May 2
Judg 15:1-16:31 | PS 103:1-22 | Prov 14:17-19 | John 2:1-25
God's love for us is unconditional. Our love for one another is conditional. There is an immense problem when we ascribe human standards to our God. You might think, "I have blown it this time", "I have gone too far", "This could never truly be forgiven". In human relationships this might be true. But with God, His arms are always open, and forgiveness is always yours, if you simply come to Him with a repentant heart and a sincere desire to seek His mercy. But there are indeed consequences for our actions. Consider yourself a beautiful rose that God created. God created you for good, and to be a vessel for Him. As you give yourself over to the flesh and the lusts of this world, it is as though you are pulling one petal of your flower at a time off and giving it over to another person, if it is due to sexual inappropriateness, or to an addiction, or to any other thing that God has not commanded according to His word. At the end, when you are finally ready to come to God, often there might not be much left in us to give. But even if all that is left of you is a stem, God will forgive you as you are, and use you for His glory.
Such potential Samson had. He was chosen before birth. He was given power unmatched in that time, and was made judge over Israel for twenty years. But the lust of women, the foolishness of pride, his desire for revenge led to a life which often did not honor God. Through this process, one foolish decision at a time, like that rose flower, he gave a petal here and a petal there. As we go through the dialogue between him and Delilah, it almost seems impossible that any man could be foolish enough to reveal his true secret to a woman who had already proven herself so untrustworthy. So, when he reveals his secret through the Nazarite vow, and his hair is cut off, we read these sad words in Judges 16:20, "And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him." There are earthly consequences to our actions, and as his eyes were always his problem, we see what happens in 16:21, "Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison." But in the depths of his misery and humiliation, Samson called out to the God of second chances in 16:28, "Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”" And rich in mercy, God answered Samson's request, and his strength returned for one final blow to the Philistines.
If this sounds too good to be true, humanly speaking it is. But we get a glimpse of God's mercy and forgiveness in Psalm 103:8-12, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." Though we might see ourselves and others as capable, God understands us, as we read in 103:14, "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." If this needs to be driven home one more time, we read in Hebrews 8:12, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”" Whether it be after a lifetime or after a season, seek God. He is listening and He is merciful.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: