Have you ever wondered why the ocean is salty but other bodies of water are not? Simply put, because the salts that get deposited in seas, lakes, rivers, and streams, have an outlet to remove those deposits, namely, a path to the Earth’s oceans. But, the oceans have no outlet, and thus they become the final resting place for the salts that originally got deposited in those smaller bodies of water.

Other than the oceans, most every other body of water has a flow in and a flow out. These waterways are called exorheic, meaning they externally drain through one or more outlets. These waterways get nutrients in, they also send nutrients out. Sadly, pollution too is also passed through the Earth’s waterways much this same way. Though relatively few in number, there are some non-oceanic bodies of water that only have inflow and no outflow. One such body of water is the Dead Sea, which is located between Jordan to the east and Israel to the west.

Despite its name, the Dead Sea is not really a sea at all. (The difference between oceans and seas is both size and proximity to land. Whereas an ocean is a vast body of water, a sea is a comparatively small and partially confined body of water surrounded by land.) The Dead Sea is an endorheic lake, meaning that it retains its water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water. The Earth’s largest lake, the Caspian Sea, is also an endorheic body of water. Along with the Jordan River that flows into the Dead Sea, both nearby springs and rainwater keep it from totally evaporating. The Dead Sea is a receiver but not a giver.

Many of us are like the Dead Sea. We receive but we do not give. We receive water in, from any number of sources, but no water ever flows from us to others. I believe whether or not you are a Jesus-follower, the purpose of receiving is the same – to bless and enrich us but also to then in turn give away for the blessing and enrichment of others. We get in order to give.

In an encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well, Jesus said this – “Everyone who drinks of this water (well water) will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

Later on, still in John’s Gospel, during the annual Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), the priests draw water from the Pool of Siloam as a remembrance of God’s provision to the thirsty Israelites during their forty years in the wilderness. But this simple drink of well water does not fully satisfy the people, so Jesus makes this appeal – “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37b-38).

What do I see in those two passages above? I see Jesus telling you and telling me not to be like the Dead Sea; don’t just receive and fail to give. Putting our trust in Jesus, looking to Him to satisfy all that makes us thirsty, will quench our inner thirst forever. But not stopping there, as our thirst, our longing gets quenched, we are to be ever-flowing rivers through which Jesus can quench the thirsts of others, with His spring of water welling up, His endless source of living water.   

Rivers only flow if they send water out. So, I ask you today, are you more like a flowing river or a dead sea?

Note from Dave: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read my writings. I will be taking some time off from writing to focus on soul care and self-care. I will be back later this month. In the meantime, if you are so inclined, you can check out my Archives page to find all my past writings.

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Have you ever been tempted? Sure you have. We all have. It could be that urge, that inclination, to do or say something. That urge which causes us to be strongly inclined. All the food tasted so good that you were tempted to go back for seconds. After trying and trying to learn how to play the piano, and trying some more, but with no success, you were tempted to call it quits. Or how about to try something foolishly – like tempting fate. Being tempted might also mean to attract or allure – she was tempted out of retirement after talking to her boss. None of those examples is inherently bad, but temptation can also be our desire to act disobediently. Cheating on our tax return. Calling in sick to work while we drive to the beach. Sneaking in after curfew. Underage drinking. Premarital or extramarital sex.

No matter the context, the temptation of disobedience is really nothing more than an enticement to do wrong with some promise of pleasure or gain. God established protective guardrails in all of life because He knows the dangers of disobedience. The world claims that satisfaction can be found in status, wealth, friends, career, social media influence, ladies who are 36-24-36 or men who look like Adonis. Satan uses the worldly enticements we face every day to turn our affection from God to him and his schemes. He does that through temptation. He makes our rebellion against God, which is the root of all sin look, smell, feel, taste, and sound very attractive.

This rebellion started long ago. It first occurred in what can be said is the most beautiful garden ever known to mankind – the Garden of Eden. God gave the first man permission to enjoy every tree in the garden, except one. Here is what we read – “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17).

But, sadly, we know that that first man and woman stepped outside God’s command and after being tempted by the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit, thus separating them (death) from God (Genesis 3). Because of that fall from grace, we too are born into sin, subject to God’s judgement to death and captive to Satan’s kingdom of darkness. Thus, our need for Jesus Christ as our Messiah and Savior. I have written extensively on that subject. His atoning death on the cross took on our sin, reconciled us to God, and disarmed the demonic powers.

How does Satan tempt us today? Using the same three-pronged strategy he used in the garden. First, he puts doubt in our heads: “Did God actually say?” (Genesis 3:1). He then deceives us by contradicting what God says: “You will surely not die.” (3:4). Oh, that sly serpent, he’s not done. He goes on to romance us: “You will be like God.” (3:5).

