Removing the Dross
"Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes
material for the silversmith." (Prov 25:4 NIV)
Just as the dross must be removed from the silver before it can be used, our
characters need to be shaped in order to be of use for the Kingdom of God.
But how do we do this?
As you read through the history of King David, you see very quickly that he
knew how to remove the "dross" -- his enemies -- from God's people. In fact,
it was during David's--and later Solomon's--reigns that Israel was at its
prime. How did David remove all of Israel's enemies? How did he take a war
torn nation and bring it into a time of peace? The answer can be found in
the following text: "In the course of time, David …also defeated the
Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a
length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third
length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and
brought tribute." (2 Sam 8:1-2 NIV)
Basically, David believed in annihilating his enemies, and those he allowed
to live were required to becoming his subjects!
The Bible tells us that we, too, are in constant battle, only our
battlefield is in the mind. (See Eph. 6:12) How can we subdue all of our
spiritual enemies? By following David's example. We need to either
annihilate them, or bring them into complete submission.
There are things in our lives that God simply cannot use, and these things
must be completely annihilated: "Put to death, therefore, whatever
belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil
desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is
coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now
you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice,
slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since
you have taken off your old self with its practices." (Col 3:5-10 NIV).
God cannot use our anger. He cannot use lies and gossip. He cannot use our
unforgiveness, our greed, or our intemperance. He can't use our hatred, or
disrespect for life, or our disrespect for others' property. These things
must be completely annihilated.
But there are parts of our character that, though negative, can be shaped to
His use. Just like David let 1/3rd of the Moabites and brought them into his
submission, so God can subdue and use some of our negative character traits.
In fact, that's why He created us with them!
An example: God gave me an element of independence, and He gave me a
wandering foot. Is this a good thing? Not necessarily, for as a result, I
tend to never be 100% satisfied with what I have. I love to travel, and no
matter how much I am able to travel, there are always destinations just
beyond my reach, and this makes it difficult for me to even enjoy what I am
able to see.
But God knew what He was doing. When I was 18 years of age, I had the
opportunity to go to Europe as an exchange student for a year. Now, there
wasn't anything at that particular point in my life that sounded more
fulfilling to my independent, wandering spirit than this idea, and I pursued
it until it became reality.
It was a great year, and though I'm sorry to say it didn't calm my
wander-lust, it did one thing for me that I will forever be grateful for. I
grew up in an upper-middle-class, white, all-American home in Los Angeles. I
went to a private school with other upper middle-class children, and when I
saw all those poor ethnic people all around me, I couldn't help feeling
superior. Don't get me wrong. This wasn't something I learned from parents
or teachers, it was simply something that happened!. The trip to Europe
opened my eyes up wide. I learned while I was there that my culture wasn't
the only one that was worth anything. I learned that those with different
skin colours, those of different socio-economic status, those from different
cultures, were JUST AS GOOD, IF NOT BETTER than me. My chip came off my
shoulder that year, and I thank God for that.
Would that have happened if God hadn't given me a wandering foot and a lust
for adventure? Likely not. God used these negative traits for His glory, to
help shape me for His kingdom.
Another example. I am, and have always been, a very stubborn person and a
control freak. Negative traits? You bet. I can't count the times these two
character traits have gotten me into more trouble than I care to tell, and
even worse, I can't count the times these two traits have hurt other people.
So why did God make me a stubborn control freak? Because when "stubborn" is
submitted to God's will, it becomes "Determination"-it becomes something He
can use! When I submit my stubbornness completely to His will, I become
determined. I don't give up easily. I am not easily discouraged in the face
of adversity.
What about control? Friends, when I submit control completely to Him, my
natural inclination to be "in control" translates into some good leadership
qualities.
I could give dozens of other examples, but the point is, we are asked to
reflect Christ's character. In order to do that, we need to completely do
away with most of our negative traits, and the rest of them need to be
brought 100% into submission. Only then can we be fully refined, fully
usable in His hands!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language
Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet
newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian
devotionals and inspirational poems,
www.scripturalnuggets.org ,
with Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org .