Being Strong Isn't Enough

Read:
Judge 15:1-20, 16:1-3, 1 Samuel 16:7

When I played baseball the offseason was a great time to get prepared for the next season. As soon as school started back we was in the weight room starting to build as much strength and endurance as we could in 4 months. There were days were it felt like my arms would just fall off out of soreness, and there were days I dreaded such as circuit weeks. However, after I begin to see results from training I learned to take heart in hard work I put in. Although while I was physically getting stronger, I was not spiritually. My character was turning away from the things I thought I would stand firm in.

Samson  was a super strong dude, and yet his character was weak. Samson valued his strength, so much it drove him to fight against the Philistines for 20 years. Although he was physically strong spiritually he wasn't. He was terrible a son, husband, and man who was selfish and arrogant. Yet, in the book of Hebrews he is defined as flawed hero of the faith. Why? At the end of Samson life when his selfish desires led him to be blind, and tied to pillars he asked God to give him the strength one more time to take down the Philistines and died doing so. Samson was spiritually weak and demonstrates a life that lacked putting trust in God. He rejected everything that he was taught, yet God still used him to save the Israelites.

There is nothing wrong with valuing strength, but just like money, work, and sports it can become an idol to us. We need value and focus more on spiritually strength as much as we do our natural strength. If we are spiritually weak we cannot expect to live out our faith and give glory to God. We have to realize that it is the power of God that lives in us that gives us the strength to stand strong in the Lord and to walk us through life. Samson knew this, but waited until his selfishness met him at a dead end. It was then Samson turned to God to give him strength one more time. God is the one who gives us strength.

1.) Why do you think the world values strength so much?
2.) How would you go about developing your character verses your strength?