Useless

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to do nothing? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be nothing that truly matters? Think about it for a moment or two. What takes up the moments of your day?

Television offers endless options. Not only does it give us countless channels, but with DVDs and streaming Internet options, you could literally watch your entire life away and never see the same show twice. Video game companies are churning out their titles faster and faster than you can play them. You probably own a backlog of unbeaten games, beckoning for your attention. Your computer also offers infinite distractions. From Facebook to Farmville to YouTube, you could spend day after day there, resulting in absolutely nothing.

The list goes on and on. I could rant on movies, malls, concerts, or just hanging out with friends. I've indulged in them all, and nothing has ever come from them except lost moments and wasted life. These things are not evil themselves, but they're used for an evil purpose. In fact, the world at large is set up to distract you and to keep you entertained so that you never do anything with the life God gave you.

The Apostle Paul points out how God views those who live for the world's distractions:

"There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one." (Rom.3:11-12)

I don't know about you, but the worst possible thing that anyone could say about me is that I'm useless. There's nothing worse than being useless. And if God says you have no use, then there's no point in life.

But before you get utterly depressed over your life, know this: God doesn't want any of us to be useless. He doesn't want you to stay where you are, doing nothing. Absolutely not! As long as there's life in your body, there's hope for your life! And God wants your life to be meaningful, hopeful, and useful!

A great place to start is by acknowledging God in your life. It's not difficult to do. Just start with the basic things, and give Him credit. Thank Him for your health and your home. Thank Him for the food you eat and the clothes you wear. Thank Him for the beautiful things you see and the simple pleasures in life. Thank Him for your ability to think, to run, to laugh, and to live. Find a new way to thank Him every day. I promise you you'll never run out of items. If you need reminders, head over to the Psalms for inspiration. There are so many, but a few of my favorites are Psalm 8, 19, 23, 34, 40, 84, 92, 103, 111, 113, 116, 117, and 136.

The more you acknowledge God, the closer you'll want to be to Him. And as God draws you nearer and nearer, you'll find that your life starts to take shape and become meaningful. As you begin to trust God, He will use you. And there's nothing like being useful to God. The joys are abundant, the blessings are immeasurable, and the benefit is infinite.

What do you do to find true meaning, purpose, and usefulness in your life? Is there any eternal value to your pursuits? In the big picture, are they useful or useless? Do you think a life lived instead for God's glory is a wasted life?