Water is the most common substance known to man. In fact, it is so plentiful that it covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface. It can be found not only in the Earth’s seas and oceans, but also in the atmosphere as vapor, and in the vast, expansive glaciers and polar ice caps as a solid. Water greatly influences weather and climate and can appear in several different forms as precipitation. Evolutionists believe the first living creatures appeared in water. The Bible mentions water as early as the second verse in the Book of Genesis and approximately 442 times after that in the complete canon of the New International Version. ALL living creatures rely on its ability to aid in chemical balances and metabolism. It is a common fact that the average human is actually composed of about 75% water. It is such a necessity for human functioning, that a loss of 15-20% of the body’s water usually results in death. In short, water is universally known as a source of life.
The Dead Sea is a body of water located in a valley bordered by the West Bank, Jordan, and Israel. At 1,385 feet, it’s shores are the lowest elevation on the Earth’ s surface found on dry land. However, this is not the most remarkable characteristic about this grand lake. The salinity level of its contents is at 33.7% which is far greater than the 3-6% salinity found in the worlds saltiest oceans. The Dead Sea owes its high mineral salt content to several factors. First, it’s completely landlocked, so any fresh or saltwater that flows into it from the Jordan River or other tributaries becomes trapped until it evaporates. Evaporation happens quickly due to the areas arid conditions and lack of precipitation. When the water evaporates, the salty minerals are left behind, causing the remaining water to become more and more concentrated with salt. This high salt content prevents any life outside of microorganisms from growing within it’s borders. To quote my colleague the Rev. Michael Hammett; “The Dead Sea falls victim to having too much inflow and not enough outflow”. In essence, the Dead Sea is “dead” because the high salt content prevents anything impure from taking up residence or even growing within its boundary.
Please don’t misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with being “salty”. Jesus made this clear in the book of Matthew.
13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” ~Matthew 5:13 NIV
Even with such a gloomy namesake, thousands of people regularly travel to the Dead Sea for its positive, holistic effects on everything from psoriasis and atopic dermatitis to cystic fibrosis and rheumatic diseases, like various forms of arthritis and fibromyalgia. The salts and minerals are transformed into cosmetics, the waters of the Dead Sea are used in thalassotherapy, the climactic features of the Dead Sea are used in climatotherapy, and the bright, radiant, sunshine that falls on its shores is used in heliotherapy. Essentially, the resources of the Dead Sea are being used to minister to the needs of others.
The word minister can be used as a noun or a verb. Both are highly important for this discussion. As a noun, the word refers to a person authorized to conduct religious worship, a member of the clergy, or a pastor. It could also mean a person acting as the agent or instrument of another. When used in the form of a verb, the word minister means to administer to, to apply, to furnish, or give supply to.
As a minister it is very important to remain “salty”. Allowing yourself to become tainted with sin can destroy the life restoring testimony of your ministry. In 1980 the Dead Sea had a major drop in it’s salinity due to a successive series or heavy rain storms. This shift in the mineral concentration allowed an algae to flourish in the warm waters and transform the pigment of the relatively clear lake to a deep red color. The same can happen to Believers if we choose to become diluted by sin and lose our “saltiness”. Conversely, because of sin, this dilution may weaken our ability to minister to, furnish, or give supply to others seeking healing in Christ.
Why is this relevant to you? Because as long as you remain dead to sin, you will prevent impurities from growing within your borders.
11″In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” ~Romans 6:11-14 NIV
Like the dead sea, we should try our best to remain pure and free from corruption while openly welcoming those needing a healing to our shores. Failure to do so can not only have a negative impact on our lives, but also on the lives of the ones we minister to. Just as algae can grow and augment the composition of a lake, unchecked sin can also flourish and change the composition of our lives and destroy our ministry in the process. Believe what you may, but there is a huge difference in being dead to sin and being dead insin. Be Blessed, My Friends! Be an Overcomer!
~Bro. Jason Z. Hunt
Memory Verse: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” ~Matthew 5:13 NIV
Memory Word: “Minister“: –noun; 1. a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor. 2. a person acting as the agent or instrument of another. –verb (used with object) 3. to administer or apply. to furnish; supply –verb (used without object) 4. to perform the functions of a religious minister. 5. to give service, care, or aid; attend, as to wants or necessities.
Inspiring Music: “Give Me a Clean Heart” by Fred Hammond
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