Judges 14:6. “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”
WASTED POTENTIAL. Godly parents watching with ever saddening eyes A son: miraculous in his birth – lengthening hair of separation Obvious strength given by the Spirit of God to begin the deliverance of Israel But… A godly home doesn’t guarantee a godly son Believing parents who had dealings with God don’t guarantee a believing son A special ministry given by the Spirit of God and empowerment by the Spirit of God Has great potential.
A great flaw in character becomes evident A weakness for women overcomes a call from God A he-man with a she-weakness is a sure sign of personal disaster But… The Spirit of God still came upon him His strength was not abated and he still had divine power God was still able and willing to use him to begin to deliver His people The potential is still there.
He disobeyed the Word of God He rejected divine authority for selfish reasons He did what was right in his own eyes controlled by his passions But… He could have practiced self-discipline He did experience power over animals and men He did learn that God can take away what a person selfishly wants And he wasted his potential.
We are responsible for our failures We cannot blame others, or circumstances, or God We can practice self-discipline and know God’s power in it But… We have choices to make We know God has purposes to fulfill in us We know God is able to recover a wayward child to the path of righteousness We do not have to waste our potential.
“I have been blessed above many Father God, with parents who knew and loved Thee, with the scriptures of truth taught early to me, with an assembly life that was biblical, with opportunities to be involved in divine things. May I never underestimate the worth of blessings of this sort. They help keep from wasted potential. I give thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”