Be diligent

“But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?”

Judges 16:1
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.” But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

Judges 16:17
And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

Romans 6:21
But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?

Romans 7:5
For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

These are quotes from an article I was reading recently and go hand in hand with the scripture today.  Sampson lead for twenty years and then for some reason he lost focus on God and more on what he wanted for himself.  A good thing to remember to keep us diligent at staying in scripture and living each moment of each day in the spirit.
1. “there are consequences when people open up a doorway to evil into their lives”

2. “Religion is viewed as outdated and not very exciting. So evil can be invited in directly or indirectly”

3. ”If the house has been swept clean but no place has been made for God, the condition can become much worse”

4. “There is still an emptiness within us that is being filled with addictive behavior such as drugs and pornography”

“The decline in faith goes hand in hand with the rise in evil”

 

Excuses

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire

We can all come up with excuses as to why we did or did not do something. When it comes to honoring and glorifying God in our everyday lives do we do the same thing.  Do I look to His word daily to find strength?  Do I search scripture to know more how to live as a humble servant doing what honors Him? Do I desire to be used by Him however He wants to use me?  Am I able to keep the culture around me from diluting my relationship with God?  Do I make time for Him in my life?  I can find myself coming up with excuses everyday for each of these questions.  I’m to busy, I’m tired, to much work to do, school actives, shopping, to cold, to hot, to…….. It is so easy to come up with excuses.  Desire to change and choose to live with purpose to honor and glorify God.

Matthew 21:42
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.

Luke 14:16
“A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready. ’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused. ’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused. ’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. ’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. ’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room. ’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.

Isaiah 5:3
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes

Choosing Knowledge of God

Jesus had just healed two men, delivering them from demon possession and after this people of the region begged Him to leave.  Others, in scripture, reject knowledge of God and still others hold to evil and reject good.   Why do people reject Him?  How many times do we reject His leading and purpose throughout the day? Rejecting God and His purpose for our lives comes with many consequences, all of them bad.  However, for those who chose to humbly serve Him – they will find peace, love, joy, blessing, hope, and security.

Matthew 8:34
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region

Psalms 36:2
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children

Proverbs 1:29
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.
For the simple are killed by their turning away,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster