Junking for Jewels - Martin Wiles

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29 NLT

We can sometimes find jewels among junk. My wife calls it “junking for jewels,” and she once did it quite often.

When possible, I tagged along. We didn’t visit junkyards or stores, but we called what we did junking because we did it among a lot of discarded stuff—stuff many termed junk. We, however, adhered to the old cliché, “One’s man trash is another man’s treasure.”

Our junking occasionally took us to yard sales but more often to thrift stores. Whenever we went to a conference or on vacation, my wife searched for thrift stores, mapped them out, and visited each one. Once we discovered our jewels, we took them home and made them look more like the treasures they once were. We placed them in the dishwasher or washing machine, splattered them with lemon oil, or tightened their loose joints with a screwdriver or hammer.

Once our jewels were cleaned and repaired, we made a decision. Some we chose to keep in our home. Most we resold, sometimes for a handsome profit. One person’s junk often helped us make ends meet.

When God gazes down from heaven, He sees discarded people littering the shelves of earth—people others have rejected, abused, and scorned. People, however, He created and loves, but many of whom have rejected Him. Sin has duped them, causing them to think they no longer need Him. Sin has led them in directions that are slowly killing them emotionally, spiritually, and physically. God, however, keeps junking.

God cleans us up when we allow Him to purchase us through repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. The blood of Christ washes us, the grace of God changes our perceived purpose, and the strength of God allows us to enjoy life once again. As God molds us into the likeness of His Son, He transforms us from junk into jewels.

God is in the business of making jewels of what many consider junk. 

Tweetable: Be one of the ones God is cleaning and restoring.

Father, thank You for Your amazing grace that makes me more than I could ever be. 

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Precious to God - Martin Wiles

And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you.” Daniel 10:11 NLT

Some things become more precious with time, but are they precious to God?

As I’ve grown older, many things precious to me when I was young no longer are. I treasure my copies of The Stars and Stripes military newspapers from the 1960’s, given to me by my late father-in-law. I covet my grandmother’s old iron. I can imagine her heating it over the fireplace so she could iron her dress. Also precious are the thousands of handwritten sermons my father preached, which now linger in plastic totes in a storage shed. And, of course, there’s my baby book and baby blanket—two of the very few things my mother saved from my childhood. And the flag presented by the Veteran’s Association to my mother at my father’s funeral is also high on my precious list.

I attempt to hold possessions loosely, but all the above I cling to tightly. No one has enough money to buy them. I plan to pass them down to my children and grandchildren.

Daniel was privileged to have a heavenly messenger give him a vision of the future. When he appeared, he informed Daniel he was precious to God. He doesn’t specify why. Perhaps because Daniel had remained faithful to God through the years as he served pagan kings.

God’s pronouncement wasn’t unique to Daniel. Any of God’s children are just as precious. This consoles me—especially when I interact with those who don’t hold the same opinion of me. They might choose a different adjective.

God considers us precious because we’re His creation, created in His image. Though sin has marred the image, it’s capable of resurrection and refining when we allow Christ and, by association, the Holy Spirit into our hearts. God molds us into the person He wants us to be.

God has a plan and purpose for His children. That, too, makes us precious. We were not accidents or surprises to God. He also knows His plans for us and wants us to know them.

As I consider my children precious—even though they may occasionally disappoint me—I’m reminded that God considers me unique because I’m family. His blood runs through our veins. We’re unique because of the nature of our relationship. We must simply nurture it.

As God’s child, you are precious to Him. How can you revel in the relationship you have?

Father, I praise You for making me precious in Your sight. Enable me to live in the bounty of that relationship.  

Tweetable: Do you know you are precious to God? 

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