Worth Our Salt

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

– Zechariah 14:8-9

There’s a good reason it’s called the Dead Sea.

Super-high salinity levels — about four times higher than those found in most oceans — make it impossible for fish or aquatic plants and live in its balmy waters. In fact, the Dead Sea (actually a 34-mile-long lake) is so salty that you can float in it without trying. You can actually recline in its waters and read a book!

The explanation for this anomaly is that the Dead Sea is one of the lowest points on earth. Situated about 1,300 feet below sea level between Israel and Jordan, the lake accepts

fresh water from the Jordan River. But since there’s no outlet for the flow to proceed, the Dead Sea’s moisture evaporates quickly in the heat. This renders tons of salt and mineral deposits in the water and on the shoreline, but certainly no life.

This is a fitting illustration of too many people. Like the Dead Sea receiving the sweet waters of the Jordan River, they too receive the goodness of God’s abundant blessings. However, nothing comes from it. Rather than delivering life to their neighbors and communities, these fruitless individuals retain their gifts and stagnate like the killing waters of the salty lake.

But that’s not the way God wants it for Christ-followers. He continues to bless us through our skills, incomes and life experiences. And he wants us to bear spiritual fruit expressed by love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We’re called to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet by giving back, blessing others and showing love in action.

There are plenty of ways to do that, such as by supporting the church financially with the first part of our income. It’s by giving that we reject materialism and acknowledge the true source of our blessings. Meanwhile, we should use our skills, talents (and sometimes sweat) to promote Jesus’ message of salvation and advance his Kingdom. This, too, can come in many forms — from distributing food to the homeless to babysitting a neighbor’s child to helping repair a shut-in’s home. Of course, giving back isn’t about promoting ourselves to the world and making a show of how supposedly good we are. It’s instead about letting our neighbors taste the fresh waters of God’s blessings.

There are lots of thirsty people out there parched by the heat of life’s pitfalls and disappointments. As Christ-followers, it’s up to us to offer them refreshment through living faith in Jesus. Let's therefore embrace this simple assurance from our Master found in John's gospel:

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”