So, are we doomed for perpetual sin? Without God’s help, yes. But if we commit our lives to
Jesus and immerse ourselves in Scripture, we will begin to get the power to kick Satan to the curb, and look temptation straight in the eye, and say, “You’re outta here!” And in doing so, we have the power to escape temptation. Let me offer this verse – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). And thankfully, when we fail (notice I did not say if we fail), God is faithful and just to forgive our sins when we confess them to him (1 John 1:9).  

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Have you ever been so sure of something that you “bet your life on it,” only to soon thereafter find it not to be true? Has there ever been a time that you went from absolutely knowing something is true to only hoping it is so, even after being so sure? Do you struggle with doubts about Jesus amid difficult circumstances? Do you ever find yourself wondering if Jesus really is who He claims to be? If you said yes, you are not alone. We all do at one point or another.

John the Baptist, as he sat in prison, possibly for as long as a year, found himself doubting that very thing. John, the very one who told the crowd of the coming Messiah (Matthew 3:11), found himself questioning in that dark moment. John, the very one who after baptizing Jesus saw the heavens open and the Spirit of God descend and rest on Him, even after hearing a voice say, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), found himself afflicted with doubt. John, the very one who said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), as he sat in Herod’s prison, questioned whether Jesus was really who He claimed to be. Maybe he was wondering where Jesus was at this critical time of need? Had he possibly misunderstood the ministry of Jesus?

When the heat is on, when life gets tough, real tough, we often find ourselves experiencing deep darkness. Accusing thoughts flood our minds. Here is what we read in Matthew 11 – “When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (vv.2-3).

Maybe what John was really asking is, “Why, Jesus, aren’t you doing more?” That seems like a surprising question. John had been so sure that Jesus was the Christ, but now, sitting in that filthy prison, he seemed to be wondering, “What if I had been wrong?” Have you ever found yourself asking that same question?

In vv.4-6 we read how Jesus responded to that question, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me (shall not fall away in me, tripped up, doubt).”

In those three verses I believe Jesus was assuring John that He was in fact the Messiah and his ministry was being fulfilled, just as it had been prophesied in Isaiah 61, while also reminding John that blessed (literally, “happy”) is he who, despite irrefutable proof in the current circumstances, can cast all doubt aside and still have faith.

Yes, it is true that Jesus does not always answer when, or even how we desire, but He always answers our genuine and sincere questions. We are told in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His grace is all we need; it is sufficient to overcome every obstacle, no matter how big, no matter how long, no matter how difficult.

In the midst of John’s doubt, Jesus sent a promise, a word of hope, a reminder that He is who is claims to be. Do you trust that He will do the same for you? Can you cast aside all doubt?

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You spend an enjoyable evening sitting around a campfire with friends. After your guests leave, you strip off your clothes, and leave them outside, because even after the fire has burned out, the clothes still smell like smoke. Not to mention, they have chocolate stains from the s’more you dropped into your lap.

You eat a delicious meal that has garlic in it. It sure tasted good, but long after the meal is over, the smell of garlic and the proverbial garlic breath live on. The chemical compound found in garlic gets into your bloodstream causing your skin, hair, urine, and sweat to smell as well.

That greasy spoon restaurant you ate at, boy was the food good, but unfortunately you bring the greasy smell home with you.

Before smoking was prohibited in many public places, you found yourself smelling like cigarette smoke even if you didn’t smoke yourself.

And those flowers you picked up at a roadside stand, soon a pleasant fragrance is wafting through the room.

Why do certain smells stay with you, usually the unpleasant ones? Generally speaking, whether or not a smell lingers depends upon if the physiochemical properties of the aroma’s chemical compound are prone to binding to the oils of your skin, the fabric of your clothing, or how the olfactory receptors in your nose detect the molecules.     

Not only do we smell like fire smoke, garlic, greasy food, or cigarette smoke when in those environments, we also become the choices we make. Pizza every night for dinner and a lack of exercise soon puts you in poor health. Sex outside marriage leads to guilt and shame, not to mention intimacy issues. Unwise spending habits leave your finances in shambles. We so often sacrifice “worthwhile” for “instant gratification.” And just like certain smells, our harmful attitudes and actions linger, often for a lifetime.

The Bible’s wisdom literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, Psalms, Song of Solomon) teaches valuable lessons about the meaning of life, often reflections and wisdom, from those who have walked life out. Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, and the wisest man to ever live other than Jesus (1 Kings 4:29-34, Luke 11:31), ends Chapter 4 with a menu of ways to guard against the harmful odorous attitudes and actions that linger, those that cause us problems both today and down the road. We are told to pay close attention to what God says (vv.20-22), avoid perverse and corrupt talk (v.24), don’t have wandering eyes (v.25), and watch where you walk (vv.26-27).

