bare metal

It is bare metal that shines the brightest.  When I was in the Navy we had men working every day to chip rust off decks, railings and all kinds of external metal surfaces.  They would then recoat those surfaces with heavy paints saturated with anticorrosive chemicals.  But, inevitably, those same surfaces would need to be treated again.  Metal and salt water aren't friendly companions.  It reminds me of our lives in the world.  When we are free of sin's impact we shine brightest...but we don't stay free of sin's impact.  The corrosive forces of our fallen world, under the strong influence of Satan, are constantly acting on our surface, looking for weak spots to corrupt and corrode and turn our brightness to rust.  We need to chip away that corrosion by first admitting that it is forming and that it is blocking the sun from reflecting off the bare metal God wants to see.  We then need to do the hard work of chipping, grinding and polishing to bring back the original shine, or to return to bare metal.  We need fresh coats of God's Word and of time in prayer, worship and fellowship to inhibit the return of rust.  As long as we are in the world we are like ships at sea and we will fight the battle of corrosion.  But there will come a time when we are in the clean air of Heaven and we will be able to set our chipping hammers down...and just shine.

 

Matthew 6:¹⁹ "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

 

blessings,

Rob Smith