Verse of the day: Judges 16:5-6, The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” 6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
One writer wrote, “Any love that is solely based on physical beauty, is a stranger to longevity.” The love that Samson had toward Delilah was a shallow, vain, love based on outer beauty. This, we already know, was a pattern with Samson that led to his downfall. Far too often, we judge whether a person is the right for us based on superficial and vain qualities. It usually is not too long before we realize that we have made a big mistake as the person turns out to be someone we did not think they would be. As we grow old, and as we begin to discover the other person’s annoying habits and list of incompatibilities, the great divide between us begins to grow. There are many things that can rob us of physical beauty as we age or suffer from a devastating illness or accident. If our affections and love are based on outer beauty, they will fade with disappearance of that beauty. The evidence of who Delilah was as a person became obvious immediately. Her love for money and earthly treasure was greater than her love for Samson, if she even had any toward him. The Word of God tells us that Samson loved Delilah, but says nothing of her love for him. As Christians, we should not define love or beauty in the same manner as the unsaved world does. The world defines love as an emotion and beauty is measured by unrealistic expectations. These definitions and expectations lead to many broken hearts and relationships. On the other hand, God defines love as an action and beauty as something to be measured by what is inside a person, and not on the outside. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 defines love this way, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Note that all the qualities and characteristics of love involve an action. Love requires action, even when we do not “feel” love. That is how God loves us. He proved it by sending Jesus to die for us, even though all we deserved was eternal condemnation (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). In God’s eyes, beauty is what He sees inside of us. This is the same criteria that we, as God’s children, need to use in measuring how beautiful a person is. Proverbs 31:30 says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Psalm 139:13-14 also tells us, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” The Apostle Peter put it best when he wrote this in 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” Love and relationships based on superficial and vain standards will not last long. We must make every effort to see the beauty that lies within a person, regardless of how attractive or unattractive they might appear on the outside. Love based on emotion will die, and beauty based on outward appearance will fade. Only love that is based on actions will never fail, and only beauty that comes from within will outlast our physical bodies, which are vulnerable to deterioration in one form or another.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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