When I turned 50 my husband bought me a beautiful diamond ring. He is a very
particular shopper, and decided this gem stone must have the best clarity and
color available. How it sparkled as I held in the light and admired this special
gift! I bought an electronic jewelry cleaner and thought I would immerse the
ring daily, so the shine would always be present for me to admire and enjoy. The
months passed, and I became less faithful in my commitment to do this.
Yesterday I did a variety of jobs in the kitchen as well as the yard before I
noticed the dismal appearance of my ring. There was a film over the top of the
stone that made it look dull and depleted its sparkle. I wiped it off with my
finger, but that did not restore the beauty. There were particles of dirt or
crud imbedded in the setting which I couldn't remove without a professional
cleaning.
We are like this gemstone, you know. We are very beautiful, and can shine a
wonderful radiant glow when we are clean and sparkling. Eventually, however, the
dirt and grime deep within us shows through, and our dullness is obvious. Sin is
what robs us of luster and shine, and it is deeply imbedded into the core of our
being. We can "shine ourselves up " doing good deeds or attending "religious
"events, just as I cleaned my ring with the electronic cleaner. These methods
only give a temporary glow to our lives, and each person on earth needs a deep
down cleaning by a professional. Jesus is the master jeweler and he knew how to
clean us once and for all. He shed his blood at Calvary so that we would forever
be clean and forgiven of the sins we commit. It is our responsibility to go to
him and ask him to do this, just as I had to go to the professional jeweler.
Would you like to sparkle like a perfect diamond? To shine from the inside to
the outside? The radiance of Jesus is ready and waiting to fill you. Just go to
Him in prayer, confessing your sins and asking Him to fill your heart with His
abiding love. He will do this for you- it's a promise He has given mankind, and
I am thankful for it!
Contributed by Marion Smith. Noles65@aol.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.