You.

Samson said, let me die with the Philistines. Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple, on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than when he lived. Judges 16, verse 30 I forgot my tithe check one Sunday morning. I unintentionally left it at home on my bedroom dresser. As a form of self punishment. I walked to the bank on Monday morning to deposit my check in the church's account. It was a long walk, several miles one way from my house. By the time I was on my way back home, the temperature had climbed. I was hot, my feet hurt, I was tired out. But I also lost weight, made some calluses, and gained some strength. It also furthered my habit of walking several miles each day, which in itself has some pretty good health benefits. You could say that punishment had become a blessing, sort of like what happened to Samson, created with tremendous potential, Samson had everything needed to be an effective servant of God. He cut corners in his lifestyle, however, with horrific consequences. Blind and tormented by the Philistines, Samson bore the punishment of his own sin, failure, and weakness. In the end, though, no doubt after long hours and days of repentance and prayer, Samson again found the favor of God, who restored his strength and enabled him to perform one last act of divine retribution on the enemies of God's people. The punishment that Samson endured for who knows how long became the source of blessing for the people of God because it placed him in exactly the right place to do the most good at a time of God's choosing. The next time, things don't go exactly as you planned, leaving you feeling punished for getting it wrong. Give some thought to Samson and remember that what feels like punishment could in fact become the very source God uses to bring blessing to you and to those around you.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected] have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.