TUSITE MA’ASI 24, 2026
FAKAMAAU 16-18; SAAME 127:1-5
Success in life and ministry isn't God's endorsement of your character but rather a revelation of his.
Ko e ola ‘oku ha ‘i ho’o mo’ui mo e lotu ‘oku ‘ikai ko e faka’ilonga ia ‘o e hoifua mai ‘a e ‘Otua kiate koe, ka ko e fakaha’anga pe ia ‘a hono langilangi.
God exercises his power for the sake of his people. He is faithful in guiding, providing for, and protecting his children. He unleashes his sovereign authority to deliver his promises at just the right time and place. He reigns in power and authority for his own glory and the good of his people. God does not let anything or anyone stand in the way of his wise and holy purposes on earth. In order to accomplish his purposes and fulfill his promises to his people, God raises up human leaders. He gives them wisdom and insight. He gives them power way beyond their natural strength. He grants them authority and success. He uses human instruments to advance his divine purpose.
But there are some important things that need to be said about the leaders God chooses to use. First, in his sovereign wisdom God uses whomever he chooses to use. When we read through the narrative of Scripture, we can be surprised by whom God chooses to use in order to move his purposes along and to fulfill his promises to his people. Samson is one of those surprising instruments.God gave Samson superhuman power and ability. On behalf of his people, God chose Samson to be a conqueror. But Samson was a mess.
He disobeyed God and made regrettable moral choices. He was clearly driven more by his passions than by the clear will of God. This points to a second truth regarding the instruments God chooses to use for his glory and the good of his people. The fact that God gave Samson power and success does not mean God endorsed Samson's lifestyle or his moral choices. What is revealed in Samson's feats is God's character and faithfulness to the people upon whom he had placed his love.
Success in family, career, ministry, or any other endeavor should never be assumed to be God's endorsement of the way you live your life, the moral choices you make, the way you spend your money, your personal spiritual life, or the way you conduct yourself in relationships. God gives you success not to display your glory but to reveal his own. He gives to those to whom he chooses to give, he promotes those whom he wants to promote, and he empowers those whom he wants to empower-not so that they would receive honor and praise, but so that his people would give him the praise that is his due. Because success tempts us to be proud-to think that we are something we are not-success is more spiritually dangerous than failure. Only one instrument was perfect in every way and received God's complete endorsement: Jesus. "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Every other human instrument is flawed and dependent on God's rescuing, forgiving, and protecting grace.
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