Read:
If you’ve ever felt discouraged, like God couldn’t use you, Samson’s story is one worth paying attention to. His life reminds us that God uses broken people and difficult circumstances to fulfill his plan. But Samson’s story is also a warning: our choices matter, and all decisions have consequences.
Samson’s life began with a miracle and a promise. His mother had been unable to have children, but God promised a son—and that son was Samson. Even before he was born, God set him apart for a purpose. God told his parents to raise Samson with special commitments: no wine, no touching anything dead, and no cutting his hair. They followed God’s instructions, and we’re told that “the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.”
But Samson struggled. He was strong on the outside, but weak when it came to self-control. He repeatedly broke his vows, eating honey from the carcass of a lion (remember “no touching dead things”?) and marrying a pagan woman, for starters. Still, God didn’t give up on him.. God used even Samson’s failures as part of a bigger plan to free Israel from the Philistines. And that’s encouraging—because if God can use Samson, he can use us, too.
The warning comes when we see the end of Samson’s life. His lack of self-control eventually caught up with him. He was captured, blinded, and humiliated by his enemies. In the end, God gave him the strength to kill a lion, destroy the harvest of the Philistines, and kill a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. His strength brought down the roof of the Philistine temple, and “he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.” But he suffered because he was not strong against temptation.
We are all called to live a way that honors God. We can choose whether we use our gifts and skills to run after our own desires or for God’s purposes. One way leads to blessing and the other leads to heartache. But there is always forgiveness and hope with God! If you find yourself going in the wrong direction today, you can turn around, and God will give you grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Dear God, I don’t always make the right choices, but you are always faithful to forgive when I turn back to you. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to you. Use me to bring people into a relationship with you. Amen.