Samson

Samson lost his strength and became blinded. Is not much of the Church grinding corn and walking in circles? That speaks to me of the burden of religion when we have lost sight of God. When Samson returned to his covenant with God by letting his hair grow, he regained his strength. The Church will regain her strength and unlike Samson, her sight. We will achieve the greatest victory of our lives when we push down the Temple of idolatry; The temple represents the structures of men which oppose God. The resulting persecution and confusion will fall on our own heads but we will have achieved our objective.The Church will have learned the value of warfare.

Tolerance

The word tolerance is not in my Bible. Yet people will lean over backwards to say that it is. Some modern versions include it but then they may be inaccurate. I have a problem with the word. It is not a gift of the spirit. Intolerance will wear thin and eventually it will snap. We may tolerate, even enjoy the drummer next door for a while , but if we start working  shifts we might find the noise  intolerable. The Bible finds a better word. We are told to love others with the love of God. Love does not wear thin. We are told love never fails. Tolerance is not the same as mercy, gentleness or patience.They are the outcome of love.