The Polish

Sunday, March 14, 2021
Listen to this devotional:
Listen while you read: "God Of Grace And God Of Glory"1 (Lyrics)

1 John 1:7 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (NIV)

Coming home from sorting at the Thrift Shop, I carried with me several pieces of very tarnished silver. It had been agreed that these lovely showpieces would sell so much better if someone polished them. I volunteered, and the job became mine.

Retrieving the silver polish and a soft cloth, I set about my task. Within minutes, the results were amazing. The black tarnish began to wipe away and reveal the glossy sheen of silver. Using a small toothbrush, I gently scrubbed tiny indentations amid the overall pattern. Before long, it looked like I was holding a new creation in my hands.

As silver is such a soft metal, copper is often added to it to strengthen it before producing jewelry and other objects. The copper reacting with gases in the air causes the majority of the tarnish which forms on silver pieces, making regular polishing necessary to keep them at their brightest and most beautiful.

As I polished these pieces and considered the problem that tarnish creates, I thought about mankind and the tarnish of inherent sin with which we are born. Due to Adam and Eve's sin in the garden, all mankind was tainted. We lost our holiness, our purity. A darkness entered our soul. To the inherent sin of our forebears, we also add our own. But just as there is a polish which removes tarnish from silver and keeps it shining brightly, so there is One Who is able to polish or wash away our sin: Jesus.

The blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrificial Lamb, has the power to purify us from all our sin — past, present, and future — and to lead us back into the light of God's holiness and presence. In fact, the Scriptures tell us that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

Those old, tarnished pieces of silver that I brought home are now like new. We, too, can become new creations in Christ, cleansed from any and all wrongdoing that we have ever done or thought, or will ever do or think. All that we need to do is to humbly admit to ourselves and God that we need the power of the blood of Jesus' forgiveness to wash us and make us clean, new creations in Him. By doing so, we are led into the light of holiness and a new life that continues to shine brightly for all to see, while we walk in the light, as He is in the light.

Prayer: Father God, we praise You and bless You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, Whose shed blood has the power to cleanse us from all the sin that tarnishes our souls. May many, today, come in humility to accept this free gift that He offers to all who call upon His name. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada

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1 Comment

  • PresbyCan Feedback says:

    So true, thanks Lynne! God bless!


    An excellent analogy example of our best friend Jesus.


    Lynne,
    GREAT WRITING. Thanks for doing so.
    (CA)


    This is an excellent analogy of how Christ refines us, His people.
    Sending God’s blessings.


    You are the most amazing woman. I love your devotions. There is always something to sit and meditate after. Thank you.


    Lynne – another great devotional. I love the analogy of our sin-tinged lives to that of tarnished silver. God Bless you Lynne.


    I will think of your message as I tackle some very tarnished cutlery I discovered in an old basement. Thank you for sharing.


    Your message goes right along with the message we just heard at our online church service this morning. Blessings to you and your family.


    Good application, Lynne. Alas, the polish job is not a once-and-done thing, is it?! The tarnish — and sin — is relentless and all too quickly comes back again!


    Dear Lynne,
    What a clear comparison. Very easy to visualize and interestingly written. Jesus is amazing. Bless you and your writing.


    Good morning Lynn,
    Thank you for your devotional this morning. There are times, I think, that we all feel like tarnished spoons. When we do, we can be assured that a change can and will come about through the power of Jesus.
    Thank you for writing.


    Dear Lynne,
    I am always blessed by your devotionals. I have been reading very helpful articles about God’s glory-holiness. Before I started to read your devotional, I was asking God how I could show His glory-holiness and then immediately I read your devotional. Thank you for this answer to my prayer.


    I am trying to decide how I know a devotional is from you before I read the name on it. Perhaps it is your forthrightness, your direct honesty and clarity as you tell the story and bring the topic forward. Whatever it is, you do it uniquely and steadfastly and I love to read their morning’s inspiration. Thank you again, Lynne. This is a really good one.


    Thank you for this beautiful example of encouraging people to come to salvation in such a gentle respectful way. I was raised with people pounding on the pulpit and It will be with me forever. That being said, I accepted Jesus out of fear, I love him today because of the love he has showered upon me over the years.
    (SK)


    Dear Lynne,
    What an inspiration your Lenten devotion is today. It is so wonderful to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
    We share a mutual interest in clean silver. We polished ours last week, restoring its beauty once again.
    May the Lord continue to bless you and make you a blessing.


    Greetings Lynne,
    Many thanks for another of your inspiring devotionals. You have written a great comparison of the shine and cleansing that comes to silver when we clean it up and the great light and cleansing that comes to us when we receive Jesus and turn to Him for forgiveness of our sins. He truly is the one to give “light” and shine in our lives.
    Blessings for the beautiful and very meaningful writings you do.


    Hi Lynne
    I pray many people will be touched by today’s devotional. The comparison between antique silver pieces getting tarnished and needed to be cleaned to remove the tarnish and bring them back to looking like new; we so easily get tarnished by our sins and need the Lord Jesus to cleanse and make us shine brightly in the light which Jesus is the Light. All we need to do is to turn to Jesus and confess our sins and let Him wash us anew.
    Blessings.


    Wow Lynne, GREAT devotional again today!
    As I was getting my house ready to list to be sold, I needed to remove the spoons that we had collected on various trips throughout the years. Did I ever identify with the tarnish of neglect! What a great way to use such a common ‘object’ as a parallel to teach and/or remind us of our need to have Jesus polish and wipe away our sin!
    Thank goodness we have such a powerful Saviour who can “cleanse us from all the sin that tarnishes our souls”!


    Good morning Lynne,
    I love to polish silver. It is so rewarding. I used to polish it at my grandmother’s home when I visited. I do the spoons at my mother-in-law’s sometimes when I visit. She is almost 94 and doesn’t find the same enjoyment she used to. I also do my own. I have a silver tray that my grandmother’s sister won at the CNE during the war. I fully relate to the feeling of satisfaction.
    I have never related this to God removing my sin when I ask for forgiveness. That is why I need to read devotionals and learn from so many other people.
    Once again thanks for sharing your thoughts and a little bit of your life story. Blessings.


    Many pieces of silver I’ve cleaned. However, I’ve never thought of your analogy. You are clever. Keep writing. Bless you.


    That really must have been fun. Many people are like that, their true inner selves revealed when that hearts are touched by Jesus.


    Thank you, Lynne, for this uplifting message. Blessings.

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