“Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel;”
“Dross is a solid mass of impurities that floats on molten metal. It has no value and is often called scum” (Dental Devotions). This is a very unappealing and unattractive description that the writer of Proverbs uses to illustrate the tensions and challenges we face in our journey. What beauty or value could possibly be crafted from silver that still contained a mass of scum? If you said, “Yuck, nothing,” you would be absolutely correct. A life filled with scum and impurities is the same. It is of very little use in God’s kingdom. Many believers live unimpactful lives and wonder why. Identifying the dross, the scum, and sin in our story and allowing the Holy Spirit to remove it is key to turning that around. The truly ugly sins are easy to spot. Those things that the world admires but God frowns upon are more difficult to accept as dross. A powerful gift from God is the conviction of those sins. It may not feel like a gift, but for our lives to be shaped into valuable tools in the Creator’s hands, they must be scooped out. Today, listen to that still, small voice and surrender the scum.” #BeTheEdge
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 NIV
