Your Life is Only as Strong as Your Weakest Commitment

This was such a profound Daily Hope from Rick Warren at Purpose Driven Life that to try to post snippets would not do it justice.  Here is the message as it came in my email this AM.  It is certainly thought provoking and something to ponder...

Don't Let Carelessness Weaken Your Life
by Rick Warren

The Biblical strongman Samson was very careless with his commitments.  He made a vow, saying "God, I'm going to live for You." And to remind him of his vow to God, Samson promised to never cut his hair.

But problem is that Samson refused to take himself seriously or to take God seriously.  He thought everything was a big game and so he toyed with temptation:  "How close can I get to the fire and not get burned?"

We see this clearly in his relationship with Delilah (Judges 16).  She continually tempts Samson while asking him to tell her the secret of his great strength.  And rather than fleeing temptation, Samson carelessly plays a game with Delilah, not once, but four times, and each time he compromises just a little bit more. 

Because Samson was playing a game, he hardly noticed the step that took him from being close to the fire to actually being in the fire.

"Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair... and so his strength left him.  The she called, "Samson, the Philitines 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 has left him." Judges 16:19-20

"He did not know the Lord had left him."  That is one of the most tragic statements in the Bible.  He was unaware of what was happening; how his lifestyle was perpetually weakening him little by little.  It was a gradual process.  He had assumed he would always be strong.

Nobody ever plans to be a failure.  It just comes on graually.  Nobody says, "I'm going to be a drug addict" or "I want to break up my marriage" or "I think I'll destroy my health."  But it starts with one little thing and builds and builds until the point that one day we wake up and say "What happened?  This isn't living for God."

What's the lesson we can learn from Samson's life?  Strong people keep their commitments.  They guard their commitments.  They don't play games with their commitments.

Consider this:  Your life is only as strong as your weakest commitment.

What are you committed to ?  Are you committed to the Lord?  Are you committed to a church?  Are you committed to your family?  That's where your strength comes from.

Very profound insights by Pastor Rick Warren.  Ones that we should all take to heart and learn from.  It's hard to avoid the pull of temptation.  You may think "just this once" but that one time multiplies faster than Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Rabbit.  By letting your guard down and giving in to temptation, you are opening up a little place in your heart for Satan to get a foothold.  It won't be long before Satan has wiggled himself right into your heart and has control over your life.

No one is perfect.  That is why God gave his only Son that we should not perish but have everlasting life.  BUT we can't just keep breaking our commitments without consequences - your marriage falls apart, you lose your job or Heaven forbid, your life.  All because you couldn't say "no" and keep your commitment.  No doubt when all is said and done, that moment of pleasure or happiness will not be worth all the pain and agony that will follow.

So pray for strength and courage to follow your commitments.  And close up that breach in your heart where Satan's finger is searching for something to hold on to. 

May God Bless You.