The Word of God shows us that through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the one who was once the outcast can be brought into the fold as a faithful and trusted part of God's family. Such is the power of God in us. That power becomes ours when we allow the Holy Spirit to do that good and perfect work in us. Just as a skilled craftsman can take beautiful gemstones and place them in a setting – a ring, bracelet, or a necklace, so can the power of God set the goodness and grace of Jesus Christ in us. Another thought to consider is this: The Lord is perfectly willing to give to us the full measure of His grace, love, mercy, and power. God doesn’t hold anything back from us. He pours it all out upon us and nothing is to be wasted.
The problems come when followers of Christ do not make good use of the gifts, talents, abilities, and opportunities the Lord has given us. If someone was given a million dollars is there any guarantee that he or she will use that money wisely? The answer is certainly not. The person might squander every dollar. Faith in Jesus Christ empowers us to make the best use of what the Lord has given us. Nothing need be wasted or squandered. Many years ago I had a friend who worked in Ohio at a small gold refinery. At that refinery they would fashion raw gold into various forms of jewelry. As you would imagine, the strictest security measures were taken. My friend told me something I thought was most interesting: Due to the amount of gold dust in the air, the workers were required to take every tissue they used for blowing their noses or wiping their eyes and deposit them in a special container. Then later, a special process would remove trace amounts of gold dust from the tissues. The gold was of such great value that nothing was to be wasted.
We often find ourselves so battered by the trials of life that we begin to think we are of no value to God. Not true! The Scriptures says the Lord heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. Imagine yourself sitting down, you see the emotional scars and wounds which life has inflicted, and you wonder if they can ever be healed. Then picture the Lord Jesus, coming alongside you, pouring a healing balm upon those wounds, and then gently binding them up that they might begin to heal properly. That is what He does for us.
