A TALE OF TWO SEAS

      First a quick geography lesson. The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are separated by about 65 miles. They both share a similar climate and they are both fed by the Jordan River. It is here the similarities stop though. The Sea of Galilee is full of life; fishing has been a major industry on it for centuries. It is also one of the main water sources for the surrounding areas. The Dead Sea is, well, dead. It does not support life beyond some very hardy brine shrimp and some plants. It is the saltiest body of water on the planet. How can two lakes fed by the same source of water be so vastly different? Why does one teem with life while the other one is almost literally dead?

      I recently heard our pastor use this quote in one of her sermons. “The Gospel comes to us on the way to someone else.” (After some hunting, I found it attributed to Erwin McManus.) I think too often we as Christians think we are the end of the line for the Gospel. We hear the Word of God and apply it to our life where we think it needs to be applied and then we are done with it. We pat ourselves on the back for recognizing our shortcomings and doing something about it and getting back on the path God has laid out for us. We miss the point when we do this. Yes, we should apply the Word of God to our lives every day, but that shouldn’t be where it stops. We are charged with passing the Gospel on to others, it isn’t supposed to stop with us.

      So why the geography lesson first? You see, the difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea isn’t what goes into them, they are both fed by the same Jordan River. The difference is what goes out. The Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee at its northern end and then continues out at the southern end. The Dead Sea, however, has no outflow and that is what causes the difference. With no outflow the water stagnates and evaporates and becomes the salty water incapable of sustaining life. The same water supplies the two lakes, yet one teems with life and the other one is dead simply because the water doesn’t flow out of it. If we don’t let the Gospel continue on its way through us to others it will stagnate in us and we will find ourselves a spiritual Dead Sea, fed by a life-giving river but dead because we did nothing with it and let it evaporate. As Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)