But At A Cost...

Oct 26, 20242 min read

"He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.” Isaiah 27: 6

As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

Psalms 42:1

Previously we learned that God's balancing act has three essentials to help us rise above all failures and start over fresh: Faith in Jesus, Time, and Pruning! To be freed from sin, selfishness, and sexual immorality, Samson needed all three to rise from Failure's coffin and fulfill God's purpose for His life. He did, but at a cost.

Though I encourage studying Samson's life to observe the attitudes and behavior that led him into humiliation as well as victory over sin (Judges 13:24-16:31), today our focus will not be on Samson. I want to spend a little time sharing a historical but Biblical experience that will encourage parents with wayward children; spouses who are unequally yoked; children and adults who are struggling with living the Christian experience, "the prodigal sons and daughters", the rebellious, the atheist, and those who are somewhere in between.

In the book of Daniel, the fourth chapter, we find an intriguing life story with many wholistic takeaways. Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty, pagan, Babylonian king who took Babylon to its golden years. He was a man of luxury and a lover of beautiful things. Yet he was a strategic and unscrupulous leader who sought to dominate anything within his path to be the only world power even if it meant eliminating God as Supreme. It sounds pretty similar to America and the other countries today... same story but different era.

This is the result when God is secondary and not a priority in our lives. Friend, where are you today? Are You a Nebuchadnezzar bathing in luxury or selfish pleasures or a Daniel

"thirsting" after God with your entire heart?

nd despite cutting me down. If I were blinded by anger, resentment or shame, I would not have recognized that the "iron and brass band" that you placed around me (Daniel 4:23, 26) was not to imprison but to empower me... not to destroy me, but to protect me. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to "come to my senses." I recognize that your mercy is everlasting, but my probation is not. Thanks for the opportunity to prioritize differently. In Jesus' name, Amen.