Only child….

 Only child…

I was the only child that my parents could bear……and I always got the jokes about “spoiled only children”…

We lived  on ranches, sometimes in the middle of nowhere, it seemed, so rarely were there any other children around except when we would go to church…and finally to school.

When I was nine we moved into town and lived in an apartment, quite the change…down the little street lived another little girl my age who was an only child as well…I thought this was great to have a friend so close…but, I soon discovered that we were very dissimilar…she raged at her parents, showed them little respect, cried if when she didn’t get her way, stomped around when angry…her parents were kind and always gave into her whims…so even at nine I remember that was not the kind of friend I wanted…

(We actually went all the way through high school together and she never changed, her friends were the “rough” crowd and were always getting into trouble, never, as far as I know changing their ways)

Reading about Samson again brought these memories back…

He was an only child, prayed for and beloved by his parents…”teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born”…

He was raised a Nazirite, meaning he could not cut his hair, touch a dead body, or drink anything containing alcohol…all of which he broke the vow….and proceeded to do…

“Although Samson often used poor judgment and sinned terribly, he accomplished much when he determined to be set apart for God.In this  way he was like the nation of Israel. As long as the Israelites remained set apart for God, the nation thrived. But they fell into terrible sin when they ignored God. “ Bible notes….

Only children have the same choices as others, whom will they serve…whom will they follow…how will they live…what is their legacy…

Thank YOU… 

Here I am, Lord….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnO5B_G505w

“Samson was born a Nazirite, meaning he was “separated” or “set aside” for God. This meant that he was not to drink wine or fruit of the vine. He couldn’t go near or touch a dead body, human or animal, nor could he cut his hair. Though he was set apart for special service to God (Judges 13:5), Samson ignored his Nazirite vow of godly devotion and relied upon his own strength and abilities rather than upon God’s. Although God empowered him with supernatural strength to begin the deliverance of the people of Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13:5), it was his weakness for the Philistine women that did him in (Judges 14:1–3, 16:1–22). His passion for women was more important to him than God’s expressed will (Deuteronomy 7:3).”….

“There are many valuable lessons we can glean from the story of Samson and Delilah. Though born with unbelievable potential, Samson forfeit his life because of sin. The lesson for us is that, the deeper we allow ourselves to be influenced by the glamour and allurement of sin, the more blind we become. This extraordinary story tells us that Samson was spiritually blind long before his eyes were gouged out (Judges 16:21). We must accept the reality that sin can seep deep into in our lives. We must know that sin has a blinding, numbing impact upon us. Otherwise, we find ourselves ensnared by it, just as Samson did.”….

“However, despite all of Samson’s weaknesses, he did turn back to God before he died (Judges 16:28–30). God in His sovereignty used Samson to fulfill His purpose. In reality, Samson’s death did much to impede the oppressive actions of the Philistines. Samson’s destruction of the temple of Dagon was a major factor in their downfall at Mizpah by Samuel and the children of Israel some 100 years later (1 Samuel 7:7–14).

Perhaps the greatest lesson we learn is that God would rather forgive than judge. In the final analysis, God saw Samson as a man of faith. This is evidenced by the fact that he’s listed among those in the hall of faith (Hebrews 11:32). When we read through the list of names recorded there, we find that no one in the “hall of faith” was perfect. Samson was the strongest man to ever live, but it was God who gave him the strength. More importantly, Samson let himself be used by God. In fact, God could have used him without making him the strongest man. He’s willing to meet us right where we are right now and to take us where He wants if we will let Him (James 4:8).”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Samson-and-Delilah.html