Giftedness vs. Character

This morning I read through the story of Samson. ( Judges 13-16). Some observations...

One, Samason's parents were deperate to have him. They prayed, they sought God, and when it happened they were surprised. They were also obedient.

Two, Samson was gifted. Many a leader has "risen to the top" by using their gifts. Leaders have to have gifts. The great thing is that all leaders do not have to have the same gifts. The diversity and variety of the Kingdom lends its self to gifts that are all over the board. Yet, God is the one who can use gifts that seem totally unrelated to weave together a tapestry of leadership that keeps His kingdom going in the right direction.

Three, Samson lacked character. When he "saw" the woman in Judges Timnah, he wanted her. He told his father, "Get her for me." ( Judges 14) The problem was that she was a Phillistine woman... part of the clan that hated God's people. Samson's lack of character introduced alot of problems into his life.

Four, Samson's life was beset with secrecy. The older I get the more I see the devestating effects of secrecy. Much of the secrecy in our lives is the doorway to deceit. Read through the passage and you will see that Samson played fast and loose with the truth, he kept things from his own family, and he dangled his sinful actions (violating his Nazarite vow) in front of others and even God. Ironically, it was the "secret" of his strength, that he did not keep, which ruined his life. But, he had a real character problem.

Lastly, his ultimate undoing was when the Lord left Him. ( Judges 16:20- "But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.") That is a sad statement.

I pray that you, ( and I) will live in the light. I pray that we will be obedient to God's commands in our lives, and realize that without his blessing, we nothing more than a shell of the person that we could be.