Good morning, Cherished Friends,
Allow me to share with you a parable I heard some years ago.
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 roots to sip of its healing water. Along its shores the children play.
The River Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from the hills. So, it laughs in the sunshine. And people build their houses near it, and birds make their nests; and every kind of life is happier because of it. It is called the Sea of Galilee.
The River Jordan flows on south into another sea. There is no splash of fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of bird, no children’s laughter. Travelers choose another route, unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy about its waters and neither person nor fowl nor beast will drink. What makes the difference in these neighboring seas? Not the River Jordan. Not the soil in which they lie, nor 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 flows out. The giving and receiving go 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. The other sea gives nothing. It is named the Dead Sea.
There are two kinds of people in the world. There are two seas in Palestine.
With sincere thanks for your giving spirit,
Bruce Jones,
Pastor Imagine Church
