lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel. Proverbs 5:9

The implications of this verse is obvious: when you go down a path of sexual sin, you will regret all the wasted time, emotions, and energy. I won’t be the first to say it and certainly won’t be the last, but sin is a cruel master. And sexual sin is no different.

But I’d like to talk about this verse in a different light. Often we find ourselves spending a lot of energy on things that really don’t matter, trying to impress people who don’t like us. Literally, at the end of the day, we’re exhausted, and what have we really accomplished?

Take some time today to take stock in what you do throughout the day that could be spent better doing something else. Go for the obvious things first. Perhaps you sit in front of the TV or internet for hours on end with little to show for it. Then find an alternative: read a book, write a book, start an online community, take a college course, memorize Scripture, learn a new skill. The irony is that with the internet there is a million different things to learn and do because of the vast amount of information available at our fingertips. Sadly, though, we tend to gravitate toward the games and reality shows.

But we don’t have to.