April 12

Judges 15:9-17

With God’s power

Samson had destroyed the cornfields of the Philistines, and they were determined to take revenge. They set up camp near the Israelites and attacked them. When the Israelites asked, “Why are you attacking us?” they replied, “We have come to take Samson prisoner.”

So the Israelites went to look for Samson, and when they found him, they said, “Don’t you know that the Philistines are our rulers? Why did you burn their cornfields? We have come to tie you up and hand you over to them.”

Samson allowed himself to be tied up. As they got close to the Philistines, God’s strength came upon Samson, and he broke the ropes. Then he found an old jawbone of a donkey and killed a thousand Philistines with it.

How strong are we without God?

Your mom has probably told you that you should eat all your food if you want to be healthy and strong. She is right! Our bodies do need good food, exercise, and rest.

Do you sometimes wonder what made Samson so much stronger than anyone else? Was it because he ate all his vegetables or spent hours bodybuilding? Although Samson was probably well-built and strong, the Bible tells us that his great strength came from the Lord. Every time Samson showed amazing strength, the Spirit of the Lord had just come upon him (see Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14).

Yet it is not just great strength that comes from the Lord—every move we make and every breath we take is by God’s grace, and He holds us safely in His hands (Acts 17:25; John 10:28–29).

Verse for today

(Jesus said,) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5