When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
Judges 16:18-20
Hello, Heroes.
Cloudy the future is....It'd be helpful to know where we're going, but all we know is where we've been and where we are now. And that we probably shouldn't stay here, becoming stagnant, because that would be bad.
Do you remember our goals at the beginning of the year? How we felt we were called to grow even more? As the semester has progressed, Mines InterVarsity has felt that our call to grow is changing. Changing...to something. Cloudy the future is, but also good it will be. We just have to follow.
Heroes in movies follow need: they go where their services require them at a certain time. Great heroes in the Bible followed call: they go where God told them, even if He didn't tell them where. They just listened as they displayed great patience with God as they were led into the unknown. Like Abram.
But then there's Samson. The dude with the legit super-strength that came from God because of his Nazarite vow from the womb. He had a purpose to fulfill in his life- to free Israel from the Philistines. But sad story short, Delilah, Samson's temptation got in the way of what could have been a heroic tale. Samson ended up fulfilling his purpose, but in his death, making his story a tragedy.
Mines IV, we have some awesome potential: great talents and callings God has given us. Can we listen carefully, patiently, openly for whatever doors God will open? We're at a critical time in our lives, not only individually but also as a community that God has a plan for. We can't throw that away for a Delilah: a distraction and temptation that will turn us in and destroy us.
Pray, listen, share, move. And become the story God outlined for us.
