“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; for surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off” (Proverbs 23:17, 18).
Samson was a young man of physical, mental and spiritual talents. However, he used the gifts God had given him to have fun and enjoy himself. He used his strength to play jokes on his enemies and escape from them whenever he could; he used his intellectual ability to make up riddles and defend his defiant attitude toward those in authority; he used his special bond with the Lord to play with holy things, set a bad example for other young people and exercise a presumptuous faith.
Why did he behave that way? He actually deeply admired the Philistines: their lifestyle, their amusements, the way they dressed, their women. Samson dreamt of being like them. Of course, he profoundly despised Hebrew traditions and almost didn’t have any friends among the Israelites.
One day Samson confronted someone smarter than him. Delilah was able to properly submit the feared Israelite warrior, who could face a well prepared army, but succumbed when a woman wept and flattered him, «For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell» (Proverbs 5:3—5). And that’s how it went. After having been betrayed by his latest conquest, he was tortured by the Philistines and confined to a mill. Every once in a while, he served as entertainment for the overjoyed enemies of God. The young man who had made having fun the center of his life had turned into the amusement of others. He was actually paying a high price for his low expectations in life. He never stopped to think he would someday have to pay for his bad decisions.
Do any of your friends have an immoral lifestyle? Have you envied their excesses and amusements, the provocative way they dress or their defiant attitudes? Would you like to be like them? Do you realize that being reckless has a price that anyone who lives that way will have to pay someday?
When you see a guy or a girl who brags about their sexual adventures and exhibits low moral values, don’t think what a great time they’re having today, but rather ask yourself where they’ll be in the future and what the results of their recklessness will be.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Youth 2020
«A New You»
From: Alejandro Medina Villareal
Collaborators: Gezer Noria & Misael Morillo
