Early one morning, while sitting on the balcony of the hotel I was staying in, drinking a cup of coffee and gazing at the Dead Sea, my thoughts carried me to a great spiritual truth. There are portions of the Dead Sea that are breathtakingly beautiful. The Dead Sea is known for many reasons. It is the lowest place on the planet. It is called the Dead Sea because nothing can live in it. The ocean has a salt content of about three percent, whereas the Dead Sea has a salt content of about thirty-three percent. It is so salty that you cannot sink in it. You can go out to chest-high water, pull up your knees, and just sit there. People travel from all over the world to cover themselves in Dead Sea mud because it is supposed to have healing properties. It is an amazing place to visit.

The Dead Sea receives its water from the Jordan River. Streams and springs from Mount Hermon, Caesarea Philippi, and the Dan River join, providing much of the water for Israel. The Jordan River flows southward, passing through the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake brimming with life. From there, it continues its journey to the Dead Sea.

But for all its beauty, the Dead Sea is dying. I am amazed at how much difference I see each time I visit. Politics has played a part in its recent rapid shrinkage, but the problem has been going on for many years. What is causing the Dead Sea to die? It receives the same water that the Sea of Galilee does, but they are vastly different.

No one has ever found an outlet for the water that flows into the Dead Sea. It receives millions of gallons of water daily, gives none of it away, and is shrinking. The Sea of Galilee is vibrant and alive, but the Dead Sea is, as its name implies, dead. The same water flows into both. So what is the difference?

The answer may be more simple than we think. The Sea of Galilee receives and gives, whereas the Dead Sea receives but gives nothing. Receiving and giving produces life, but receiving and trying to horde it all for yourself produces death. What we literally see here in the natural is a vivid picture of what happens in the spiritual. For us to receive life, we must learn to give. If we try to keep it all for ourselves, we will be miserable, as will everyone around us. The secret to living a fulfilling life is learning how to give.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave…”