Jesu, juva
Same Source. Different Outcome.
Look at a map of ancient Palestine. Two bodies of water connected by a single river. The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Both fed by the Jordan River. Same source. Dramatically different results.
One sea is full of life. The other is dead.
Why?
THE SEA OF GALILEE
The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake 695 feet below sea level. Five miles wide. Thirteen miles long. Fed by rain runoff from the mountains of Galilee and the Golan Heights. The Jordan River flows in from Mt. Hermon at the north.
The land surrounding the Sea of Galilee is fertile. Rich in vegetation. The water is filled with fish and aquatic life. It serves as the primary water source for all of Israel.
THE DEAD SEA
The Jordan River flows south 65 miles from the Sea of Galilee and empties into the Dead Sea. The lowest point on earth at 1,412 feet below sea level. Fifty miles long. Eleven miles wide. 1,240 feet deep at its deepest point.
But here’s the critical difference: The Dead Sea has no outlet.
Water flows in. Nothing flows out. The only way water leaves is through evaporation. The mineral content is ten times saltier than the ocean. Nothing can survive. No fish. No plants. The shoreline is barren.
THE DIFFERENCE
Same source. Same water. Completely different results.
What makes the difference?
The Sea of Galilee receives and gives. Water flows in from the north. Water flows out to the south. It receives. It gives.
The Dead Sea only receives. Water flows in. Nothing flows out. It takes. It hoards. It holds.
And in the process of holding on to everything, it becomes toxic. Poisonous. Dead.
TWO KINDS OF MEN
This is a picture of two kinds of Christian men.
The Galilee Man
This man receives from God and gives to others.
He takes in God’s Word, God’s Spirit, God’s blessings. But he doesn’t hoard them. He lets them flow through him. He teaches. He serves. He gives. He blesses. He pours out what God has poured in.
This man is full of life. Growing. Fruitful. His life supports and sustains others. He’s a source of refreshment. People benefit from what God has given him.
The Dead Sea Man
This man only receives.
He takes in everything God gives him but never gives anything out. He goes to church. Reads his Bible. Receives teaching. Experiences God’s blessings. But it all stops with him.
He never serves. Never gives. Never teaches. Never pours into others. He’s a spiritual black hole. Everything goes in. Nothing comes out.
This man becomes stagnant. Toxic. Dead. His life doesn’t produce fruit. He doesn’t support or sustain anyone. He’s so focused on receiving that he misses the whole point.
And in the process of holding on to everything, he loses the very life he’s trying to preserve.
YOUR CHOICE
You can be the Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea.
You can receive from God and give to others. Or you can receive from God and hoard it all for yourself.
You can let God’s blessings flow through you. Or you can dam them up and watch your spiritual life become toxic.
You can be a source of life. Or you can be a place of death.
THE IRONY
The man who holds on to everything loses everything.
The man who gives away what God gives him receives even more.
Luke 6:38 — Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
The Sea of Galilee understands this principle. The Dead Sea doesn’t.
THE QUESTION
Look at your life. What are you doing with what God has given you?
Are you receiving His Word and sharing it with others? Or keeping it to yourself?
Are you receiving His blessings and using them to bless others? Or hoarding them?
Are you receiving His Spirit and pouring into other men? Or isolating yourself?
Are you serving? Teaching? Giving? Discipling? Mentoring? Blessing?
Or are you just consuming? Taking in message after message, book after book, blessing after blessing, with nothing flowing out?
Because if nothing is flowing out, you’re becoming the Dead Sea.
THE WARNING
You can attend every church service. Read your Bible daily. Listen to podcasts. Attend conferences. Soak in teaching.
But if you’re not pouring out, you’re dying.
Stagnant water becomes toxic. A Christian who only receives becomes spiritually dead.
You were not designed to be a reservoir. You were designed to be a river.
BECOME A RIVER
Find someone to pour into. A younger man who needs mentoring. A brother who needs encouragement. Someone who needs what God has given you.
Serve in your church. Teach a class. Lead a small group. Disciple other men.
Use your resources to bless others. Use your gifts to build up the body. Use your experience to help those behind you on the journey.
Stop being a Dead Sea Christian. Become a Sea of Galilee man.
Receive and give. Take in and pour out. Let God’s blessings flow through you to others.
Which sea are you?
Blane
SDG
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