4/18 Strength for Today

Wasted Strength

Isaiah 23:14
“Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.”

One of the things that has always amazed me in life is how those with a lot of talent seem to be the ones who end up ruining their lives. When you look at those who are being used in the work of the LORD, you will find that many of them don't have a lot of raw talent; they got to where they are based on pure hard work.

I can remember years ago a couple I used to work with who were the ideal Christian couple. Talent seemed to be their middle names. Both husband and wife were talented in several areas, and everyone knew that they had great potential. The sad part about this couple is that they ended up ruining all of their talent because of sin that was in their lives. The sins of this couple ended up wasting the strengths that they had.

This is exactly what God was talking about with the city of Tyre. Tyre was the business center of that part of the world. People from around the area would come to this great city and do business mainly because its location was a perfect place for people of all regions to gather. Yet, it was sin that eventually caused this city to be wasted. God made a statement in this verse that the people of this city would cry because their “...strength is laid waste.”

Sin will always waste the strength of a person. Every person has a strong point in some area of their life. The quickest way to waste that strength is to let sin run your life.

When strength is wasted, there are several things that are implied that sin will cause a person to do. Sin will cause a person to foolishly expend their strength. Sin will cause a person to gradually lose their strength. Sin will cause a person’s strength to become worthless. Sin will cause a person’s strength to become unproductive. Sin will eventually destroy the strength of an individual. Sin never makes your strength stronger; it will always make your strength weaker.

Christian, don't let your strength be wasted because of your sin. God has given you some strength in your life, and the greatest way to lose that strength is to continue to allow sin to go on in your life. Don't allow your strength to be wasted. Don't become a story of someone who has wasted their strength. Whatever the sin is that you continually do, face it and forsake it, for if you don't one day it will be said about you that “...your strength is laid waste.”