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Topic: Wasted Talent
[DCLM Daily Manna 5 August 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Judges 14:1-11 (KJV)
1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
10 So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
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11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
Key Verse: “And Samson said unto his father, get her for me for she pleaseth me well”(Judges 14:3b).
MESSAGE:
In his book, “Talent is never Enough”, John C. Maxwell writes, “Having talent without focus is like being an octopus on roller skates. You can be sure that there will be plenty of movement, but you won’t know in what direction it will be. Focus can bring tremendous power. With it, you find that your talent and abilities gain direction and intentionality. And these qualities pay off by producing results”.
Our text tells of Samson’s trip to the Philistine city of Timnath to seek a wife. Despite the parents’ protest as to the propriety of his action, he insisted because the woman “pleaseth” [him] well”. His great power came into display when on the way he tore a lion that roared at him with bare hands. The marriage was eventually contracted on his second visit, which marked the starting of his life’s journey.
A Chinese proverb says, “the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step”. The journey of Samson to Timnath marked the beginning of a God ordained ministry which ended in tragedy. His lack of temperance; his lustful disposition and incoherent decisions truncated the wonderful ministry God gave him. As one looks at the life and times of Samson, the great power given him; the expectations from both God and Israel and his dismal end, one cannot but feel disappointed at the colossal wastage of divine resources.
To receive talents is one thing, but to effectively use them is another. Solomon, who though was endowed with great wisdom and wealth beyond every other king, eventually went into idolatry with his numerous strange wives. Christ has called us and given us different talents. We must be careful not to waste them so as not to incur God’s wrath on that final day like the unprofitable servant in Christ’s parable (Matthew 25:14-30).
Thought For The Day: Use your talents for God’s glory.
The Bible In One Year: Nehemiah 1–4
