Which Body of Water Are You?

 
Dead Sea Salt Crystals

Dead Sea Salt Crystals

 

Last year, our church organized an awesome trip to Israel and Egypt. One of the many highlights was our visit to the Dead Sea, a distinctly quirky body of water. With an elevation of 1,412 feet below sea level, it boasts the lowest land elevation on earth. And since it’s 9.6 times saltier than the oceans, its water has an oddly oily feel and motivates the obligatory pix of people floating on their backs reading a newspaper. Dead Sea minerals are famous for their skin-rejuvenating properties, and we were delighted to discover golf-ball-sized clusters of salt crystals lining the shoreline. So, the Dead Sea is remarkable. But it has one problem.

It’s dead.

Because of the incredibly high salt concentration, nothing can survive in its waters, and no one lives along the shore.

By contrast, the Sea of Galilee is vibrant. During Jesus’ time, more than a dozen villages dotted its shores, largely because of its vital fishing industry. To this day, the Sea of Galilee is a living body of water that supports many industries, not the least of which is Christian tourism.

Both the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are inland lakes, and both are fed by the Jordan River. So, why are these lakes so different from each other? Primarily because the Jordan River flows both into and out of the Sea of Galilee, while it flows only into the Dead Sea. In other words, the Sea of Galilee enjoys both an inflow and an outflow, while the Dead Sea has no outlet. This means that all the Jordan’s silt and minerals flow into the Dead Sea but have nowhere to go. So, the salt concentration skyrocketed over time as the water evaporated, resulting in a salinity that choked out all life.

The parallel to our Christian life is clear. If all we do is take in, and take in, and take in without a significant spiritual outlet, we become as dead as the lifeless Dead Sea. Many of you are currently serving in various ministry roles, but some of you may not be. One of the best ways to revitalize your spiritual walk is to begin serving others. Besides the obvious good it does for the recipients of your ministry, serving often forces you to stretch yourself to work outside your comfort zone.

I must say, some of my most exhilarating moments are when God uses me to have a profound impact on someone else. This is reminiscent of Jesus’ comment to his disciples after he ministers to the woman at the well in John 4. He had sent them to get some food, and they are surprised upon their return that he seems disinterested in eating. Referring to doing God’s will, he proclaims, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

So, if you feel spiritually stunted, consider how much you’re giving out compared to what you’re taking in.

But there’s another lesson to learn from this “bodies of water analogy.” Some people have only a trickle for an inlet. Perhaps the busyness of life, or disappointment with God, or any number of other factors have caused you to withdraw from or become indifferent to God. If so, you should seek sources of solid input:  worship services, Bible studies, men’s or women’s groups, solid Christian books, retreats, etc. And then as you are personally revived, find appropriate outlets that fit your gifting, passions and schedule.

So, which are you? The Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, or a lake fed by only a trickle?

When You Unexpectedly Have a Ministry to Yourself

Every speaker and teacher I know agrees that organizing their thoughts into a talk or written piece leaves them feeling they learned more than their audiences did. I’m no exception.

At this time of year, we tend to reflect on the previous twelve months. As I did a quick scan of my 2018 blog posts (www.glennpearson.co/new-blog), I thought all of them had something of value. Of course I did, or I wouldn’t have written them 😊. But as an undergraduate English major trained to notice literary patterns, I recognized some inter-related themes in four of my blogs:

  • January 24 – The Absolute Best Bible Passage for Resolving an Age-Old Debate – References Daniel 3:17-18 where the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar threatened to incinerate Daniel’s three friends if they didn’t worship the golden image he had set up – “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it . . . .  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

  • July 19 – got envy? – Tells of my envy over seeing people having the luxury of running when I had to drive to work, but then my equal envy when I was the one running in the park when my business was slow and saw people on their way to productive jobs

  • November 15 – When God Uses You to Answer Someone Else’s Prayer but Doesn’t Answer Yours – Relates the story how God supernaturally allowed me to establish a mentoring relationship with a young man at LA Fitness who specifically prayed for someone to take him under his wing as he was literally driving to the gym that very morning

  • December 12 – Contentment:  2 Obvious But Life-Changing Ideas – Reminds us of two things:

    ·   Contentment consists not in great wealth but in few wants

    ·   Since God controls absolutely everything, loves me completely, and knows what he’s doing, I have exactly what he wants me to have

Here’s how these four fit together. I see others’ favorable circumstances but envy them (the envy blog), and I rejoice when God uses me to bless someone else but wonder why some of my prayers aren’t answered (the blog about using me to answer someone else’s prayer), resulting in more envy. The antidote is to ponder Daniel’s three friends’ faith as they recognize God can do the absolutely impossible if he wants to and to emulate their astounding commitment to trust him even if he chooses a different path for them. Internalizing these three lessons leads me to contentment as I see that my circumstances reflect exactly what God wants me to have.

Ironically, literally one hour before I posted the contentment blog, I received some very disappointing ministry-related news. God graciously reminded me of these four blogs and, although I was still disappointed, he allowed me to exhale and trust his loving sovereignty. So, I’m thankful I had the chance to unexpectedly minister to myself 😊. But of course, I am ultimately thankful to God for driving these lessons into my heart and allowing me to live them out.