Oct 25 at 5:18PM These things happened to them as examples...for us... SAMSON AND JOSEPH. 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NIV) {11} These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. Samson was a loser, Joseph was a winner. Samson had everything going for him. He was the product of a miracle birth, raised by godly parents, and given supernatural strength. Yet he failed miserably. Why? 1) He did not pray. The only time we read of Samson praying is when he was in trouble. Sound familiar? If you conduct a post-mortem on your biggest failures, somewhere in the wreckage youll find that youve forsaken the place of prayer. You cant run your car on an empty tank, work on an empty stomach, or pay bills with an empty current account. And you cant live a victorious Christian life without daily prayer. 2) He refused to live by Gods Word. When confronted by his parents over marrying the wrong woman, Samson told them, ...She pleaseth me well (Judges 14:3 KJV). When youre led by sentiment rather than Scripture, youre heading for trouble. One of the best definitions of disobedience is incomplete obedience. You cant pick which Scriptures you want to live by and turn a blind eye to the rest! 3) He had the wrong spirit. While Joseph extended forgiveness to those whod harmed him, Samson prayed for revenge. Any time you give in to resentment youre allowing someone other than God to dictate your actions, and you end up suffering even more. 4) He was motivated by greed. Consorting with the Philistines, he placed a bet with thirty of them, saying, If you cant tell me the answer, you must give me... thirty sets of clothes (Judges 14:13 NIV). You say, Whats the point? If it could happen to Samson, it could happen to you! While Samson had everything going for him, Joseph had everything going against him. Notice: 1) He was badly treated by the people of God. Josephs brothers resented the vision God gave him and the favour that was upon his life, so they sold him into slavery. Who told you everybody would appreciate you? Not God! Jesus said, If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first (John 15:18 NLT). But Joseph maintained a forgiving spirit and not only ended up being reconciled with his family, but he fed them during the famine. 2) He was alone in a land where no one had knowledge of God. But like a lily in a mud marsh, he stayed clean and grew in faith. Its not the circumstances that surround you, but whats within you that determines your success. 3) He was exposed to temptation. Joseph was lonely, far from home, and subject to every impulse a red-blooded male can have. Potiphars wife tried repeatedly to seduce him, but he said no. In his case, theres a good chance that he might have got away with it. But his reason for saying no was, ...How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? (Genesis 39:9 NIV). Nothing meant more to Joseph than his relationship with the Lord. 4) His integrity came at a price. Based on false accusations by Potiphars wife, Joseph went to prison for a crime he didnt commit. Did God fail him? No, the contacts needed to get him to the throne were waiting for him in prison. So be true to God and He will bless you. Shalom.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 14:19:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015