Wasted Potential

The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on July 14, 2024.

Does anyone ever really live up to their potential?  I realize I’m not all I could be, but I am thankful I’m not what I used to be because God saved me. We’re going to look at potential today and some who didn’t realize all they could be.

The Bible says Caleb followed the Lord fully.  Can that be said of us?  We don’t all have the same potential; we’re all different. There will only be a few D L Moody’s and Billy Graham’s, but we can all be used for the Lord.  There are different roles in the work of the Lord. Do faithfully what God called you to do.

Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

The firstborn were first in authority. They received double inheritance and the special blessing from their father upon his death. There is not a lot good written about Cain. He was the firstborn of Adam and Eve. He brought his sacrifice to God. I’m sure he spent time gathering the best fruits. Adam and Eve had instructed their sons in proper sacrificing, so I am convinced Cain knew that blood was required. I believe that’s why it was rejected. We can’t decide how we’ll do things. God is a jealous God. He refused Cain’s sacrifice even though it was his best; it was still contrary to what God required. Good works, church membership, baptism can be offered to God but if a person is not first washed in the blood of Jesus in forgiveness of sins, everything will be rejected. Cain represents the natural man who does things his way. God encouraged him to repent and do well.  Look at verse 7.  He would not. What sends a person to hell is rejection of Jesus Christ and failure to repent. In verse 25 Cain was “put on the shelf” and another son was chosen that God would use. Wasted potential.

In Genesis 25:29-34 we read about Esau. 29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.  Esau came in from the field saying he was faint. I think he probably exaggerated. In his mind he thought I’m going to keel over if I don’t eat. He asked his brother Jacob for pottage to eat. You can see in verst 31 that Jacob told him to sell his birthright for it. Esau took lightly his right as firstborn. Remember God requires us to be holy; don’t make light of it. In Isaiah 29 the people claimed to belong to God but he knew their heart wasn’t in it. We’re to be in church but not just to say we’ve been. Come to worship. I look at each of you outwardly; that can be deceiving. God said the people’s worship was in vain because he saw their hearts. Worship lifts up God not self or others. It’s not an obligation or duty. Let’s do it because we love him and he is worthy. Don’t let anything in life interrupt prayer time.  Esau preferred the present to the future forgetting all about what the birthright meant. We live in a society that wants it now. We’d all make more meaningful decisions if they were made in light of eternity.  When their father died, Esau got a blessing, but because of what he did that day in selling his birthright he didn’t get the best blessing. He begged for it, repenting, but he couldn’t undo what he had done in a moment of folly.  Many do the same. Wasted potential.

In Genesis 49 we see the wasted potential of Reuben. 3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. Jacob was dying and blessing his children. Reuben’s sin was immorality. Because of that deed his father said he was unstable and would not excel. Wasted potential.

In the story of Moses we read that he offered excuse after excuse to God as to why he couldn’t lead Israel, but when he yielded God used him. After Gideon yielded he was greatly used by God. You can be used by God if you yield yourself wholly to him.  Do you need to do that?  Don’t let your potential be wasted.