Mario was a twenty-eight-year-old crack and alcohol addict who was imprisoned for burglary. At his sentencing the judge said he was “a waste of a human life.” Mario sadly agreed. Midway through his jail time he saw an advertisement for a journalism contest. It piqued Mario’s interest, and he enrolled in a nearby university. He was hooked. Mario loved working on news stories, and after his release he finished his master’s degree in journalism and now writes for The New York Times. He’s a waste no more!

The life of the demon-possessed man living in the tombs seemed a waste to anyone who knew him. His neighbors bound him with chains for their protection and his, but “he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet” (Mark 5:4). He ran back to the tombs where “night and day . . . he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (v. 5). Then he was changed forever.

Jesus cast out the man’s demons and returned him to normal society. The town was amazed to find him “sitting there, dressed and in his right mind” (v. 15). The grateful man wanted to sail away with Christ, but He said no. “Go home to your own people,” said Jesus, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (v. 19).

This man’s mission is our mission. Let’s tell others about Christ. Because of Him, no one’s life is a waste.