Truthfully, I rarely think about it during the day. At any rate, I've blogged before, (on MySpace) but only a few times. Even so, those blogs were quite substantial. They ended up being mini-novellettes or something of the like, rather than a 30 sec. "So this is what I've been doing..." update. Anyway...
Pastor has been speaking to us a lot about focus recently. Everything in life that we achieve came about because we, to some degree, devoted a bit of focus to it. If you've ever baked a cake, learned to ride a bike, lost weight, grown closer to God, etc., then all of these required some bit of focus! If you ignore the cake at some point during the process of making it, you'll just end up with a sugary, burnt mess! If you don't learn to keep your balance, you'll fall off the bicycle. If you work out for 1 1/2hrs. then go out and eat a large pizza with extra cheese, you'll never actually lose weight. If you don't focus on your relationship with God daily, you'll end up like Samson.
Samson was anything but the ideal model Biblical hero. He had many issues, as many of us do, but the problem was that he suffered from a lack of focus. Sure, he was a judge of Israel, and God used him to accomplish many things. However, it must be remembered that Samson died as a prisoner in a foreign land, all because he lost his focus. The saddest part of Samson's story occurred in Judges 16:20, right after he divulged the secret of his strenght to Delilah. The Scripture reads:
"Then she cried out, "Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!" When he woke up, he thought, "I will do as before and shake myself free." But he didn't realize the LORD had left him."
You see, it's easy to function in our gifts and in our personal talents. God had blessed Samson with extraordinary strength, which he used to great effect. However, Samson had serious character flaws that he did not address, nor allow God to change. Instead of focusing on God and growing his relationship with Him, Samson chose to do whatever it was that Samson wanted to do. As a result, he became so spiritually numb that he didn't even realize that his relationship with God had slipped away! True, it was the sheering of Samson's locks that cause him to lose his strength. However, this very natual act had a very powerful spiritual connection. His hair was part of his dedication as a Nazarite. According to the "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia," the following were the conditions of a Nazarite:
(1) the strictest abstinence from wine and from every product of the vine
(2) the keeping of the hair uncut and the beard untouched by a razor
(3) the prohibition to touch a dead body
(4) prohibition of unclean foodThroughout the story of Samson, there were several instances when he violated these rules:
1. The eating of honey from the carcass of a lion
2. Fighting with the jawbone of a donkey
3. Possibly the drinking of wine during various feasts.
Of course, Samson also had problems with the ladies. He decided to marry a Philistine woman against his parent's wishes, consorted with prostitutes, and eventually fell prey to Delilah. Now, the Bible does state the the Lord was "working in this" when Samson went to marry the Philistine woman. It must be noted that God is going to work everywhere, regardless of the circumstances, to protect His people and grow those He loves. One must wonder what Samson could have accomplished had he not been so neglectful of his relationship with God!
So how did Samson do all of this if his relationship with God was lacking? Read Romans 29:11
"For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable..."
God blesses each and every one of us with unique talents and abilities. There are certain things that I am very good at that you are not, and the reverse is true. We cannot control what God gifts us with! Those gifts are His to choose and disperse according to how He sees fit. However, once God gives a gift, He will not take it back. That's one of the reasons that some ministers may be living in sin, yet see huge numbers of people come to God, receive miracles, and the like under their ministry. It's a gift from God. WE are the ones who are responsible to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us, and to make sure that our relationship with Him is strong.
Satan's job is to distract us and to destroy our focus. If we've been living for God for any amount of time, it is unlikely that we are going to just out and out do something in total rebellion against God. However, Satan is a master at destroying our focus, if we are not careful! In fact, Satan probably has little to do with the process. All he has to do is frustrate us a bit or throw in a bit of temptation and let our flesh to go work on us. When our focus is disrupted, we end up sinking in the storms of our lives, just like Peter did out on the water. Thank God that He's there to catch us when we realize what's happening!
Gifts from God are wonderful things. However, we must make sure that we never lose focus of what is truly important: our relationship with God. Above everything else in life, we must focus on that one thing, for it is that one thing that is eternally important. This life, as wonderful as it is (or horrible, depending upon your perspective) is temporal. We are eternal beings, and therefore will spend eternity somewhere. Whatever we do in this life determines the eternal. When we put Jesus at the center of our lives, our eternity will be centered on Him as well.
God loves us, and desires to be our all in all. It amazes me that my God, who loves me so much, is willing to bless me with wonderful things, even though it is possible that I could end up loving my stuff more than He. God truly loves us with a love that's beyond comprehension... If only we could focus enough to do the same. God help us to focus!!!
I've said enough, it's late, and I've got to get some more sleep!
Later,
Bobby
