Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision. 1 Samuel 3:1
The other day I opened my one cabinet and the first thing I saw was the silver coffee/tea set I bought at a second hand shop years ago. The memory of finding that set came flooding back. When I saw it, it was black with tarnish, no wonder the price was only $25. As I turned it over, and I saw a something engraved on the bottom. I asked for a rag and began rubbing, finally I could make out the writing, Sheffield England could be seen. I was intrigued, this was a treasured piece to someone at one time and I wanted to know more about it. I knew it was worth at least $25, and when I took it up to pay for it, the man said, might as well take the tray too, “I’ll never sell it alone”. So although the tray was obviously not part of the set I said thank you and knew it was a blessing from God.
I stopped at the store on the way home for some silver polish and could hardly wait to get started. As I polished beautiful flowers and leaf engravings came forth, the silversmith work was amazing. It took hours, but I finally beheld a gleaming beautiful silver set, along with the tray. For years I had it on my coffee table except for at Christmas. So every week when I would dust I would take a special polishing cloth, rub it lightly and soon it was sparkling again.
The other day I went into the cabinet and saw that silver set and it wasn’t sparkling, it was beginning to tarnish again. I had put it away for Christmas a few years ago and never put it back out. And now it was tarnishing because it wasn’t being used. It made me think of us as Believers, when we first accepted Jesus, He took us His precious treasure, cleaned and polished us all up (by the way silver is the symbol of redemption) revealing the beauty He placed within us. When we allow Him to work with and through us, His beauty continues to shine in and through us as we become more and more like Him. But when we take ourselves out of use and His purposes we begin to have tarnish build up. The shine and the sparkle begins to fade and it becomes more difficult to see the intricate work that God has etched on our hearts.
I’m planning on taking out my tea set and tray and polishing them up so they can once again grace my coffee table and the purpose they were created for, service. Serving Jesus and building His Kingdom should also be our greatest service. And when we are in the service of the King, we will shine bright and reflect His glory for all to see.
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