Useless

 Have you ever felt useless? I mean, like really worthless. Have you ever had to talk yourself into understanding that God loves you and made the ultimate sacrifice for you? God gave his son that whoever believes in him (Jesus) will not die but will have eternal life. Ever hear that?

The problem with us is that we are finite beings. That means that we had a beginning and are headed toward an end. Thus our finiteness gets to us at times, making us feel like just another number or IP address on the internet. When we begin to focus on ourselves and our littleness, it is then that we can feel worthless. What am I good for? What do I do well? How could I ever make a difference? And on and on it goes. 

In one way, we could say that we are worthless. In light of human history, how important am I? How is history different because I exist? However, in another way of looking at this dilemma, we could say, “God loves me.” Wait, God, who is Almighty and eternal and omniscient, loves me? That is a fantastic concept that the Bible teaches. The Creator God, who sustains the universe with the power of his Word, loves me. Paul said it this way in Romans 8:31, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

The Only True and Omnipotent God is for me. He wants my best. He cares about me. He has a plan for my life. And He loves me! 

It is not because I deserve any of the benefits mentioned above but because God demonstrates his mercy and love through salvation in what the Bible calls grace. He paid my way into his presence. Thus I go from what really is a useless position into a mighty bond of love. I become worth something. I have worth because of who my advocate is, and he is Jesus the Christ. He deposited his gracious wealth into my bankrupt account by shedding his blood for my useless hide. Like that thief on the cross who simply recognized who Jesus was and was granted access to Paradise. I have the worth of Christ as my protection. 

This changes everything about who I am. I am still a worthless sinner, but I am saved from the penalty of that sin by the precious blood of the sinless Christ. I become a joint-heir with him. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see.