Question 1

Is anything truly useless? If so, what is it?

Accepted Answer

Leviticus 26:18-20“And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times over for your sins. I will break your proud spirit by making the skies as unyielding as iron and the earth as hard as bronze. All your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit.”Isaiah 27:10-11The fortified towns will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds. Calves will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches. The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy.Jeremiah 15:19This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”Zephaniah 1:17“Because you have sinned against the Lord, I will make you grope around like the blind. Your blood will be poured into the dust, and your bodies will lie rotting on the ground.”Romans 3:12All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”Sin has no legitimate purpose or use. It produces nothing of value or worth. Sin is always a liability, not an asset.1 Samuel 12:21“Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless!”Job 15:31“Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward.”Proverbs 23:4Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.Isaiah 41:29“See, they are all foolish, worthless things. All your idols are as empty as the wind.”Isaiah 46:7They carry it [their idol] around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It can’t even move! And when someone prays to it, there is no answer. It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.Romans 1:23Instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.Worshiping anyone or anything other than God is totally unproductive and therefore useless.Job 8:13-14“The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate. Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.”Psalm 78:8, 57Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. . . . They turned back and were as faithless as their parents. They were as undependable as a crooked bow.Hosea 7:16“They look everywhere except to the Most High. They are as useless as a crooked bow. Their leaders will be killed by their enemies because of their insolence toward me. Then the people of Egypt will laugh at them.”Disloyalty and unfaithfulness to God is useless, for it offers nothing except an empty future.Psalm 127:1-2Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.Habakkuk 2:13“Has not the Lord of Heaven’s Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain!”John 5:19So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”James 1:11The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.Endeavors without God are futile, like trying to carry water in buckets filled with holes.1 Corinthians 13:3If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.Living without love is living an empty life, devoid of lasting value or purpose.Matthew 3:9-10“Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”Luke 3:8-9“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”James 2:17, 20So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. . . . How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?Faith with out works is a fruitless, empty faith; it is like a tree that is barren, without fruit or leaves.2 Timothy 2:14Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.Titus 3:9-10Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time. If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them.Foolish arguments are vain and empty, without any redeeming purpose.

Question 2

What can result from uselessness?

Accepted Answer

2 Kings 17:14-15, 18The Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. . . .Because the Lord was very angry with Israel, he swept them from his presence.Ezekiel 6:11-14“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands in horror, and stamp your feet. Cry out because of all the detestable sins the people of Israel have committed. Now they are going to die from war and famine and disease. . . . I will crush them and make their cities desolate.”Ezekiel 22:17-22Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury. I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’”Hosea 4:16“Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the Lord feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture?”Luke 3:17“He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”Romans 6:23The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.Hebrews 6:8If a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.2 Peter 2:17These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.Uselessness caused by sin will sooner or later lead to God’s discipline.

Question 3

How should I respond to feelings of uselessness?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 1:26-27, 31Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. . . . Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.Psalm 8:3-5When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.Psalm 139:17-18How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!Matthew 10:29-31“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”We need to recognize how much God values us. He loved us enough to send his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so we can live forever with him.Psalm 113:5-9Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!Luke 1:28, 30, 38Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” . . . “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! . . .” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.Ephesians 3:8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.God has a special purpose for all of us, a gift of his love and grace.Romans 12:2-3Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.Ephesians 5:10-11Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.We are to search for and pursue what pleases the Lord. We please him when we discover his purpose for our lives and seek to fulfill it.Psalm 22:9-11You brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born. Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.Psalm 57:2I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.Isaiah 49:4I replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.”1 Corinthians 15:58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.Galatians 6:9So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.2 Thessalonians 1:11So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.We need to trust God to fulfill his purpose for us. When we discover why God made us, we become eternally useful to him.

Question 4

How can I discover the best way to be useful?

Accepted Answer

Isaiah 10:15Can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself?John 15:1-8“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”Romans 7:4So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.We must stay connected to God.Luke 8:4-15One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” . . . His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He replied, “. . . the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”We must listen to God with our hearts and obey him.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.We must consistently make godly life choices.Acts 20:24“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”1 Corinthians 15:58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.We must be involved wherever God is working in his Kingdom.