“Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith”
Prov. 25:4; NASB
Have you laid all parts of your old self aside? If you are like most of us who have received God’s gift of salvation, you started out by repenting of your sins. That means to turn away from your old way of life and embrace the new creature God has made of you (see 2 Co 5:17). The trouble is it is easier said than done. Full surrender to Jesus Christ means changing the way you think, the way you act, the people you associate with, and your attitude toward life. God changes our heart at the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit is imparted to you, and you are sealed for eternity in the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. The challenge comes in that we do not lose our sin nature at the time of our conversion. It remains with us, reminding us of all the worldly desires we left behind.
Today’s passage speaks of the need to leave our old ways. Dross is impurity. The less impurity there is in silver, the more workable it is for the silversmith. It is the refiner’s fire that enables the dross to be taken from the silver. Letting go of the old and replacing it with new is a challenging process. It requires a conscious effort to change your bad habits and interact with the world differently. Foul language needs to go, lying needs to stop, self-service needs to change to serving others, and the list goes on. God cannot use you when you willingly act more like the world than like a disciple of Jesus, but the devil will.
When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, a process began that will continue for the rest of your life. It is the sanctification process that slowly separates us from the world and draws us closer to God. We must take part in that process; God does not do it all. God does the part we cannot do. Our job is to seek Him diligently, refuse to follow the ways of the world, and strive to live a holy life. The Bible tells us, “…to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world…” (Ro 12:1-2a). It is our responsibility to correct our unacceptable behavior, clean-up our speech, change our attitudes, and present ourselves as lovers of God and not lovers of the world.
God is the smith, and we are the silver. God is the potter, and we are the clay (see Is 64:8). We must give God our best so He can use us for His purposes. That means reading and obeying the Scriptures, seeking His guidance in all decisions, and glorifying Him in all we do. God wants to use you in new and amazing ways. The more you work at living a holy life, the more fulfilling life becomes. That is because He can and will use you to bless others in ways you never thought possible.
God bless and have a great week