Dross

While standing knee deep in the ocean the first day, I was almost repulsed.  It was nasty.  The waters that are usually clear were polluted.  A huge film of filth covered the surface.  It looked like some combination of dirt, brown algae, and sand had concocted, rising to the surface.  It became iridescent after the collision with the washed off sunscreen.

"Dross."  "This is dross," the Lord said.

Dross:  Something regarded as worthless, rubbish, foreign matter, scum, the impurities of metals separated in the process of melting.

Hebrew definitions of dross:  refuse, worthless or unwanted objects or materials, impurities removed during refining

This word picture hit me so hard and I knew it (a time of cleansing) was coming for all of us, the unbeliever and the believer alike.

There are a ton of verses in the Word that talk about dross.  Most are so heavy, I don't even have the heart to type them out.  (You can study Malachi 3, Ezekiel 22, Psalm 119:119, Isaiah 1:22-25, and 1 Peter 1:7.) There is a time quickly coming when God will remove all of the impurities.  For the wicked, this will be judgment.  For His children, this will be through trials and perhaps even persecution.  He is coming to cleanse. He is coming to scrape off the layer of filth that covers our hearts and our nation.  He is coming to purge.

If we belong to Him, we have no need to fear.  Being in the furnace (where we melt and the impurities rise to the surface) is exactly where we can find him and know Him deeply (just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!) The dross can't rise to the surface unless the heat is extremely intense. The blessed truth is that once we have melted, He can easily mold us more and more into His character and image.

He is shining a light on all things hidden.  Surrender every dark corner for the purpose of cleansing, healing, and restoration. He is good.  You can trust His heart.

"These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  1 Peter 1:7