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
The Dead Sea certainly lives up to its name.
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 literally recline in its
waters and read a book!
The reason 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 the shoreline, but certainly no life.
This is a fitting illustration of some people. Like the Dead Sea
receiving the sweet waters of the Jordan River, these individuals gladly accept the flow of God's abundant
blessings. However, nothing ever comes from this goodness. So rather than delivering
life to their neighbors and communities, these fruitless followers retain
their gifts and stagnate like the killing waters of the salty lake.
But that's not the way God wants it. He
continues to bless us through our skills, incomes and life experiences. And he
desires us to use them to benefit others. What's more, where we live, where we work and
who we meet each day aren't wild coincidences. So it's no wonder that we're
called to serve as Jesus' representatives by giving back, blessing others and
showing love in action.
How can we demonstrate fruitfulness? One way is to support the church financially with the first
part of our income. And it's by such 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 also 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. And 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 goodness.
There are lots of thirsty people out there with spirits 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."
No comments:
Post a Comment