Day 117: Real Risk

Acts 21:1-36; Judges 16; Psalm 42

Followers of Christ should be willing to risk everything for The Lord.  Paul said he was willing to risk jail time and death--but in our nation, those aren't really our risk.  I think we believe we would be willing to die for God, and that is incredibly noble.   Yes, death would be the ultimate sacrifice and God would be proud if we stood up for our faith and had to lose our life like Paul and the other apostles did; but the truth is, that isn't the reality in America.  What do we have to risk?  Would we be willing to risk our reputation for The Lord?  Would we be willing to risk our friendships for Jesus? Would we be willing to risk our job for the message of God? We seem to live this duplicitous life where we say that we would "give it all up for The Lord!" but in reality, we are unwilling to share about our faith for fear of being judged by others.  What real "risk" is that?  That our neighbor might think we are weird?  How can that even compare to the sacrifice of Paul, the other apostles, or of our Lord?  I'll be the first to admit, I do sometimes wimp out, even though I say that I love The Lord with all my heart and am willing to sacrifice everything.  But am I really?  Are we really?

I'm sure Samson has some redeeming qualities, but man, he frustrates me.  I think it is because it seems so evident that he is compromising and setting himself up from trouble.  He falls in love with a woman who nags and pesters him.  He lets her tie him up (what?!).  Even after she has tricked him, he still gives in.  You would think that he would realize that this woman does not love him and is not trustworthy, but he continues to be with her, and eventually tell her the one thing that leads to his ruin.  His life of compromise lead to his end:  he had lots his eyes, was a slave to his enemy, and was abandoned by God.  Was this something he could have seen coming?  Absolutely.  But he was too caught up with the women in his life.  For us, it could be any distraction that could lead to our destruction:  technology, substances, work, relationships, self.  These things, when placed before God in our lives, can ruin us and separate us from The Lord.  However, Samson's life wasn't all a waste.  After grinding grain for who knows how many months or years (long enough for his hair to grow back), he realized that God had left him and why God had left him.  Imagine how hopeless he would have felt.  Without his eyes, he saw it:  he had compromised his relationship with God.  And in that final moment of his life, he prayed and asked God for one last bit of strength so that he could carry out his duty to protect Israel from the Philistines.  And what did God do?  Like the loving God he is, he answered Samson's prayer, and was probably proud of him for learning and humbling himself.  Samson's story is sad.  I hope that we learn from him not to trade our relationship with The Lord for anything.