19.1 – Devotion

Have you ever met two people who seem like complete opposites? Maybe one person is outgoing and the other is shy, or one is a night owl and the other is an early bird.

When you read about Samson and Ruth, you might think they were complete opposites! Samson was foolish and he didn’t think before he did things. He did horrible, violent things when he was angry. He gave up the secret to his strength because he gave in to Delilah’s temptation. He wasn’t faithful to God. On the other hand, Ruth was patient and loyal. She traveled with her mother-in-law to a faraway country because she loved her. She trusted in God to take care of her. She was faithful to God and to the people around her.

You might think that God would treat Ruth and Samson differently since they lived so differently. Even though Ruth was trusting and Samson wasn’t, God was faithful to both of them! He used both of their lives to bless His people. God gave Samson his strength back so that he could defeat Israel’s enemies. Jesus was born a descendant of Ruth and her son, Obed.

The Bible tells us that God always works for the good of people who love Him. We are all sinful (even Ruth was a sinner) and we don’t deserve good things to happen to us. We disobey God and we get ourselves into sticky situations. Even when we’re sinful and unfaithful, God forgives us! He gives us salvation through Jesus, and He uses us to bless others and tell others about Him. How good is that?

  1. Are you a Samson or a Ruth? What does God promise whether you’re a Samson or a Ruth?
  2. What does it mean to be faithful? How is God faithful to us?
  3. How has God worked for good in your life?

Let’s pray:

Dear God, thank You for always being faithful to us, even when we sin. Please help us to be faithful to You. Work for good in our lives so that we can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.