“There are two seas in Palestine. One is fresh, and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their thirsty roots to sip of its healing waters.
...The River Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from the hills. So it laughs in the sunshine. And men build their houses near to it, and birds their nests; and every kind of life is happier because it is there. The River Jordan flows on south into another sea.
Here is no splash of fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no children’s laughter. Travelers choose another route, unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy above its water, and neither man nor beast nor fowl will drink. What makes this mighty difference in these neighbor seas? Not the River Jordan. It empties the same good water into both. Not the soil in which they lie; not in the country round about. This is the difference. The Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it another drop flows out. The giving and receiving go on in equal measure. The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its income jealously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets, it keeps. The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. This other sea gives nothing. It is the named the Dead. There are two kinds of people in this world. There are two seas in Palestine.” These are lines from The Man Nobody Knows by Bruce Barton.
I first read this quote in the book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey. Me and my family are reading the book together. It really stood out to me. As Christians, we are to be givers. Our great God is a giver. Consider the following passages to consider what God gives and provides.
Genesis 2:7: “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” God gives us life.
Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the LORD’s and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” God has created all things and yet freely gives to us wonderful blessings from His creation to enjoy. He gives to both the righteous and the unrighteous the sun and rain.”, Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:16-17.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God has given us the greatest gift: Salvation through His Son Jesus! Salvation through Jesus is the free gift God provides to those who obey Him, Romans 6:23. His grace is a gift to us, Ephesians 2:8.
Just as God gives, we too are to be givers! The saints in Macedonia begged to be give of their means to help needy saints.
“Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.” - 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
What a great example for us to follow! Like the Sea of Galilee, these saints freely gave what had been given to them by God. Even when they had little, they took it upon themselves to give. How did they do it? It was because they had given themselves to the Lord. There was something bigger behind their actions. Their “Why” was their love for God. So it should be for us as well.
God is a giver. God loves cheerful givers, 2 Corinthians 9:7. Let us look for opportunities to give to others. It may be a listening ear. It may be time to visit them when they’re sick. It may be sharing the gospel. It may be some financial assistance. Let us be givers and share the blessings God has given us.
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