Dead Sea or Alive?

Jesus' teaching that "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8) is a foundational relationship lesson. All the love, grace, and generosity God pours into our lives, he asks us to let flow into the lives of those around us. The very geography of Israel vividly illustrates this. The River Jordan flows from Mount Hermon in the north down to the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee receives fresh water and lets it flow out again – the result is a living sea, abundant with marine life, where many of Jesus' miracles and teachings took place. The river then continues south to the Dead Sea. This sea receives the water but never lets it flow out, and its very name tells the story – it's dead. "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty" (Proverbs 11:24). Life, love, and relationship are about abundantly sharing what we receive. And the greatest gift we can share is Jesus, because whoever believes in Jesus, "rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:38). Is your life a Dead Sea or a living sea? (Craig B). Open Bible – bit.ly/Mat10v8, bit.ly/pro11v24, bit.ly/joh7v38