And turn not aside after vain and worthless things which cannot profit or deliver you, for they are empty and futile. – 1 Samuel 12:21, Amplified Bible (AMP)

God’s warning (through Samuel) to run away from worthless things is just as appropriate for twenty-first century Christians as it was for the Israelites of 1095 B.C.

For something to be worthwhile, it must be useful in achieving a worthy goal. If the thing cannot aid in achieving the goal, then it is worthless in the pursuit of that goal. For example, a good hammer is worth a lot to a professional roofer whose goal is to replace a roof. That same hammer is worthless, however, to a professional baseball player who is at bat, trying to score runs for his team. Hitting a 95-mile-an-hour fastball with a hammer is nigh impossible, and even if the batter was lucky enough to make contact, the ball wouldn’t travel more than a few feet.

When it comes to our souls, only those things that draw us closer to God are worthwhile. Everything that doesn’t draw us closer to God is futile (pointless), and each moment we spend pursuing futility is a moment that pulls us further away from sweet fellowship with our Lord. Yet, most of us spend a WHOLE lot more time pursuing futility than pursuing our Creator, and the reason we do so is that the pointless things more often than not appeal to our sinful human nature. We seek after worthless things because they are thrilling to our flesh, but those thrilling pastimes usually result in sinful behavior that God has no choice but to punish.

A simple question to help us measure the value of any pastime is found in an old, familiar story. Many years ago a Native American Indian was saved in response to the faithful witness of a Christian missionary. Following a considerable time of separation, the missionary returned to the Indian’s home for a visit. The missionary asked the Native American how he was coming along in his relationship with Christ, and he likened the battle between his new, holy nature and his old, human nature to a vicious dog fight. When the missionary asked which “dog” tends to win, the Native American responded, “Whichever dog I’m feeding the most at the time.”

So, here is the question: “Will this thing I’m debating about feed my relationship with God, or will it feed my sinful nature?” In most cases, the answer to the question won’t be hard to figure out. What will be hard is choosing to feed your relationship with Christ when you REALLY want to feed your sinful nature. Just remember, the only things worth spending your time, your treasure, and your talent on are the things that deepen your relationship with Christ. Anything and everything else works to feed your human nature, and, in the end, that dog will bite you!

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