Discovering the Dross in You
Character flaws are easily hidden when things are going smoothly. But when circumstances intensify and life begins to turn up the heat, that’s when you discover your true knowledge of God. Godliness and faith are the result of forgoing the opportunity to be desperate and disappointed. Holiness is the product of choosing God over every feeling in your body. Will you continue to believe when every emotion in your being is telling you not to? Heat and pressure will unveil faith or failure.
Proverbs 25:4 says, “Take away the DROSS from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.” So what is dross you wonder? Dross is any impurity that is discovered in a metal when it is molten. After the metal is exposed to extreme heat, the dross will float to the top where the refiner can then skim the impurities off the top and produce a greater product. This is an illustration of our lives and we despise the truth that we learn here: Fire is needed. Not only is fire needed it is required to bring forth a greater vessel. It’s amazing to me that we typically resent the circumstances that are making us great. Greatness is discovered in the fire. But the fire doesn’t reveal the dross for the sake of keeping it. The dross is revealed so that the impurities can be removed. Once the dross is removed the fire can be quenched, at least for a time and a great valuable vessel is the result. But many of God’s people are not skillful in the test. The dross is discovered and then it remains. No change is made. So what happens? The fire continues until the test is passed. God is not the one making the fire hotter. God never opposes you. (Rom 8:31) However, as long as the impurities remain, the vessel will “feel” the effects of the fire more than he who has allowed himself to be purified. All of us will face the same trials. But those who have removed the dross will feel the effects less.
What is your dross? Remember: Dross is the impurities that come to the surface when heat and pressure are applied. Some people start to become bitter and mean when they have less money than they once had. Maybe they lose their job and the financial pressure gives way to emotional abuse towards their spouse and children. That’s dross. Or maybe their marriage isn’t going the best and they start to look for other means to please themselves sexually. They start to criticize their spouse and say hurtful things. That’s dross. Sometimes people start to worry about a pain in their body. Thoughts bombard their mind and they become convinced they have something bad before they even see a doctor. That worry is making things worse. It came to the surface. It’s dross. I’ve even seen people get grumpy if they are hungry! That’s dross. You must learn to skim it off the top and gain victory. Come forth as a vessel for the finer! This is where faith is forged. This is where you say, “He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in Whom I trust!” (Ps 91:2) Remove the negativity. Resist the temptation to be mean. Dig into God’s Word and pass through the flames and stop living in them.
Pastor Tim
Family Church Jamestown is a non-denominational church located in Chautauqua County in Jamestown between Lakewood and Busti, NY. The senior pastor of Family Church is Pastor Tim Stahlman a native to the Jamestown, NY area.
