How can God deliver us from our futile ways?

Hosea 14:1-3Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.”

Ephesians 5:10-11Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

2 Timothy 2:21If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.

1 Peter 1:18You know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.

When we come to the end of ourselves, we will discover the beginning of God’s power. Only when we realize we are sinners worthy of judgment can we then confess and repent of our sins, accept God’s forgiveness and salvation, and become ready to be used by God. Then all futility ends and true purpose and fulfillment begin.