Grains of Sand

“ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer ” –Matthew 21:21, NIV. I looked at these verses with slightly different eyes this morning. I suppose that’s because a passage from Mark Buchanan’s book Hidden in Plain Sight , is still stuck in my head. He was writing about Samson and remarked that Samson used the power of the Spirit of God to defeat the Philistines who had invaded God’s Promised Land, but he ignored that same Spirit when it came to defeating the “Philistines” in his heart. His pride and lust killed him long before the Philistines captured him and put him in chains. When we look at the verses from Matthew we often think of physical “mountains” that we’d like to have faith enough to remove. But if you are like me it is not often we th...

Samson illustrates well that old saying "bull in a china shop." If there ever was an unlikely choice for a judge of Israel, he fit the bill. Some might describe him as "all brawn and no brain." He didn't seem to "get it," ever. But if the story of Samson proves nothing else, it does show us that God does work in mysterious ways and uses all kinds to accomplish his plans and purposes in history. The beginning was promising, commencing with the appearance of an angel to announce the arrival of a special child who would be dedicated to the service of the Lord before his conception. "… the boy is to be a Nazarite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines " —Judges 13:5. Manoah and his wife received strict instructions to follow in preparation for Samson's birth. The baby was healthy. " The woman gave birth to a boy…and he grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of th...