April 28
Samson
So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. Judges 13:24 (NKJV)
When you think of people who were given great opportunity to succeed in life, Samson has to be near the top of that list. From his first breath, God blessed him in ways unlike anyone else. Even as you read this, more than 3,000 years after he lived, his supernatural strength is legendary.
And yet, Samson’s life will always go down as a tragic tale. Despite the tremendous platform of opportunity and blessing that he’d been given, he squandered it away through a series of ungodly decisions. And as you read through his story in Judges Chapters 13-16, there’s an unsettling presumptuousness that permeates Samson’s character.
Little by little, step by step, Samson ventures closer and closer to the edge of disobedience and disregard for God’s will for his life. It’s a compromise here and a compromise there. One conviction falls after another…it’s like watching a horrific accident unfold before your very eyes in slow motion.
Eventually, it all catches up with him, and God took away the supernatural strength. Now, for the first time in as long as he could remember, Samson was just an ordinary man. The blessing was gone. He was captured by the Philistines and lived out the rest of his life as a prisoner and laughingstock.
Samson learned the hard way that his strength was in the Lord and not in himself. And that’s a truth we would all do well to cling to. When God blesses our lives, there’s always going to be the temptation to focus on ourselves and to forget that He is the source of each and every blessing.
Don’t be deceived. Don’t be distracted. Don’t ever forget that your strength, your wisdom, and your blessing is of the Lord and not of yourself.
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
SPECIAL OFFER
God's mercy is new every day. That's because it's needed daily. So to help you walk through a fresh new day, the Active Word has put together this second volume of the 365 Devotional. Our hope in creating this series of devotionals, is to help you connect with God's Word 365 days a year. And the best thing is, you can start any day of the year. Stay in step with God's Word, His will, and learn to live out your faith, daily.
