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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Judges 13:5
... You will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
Sadly, this chapter starts, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years.”
How often people come to me with problems wondering why they have them when it is blatantly obvious to me that they have failed to give the Lord first place in their lives. We seem to be surrounded by the belief that God is a genie, who is just there to help us when we want it and to get us into Heaven once we’re ready.
Even if they are able to glibly say - “I keep the 10 Commandments”, I am amazed how they start at Number 7 or 8. They completely ignore the first 5 and Number 9 (even if they think they are in the clear with Number 10). But wait, Number 1 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Our God is a holy God. He is not superman - He is Holy, Holy, Holy.
He is to be my Lord - not just in word but also by practice. We so often sing vigorously ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ or ‘my Lord’, but is He? In one sense, Yes He is. He is Lord. But in a very real sense too, He is only ‘Lord’ to the degree to which I/we allow Him to be so. That’s why He is waiting until all His enemies become the footstool of His feet (see Psalm 110:1 & Hebrews 1:13).
If I live my life ‘my way’, then He is not Lord. As the old phrase goes - If He is not Lord OF all He is not Lord AT all. He is not looking to be Lord for only one hour on Sundays and 5 minutes every other day of the week. He is looking for total obedience, total service, and total devotion. He wants to fill our minds and our vision. He wants to bless us totally, unreservedly.
Yes, He does shower His mercy upon us unconditionally but we erect barriers in the way so we don’t receive the fullness of His blessings. If I keep putting self and my selfish desires before Him, how can He get me to receive all He has planned for me? To receive anything I have to stop, let go of everything else, and humbly face the Giver with my hands completely empty and held out in the expectation of them being filled.
In our verse for today, God came to Samson’s mother and gave her directions about the boy who was to be born to her, although she was barren.
What a challenge for those of us who are parents. Are we prepared to ‘set apart’ our children to God from birth? That is why some churches practise the service of ‘Baby/ Infant Dedication’. The child still has a choice as to how he/she will live - as we so vividly see with Samson - but it is good for parents to commit themselves to bring the child up in the ways of God and to treat Jesus as ‘part of the family’. Also, we need to recognise the ‘call’ and plan of God for each child, rather than trying to live out our ambitions and fantasies or rectify our failures or disappointments through them.
It is also a very interesting story because the angel came to her first and then talked to Manoah (Dad-to-be / her husband). All through Scripture, we see God elevating the place of women, although in Jewish custom they were little more than things (chattels), rather than people.
Listen, God created male and female. He loves them both. You are very special to Him. He has specific plans for your life, whether or not you were Christened, Dedicated, or ‘set apart’ at birth. God saw you in your mother’s womb and planned what is best for your life then. It’s another ‘Ring of Truth’! (See also Psalm 139:13-16 & Jeremiah 1:5.)
Will you move over and let God be Lord of your life, too? If you do, it will become more fulfilling and dynamic than you could ever imagine, and you will begin to receive deliverance from the things that bind you up.
Take a moment to ask God to really become Lord of your life and then commit yourself to keeping Him there.
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