Useful or Useless?

USELESS!!! What a horrible word. It is even more horrible when it is used as an adjective describing a person or a lifetime. How would you feel if someone called you useless? How much worse would it be if someone used that word to describe your life at your eulogy if you were to pass away? That is a horrible thought. It makes me cringe inside. No one wants to be known as being good for nothing. No one wants to be thought of as having no useful purpose here on earth. That is exactly what Paul says of Onesimus’ life before he came to know the saving grace of Christ.

Onesimus was useless to in two senses of the word. First when he stole from Philemon he was a servant in Philemon’s household and he ran away. If he was not in the house to do his job that he was assigned he was useless to Philemon because he was not performing his job. Secondly he was useless in the sense that he was not serving God. His soul had no purpose in that he was no working in the gifts and talents that he had been given spiritually.

If we were to look at either of those two contexts of the word, how many of us today would be considered useless? Are we performing the job we have been called to do for Christ? Are we running from something that we should be doing? Have we accepted a job and are just failing at accomplishing it? To Onesimus’ benefit he ran into Paul and was changed by the saving grace of God. Some of us have been saved but we are not fulfilling the calling that we have been called to walk in.

Onesimus’ name means “useful.” How appropriate considering the change he underwent when he met Paul. The good news is that we have been called useful too. We have been called a “vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2Tim 2:21) We have been redeemed from ourselves and consecrated to God through His Son for the work he has ordained for us to accomplish.

Father let me always be a blessing to You and to Your kingdom, fulfilling what you have purposed for my life to accomplish. Amen.