Overview of: JudgesToday's Reading:
Judges 15:1 - 16:30
"Samson's Life and Death"
Focus Verses: Judges 16:20
20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
Insight:
Samson's life seems to be way off track and his thinking about the source of his strength seems to have been lost too. His strength wasn't in his hair; it was in the Lord. His strength was gone because the Lord had left him. The cutting of his hair and his careless living were symptomatic of his unfaithfulness to God. It appears that he had become more confident in himself than in God. He learned the hard way that he was nothing without God.
Response and Action:
I need to have a constant awareness of God's presence and power in my life. I need to remember that every strength and success is from the Lord. I want to guard against the careless mistakes of self-reliance and self-indulgence.
O God, help me to live for you and look to you for the strength I need to do so. Forgive me for the times I rely on my own strength or take credit for the things you are doing in and through me. Help me to seek you with all my heart and to draw near to you. Help me to be a good steward of all you have given to me. Grant me the wisdom and the will to guard my heart, feed my spirit, stimulate my mind, and care for my body. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
New Testament for Today: James 4:7-8
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
In Context: James 4:1-12
Proverb for Today: Prov. 12:26
"A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."
Resources:
Following After God: What Difference Does God Make
by Daniel Hill
