{"id":7543,"date":"2016-04-27T01:46:28","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T01:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=7543"},"modified":"2016-04-27T02:55:18","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T02:55:18","slug":"skim-away-the-dross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/?p=7543","title":{"rendered":"Skim away the dross"},"content":{"rendered":"

Take away the dross from the silver,<\/em> and there comes out a vessel for the smith.<\/em> Proverbs 25:4<\/p>\n

I was reading Proverbs 25 recently and paused on verse 4: \u201cTake away the dross from the silver,<\/em> and there comes out a vessel for the smith<\/em>.\u201d I asked the Lord to remove any dross that might be present in my life…and then I got nervous for a couple of reasons.<\/p>\n

First, dross is made up of impurities \u2014non-silver particles that mar the value of silver. In my life, dross is anything I\u2019m involved with or putting up with that\u2019s not pleasing to the Lord\u2014and I realized that I may have more dross tucked away than I bargained for! Was I really<\/em> prepared for all the minor\u2014and major\u2014overhauls this dross-removal prayer may have initiated?<\/p>\n

Second, the way<\/em> in which those impurities are removed from silver is to super-heat the metal until it is molten hot. Only then can the dross be skimmed off the top. \u00a0Did I really<\/em> want to undergo the fiery crucible indicated by this verse to remove soulish impurities from my life?<\/p>\n

I read further in the Proverb as I pondered this, and I noticed several instructions and warnings. And it dawned on me\u2014many of these were dross-removing<\/em> instructions! If I followed them, the dross would skim right off. And as for the warnings\u2014they were perfect dross-identifiers<\/em>. I didn\u2019t<\/em> need to undergo fiery trials to remove the dross from my life\u2014I merely needed to heed the Word.<\/p>\n

I found the warnings\u2014dross-identifiers\u2014extremely helpful and eye-opening. Here are some:<\/p>\n

Do not reveal the secret of another<\/em> (vs. 9). Don\u2019t open the door to trouble by telling someone\u2019s secret to others. If you are a secret-blabber, you need to get busy with dross-skimming.<\/p>\n

Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely<\/em> (vs. 14). If you try to build yourself up in the eyes of others by stretching the truth about your gifts, talents, abilities, or accomplishments, you have some dross to get rid of.<\/p>\n

Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor<\/em> (vs. 18). If you lie about someone\u2026or stretch the truth to make them look worse than they are, you\u2019ve got dross. You can\u2019t be a pure vessel until it\u2019s dealt with. This means you need to repent of it and ask for forgiveness from God. In turn, He will likely tell you to apologize to the one you lied to<\/em> AND the one you lied about<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble <\/em>(vs. 19). Follow through with your commitments to others\u2026including those who have no ability to enhance your resume. When you are untrustworthy or unfaithful to your word, you have some undealt with dross marring the purity of your integrity.<\/p>\n

Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda is he who sings songs to a troubled heart<\/em> (vs. 20). As well-intended as your cheery songs may be, someone who is going through difficulties may view your upbeat treatment as a curse rather than a blessing. \u201cWell, I just don\u2019t want them to go around in the dumps,\u201d you may say; but if you\u2019re not sensitive to the Holy Spirit in the situation, you may find that your \u201cministry\u201d is more self<\/em>-serving than it is other<\/em>-serving. If others tend to wince at your upbeat input when they are going through troubles, make sure that what you\u2019re offering isn\u2019t just a bit of dross you\u2019ve pulled out as a bandage so you don\u2019t have to deal more directly with their pain. This isn\u2019t an easy impurity to identify in ourselves, but it\u2019s certainly a hindrance to Christ-directed ministry.<\/p>\n

Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked<\/em> (vs. 26). One type of impurity comes in the form of the fear of man. When you and I give way before the wicked\u2014when we recognize wicked actions or attitudes overtaking boundaries set by God and do or say nothing about it\u2014we have become like a trampled spring and a polluted well. How can we offer the pure water of life when we\u00a0yield to\u00a0the standards of wickedness set up to bring those we want to help into bondage? Are we willing to take a stand when it is unpopular to do so? Lord, help us.<\/p>\n

It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one\u2019s own glory<\/em> (vs. 27). When you search out your own glory, you tend to turn conversations back to yourself, your accomplishments, your blessings, and how God\u2019s used you. Another verse\u00a0takes it further:\u00a0Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips <\/em>(Proverbs 27:2). <\/em>If you find yourself turning every get together into a showcase of how great (wise, spiritual, insightful, gifted, giving, ad nauseam) you are, chances are good that you\u2019ve got some dross-skimming to do.<\/p>\n

Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his own spirit<\/em> (vs. 28). We all get annoyed at times. We all feel disappointed every now and then. Many of us have gone through a season or two\u00a0in our lives when nothing goes right and storm clouds seem to hang over our souls. But\u00a0if we lose utter control in the face of these things, we become like a city without protective walls. The good news is this: Even our own bad responses to trials can be treated as dross to be skimmed off and thrown away. Here\u2019s how: Through all the messes, aggravations, disappointments, rejections and dashed dreams, you know<\/em> there is an anchor. You know <\/em>there is a Rock. You know<\/em> there is a tower to which you can run and be safe. And knowing this\u2014focusing on this\u2014will bring stability to you when annoyances, disappointments, rejection, loss, or dashed dreams loom large. When your life seems to be going nowhere fast\u2014or utterly falling apart\u2014and you feel like you’re\u00a0about to lose control, prepare to skim that dross by just saying to God, \u201cI have no idea how You\u2019ll fix this, but I know You are my anchor and my rock. I choose to run to You instead of losing control of my behavior or my mind right now. In You I find safety, relief, and comfort.\u201d As you fix your attention on His ability and loving care, stability will start guarding your heart and will direct you in the way of peace.<\/p>\n

The take away is clear: You don\u2019t have to go through a gut-wrenching trial to remove the dross from the silver. <\/em>All that\u2019s required is for you to allow God to teach you from His Word, granting Him permission to meddle in your life, attitudes, and behaviors. He\u2019ll show you the dross if you\u2019re willing to see it, and He\u2019ll lead you in the simplicity of skimming it off, once and for all.<\/p>\n

If you wait for the fiery trials of life before you deal with issues, you are not only short-changing your growth, but you are also a fiery trial waiting to happen! Skim the impurities away now<\/em>\u2014as<\/em> you become aware of them\u2014and you will find you\u2019ve become a vessel for the smith!<\/em><\/p>\n

Dorothy<\/p>\n

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.<\/em> 2 Timothy 2:21<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith. Proverbs 25:4 I was reading Proverbs 25 recently and paused on verse 4: \u201cTake away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith.\u201d I asked the Lord to remove any dross that might […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everyday-observations","category-prayerperspective"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7543"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7547,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7543\/revisions\/7547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.firstofallpray.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}