Lemon, Salt, and Ice

Y

ou can learn a lot by working in a restaurant.  In addition to learning a great deal about food, you also gain a pretty good knowledge of how to clean up spills, how to remove stains, and the various tricks and trades of making food taste better and keeping it fresh longer.  One of the most valuable lessons I learned was how to remove stubborn stains from a coffee pot!

At first glance, this may not seem to be an earth-shattering-discovery.  However, if you’ve ever had a coffee pot to burn, or if you’ve experienced the difficulties of removing the dark stains left by coffee or tea, then this little morsel is for you.  When I worked in one of the local restaurants here in Fort Worth, I occasionally had the job of making sure the coffee pots were cleaned and ready for the morning shift.  I remember the first time I cleaned the coffee pots.  I ran cold water into them and swirled it around and around.  The more I swirled, however, the more the stain in the bottom of the pot persisted.  Finally, when I reached the point of frustration and utter impatience, I asked one of the seasoned waitresses to help me.

She politely smiled, walked over to the counter, and came back with lemon slices, salt, and ice.  Understandably, my curiosity was peaked so I watched and learned.  She placed the lemon slices and the salt into the container and then she placed ice on top.  She started swirling the pots around and in no time, the stubborn coffee stain was transferred from the pot to the lemons.  The acid from the lemons, coupled with the abrasiveness of the salt scrubbed the glass surface of the pot.  The ice provided the water that washed the pot clean and in just a few minutes, the stain was gone.  My method of cleaning required more effort and never fully removed the stain.

Do you see the application of this illustration to the Christian life?  Like the coffee pot, our lives are stained with sin.  The stain is stubborn, set in, not wanting to come out.  The more we try to remove the stain using our own strength and resources, the more persistent it becomes.  Our efforts never produce the desired result because we don’t have the ability to remove sin from our lives.  Saying we are a Christian, filling our lives with good actions, giving money and time to worthwhile causes, and visiting people when they are sick or lonely are all noble acts.  However, when it comes to removing the sin from our lives, these are no more effective than the water in the coffee pot.  We end up with tired arms and the stain remains.

However, there is a solution.  The stain of sin can be removed from our hearts as long as we ask Jesus for help and allow him to remove the sin for us.  1John 1:7 tells us how we can accomplish this, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  When we allow Jesus to come into our hearts, he applies the cleansing power of his blood and removes the sin from us.  We are then clean, pure, and ready to be used for God’s purpose.  Continuing our fellowship with Christ, walking with him daily, and following and obeying his commands, ensure that we remain clean and free from sin’s stain.

I

 have thought many times about the lesson I learned from the lemon, the salt, and the ice!  They serve as reminders of the stains God continues to remove from my life when I disobey and sin against him.  So many times I must go to God and ask him to apply the cleansing power of Christ’s blood and to restore me to a clean vessel that can be used for his glory.  Is there enough lemon, salt, and ice in your life today?