How do we avoid those smelly attitudes and action? Right in the middle of these verses we find the fulcrum, that which all the others are balanced upon; the key to avoiding pursuits that leave lingering odors. Here is what we read in v.23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Click here to read Proverbs 4 in its entirety.

The heart is the starting point for the activities of life. Staying in Proverbs, we see this – “Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path” (23:19).

So, I ask you today, are you prayerfully and regularly guarding your heart? Does your life produce an unpleasant odor or a pleasant fragrance? What smell lingers on you?

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Think back to the last time you needed to make a big decision. You most likely put a lot of thought into that decision. You might have made of list of pros and cons to see which column outweighed the other. Or maybe you did some research on the Internet. We never make “big” decisions without first sleeping on it, thus allowing us time to think through what we are deciding on. Or it could be you asked friends or family what their opinion was, hoping they would provide valuable insight. Sometimes we think and re-think and overthink to the point where we have so much information it becomes paralysis by analysis and it becomes difficult to even make any decision.

Regardless of what method you use to make important decisions, the reality is that for most of us, big decisions do not come easily, and they require us to logically think it through. French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (French: Le Penseur) depicts a nude male figure sitting on a rock, leaning forward, with his right hand supporting his chin, in a posture suggestive of contemplative thinking. Penseur is a noun that refers to someone who thinks deeply and constructively.    

On the flipside, faith in God requires us to simply trust Him, even when logic might say otherwise. Just let say, I know this one well! Hebrews 11:1 tells us: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” That runs so contrary to the way most of us make decisions. We want some proof, some evidence, before we finalize our decisions.

I am not saying that sound judgment does not ever have a role in faith. God created us with the ability to think and reason and expects us to use the gift He has given us. Staying in Hebrews 11, verse 19 begins this way: “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead.” There will be times that we are called to act solely on faith because from our vantage point we do not see the whole picture, as was the case with Abraham. But based upon his life experiences, Abraham knew that God could be trusted. 

We are called to act in faith as Abraham did, and we do it from a place of trust based the knowledge we have of God’s character, based upon His promises found in scripture, and based upon experience of walking with God and seeing Him keep His promises 100% of the time.

So, today, as God calls you to His service, are you stepping out in faith, or do you find yourself with your chin resting in your hand, trying to logically think it through?

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Life is not always easily explained. There are times we find ourselves in situations and circumstances that make perfect sense to us. It is 10:02 in the morning and it looks and feels like that time of day. But there are also moments when it seems like the wrong place and the wrong time. The hands of time are once again at 10:02 in the morning but it sure does look and feel like a few minutes after ten o’clock at night. It makes no sense. Did my watch battery die?

Sometimes the reason for where we find ourselves is evident in that moment. Other times, in the moment, that reason eludes us, and we scratch our heads wondering, “Why?” Time is often revelatory, and the reason might not be made evident until miles down the road, as we look in the rearview mirror – “Oh yes, now I understand.”

We also find ourselves in situations and circumstances in which God has us there for a very specific purpose. Sometimes, at least in my life, from my limited perspective, those moments just make no sense. While we can only see to the horizon, God sees past the horizon. He sees all the way around the planet. God knows the whole story. His plans and timing are always perfect.

In the Bible we see the story of Esther and Mordecai. In the Old Testament book of Esther, we read that King Xerxes had a falling out with Queen Vashti. The king then handpicks Esther to become the new queen of Persia (2:17). And in an ongoing feud, Esther’s adoptive father, Mordecai (2:7), refuses to bow down to Haman, who is a high official of the king. Haman becomes angry and plots to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom (3:1-6). Mordecai hears of this plot and reports it to Esther, but she does not want to tell the king of Haman’s plan because nobody, not even the queen, was allowed to approach the king without his invitation to do so (4:1-13).  

Mordecai persuades Esther to help, and we read these words in 4:14 – “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”  

Esther agrees to talk to the king (4:15-17). She begs for protection of her Jewish people from Haman’s wicked plan. The king believes her story (7:1-6) and he eventually impales Haman on a pole that was intended to kill Mordecai (7:7-10). Fast forward to the end of the story and we see that Esther’s faith and courage saves her people.

So, I ask – Are you trusting that whatever situation that you find yourself in, it is because God has allowed it “for such a time as this?” Hmm, there might just be a reason you are where you are!

I encourage you to read the entire book of Esther. It is a short book, only ten chapters. And did you know that Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that do not specifically mention God by name? However, the second, Song of Solomon, has one verse (8:6) that can be interpreted different ways, thus leading to some translations inserting LORD into the text, while others do not.  

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