Fattened ... Part Deux

After my last post, I continued reading through "The Challenge of Missions" by Oswald J. Smith and found that he talked about the ideas mentioned in my last post. So, I thought I'd share what he had to say about the topic. In chapter 7, he talks about his trip to Palestine and getting the chance to swim in the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee.
And he says, "I thought of the difference between the two bodies of water; one, the Sea of Galilee, teeming with life, and the other, the Dead Sea, stagnant and lifeless. 'Why', I asked myself, 'the difference?'
The Dead Sea takes in and takes in, but it never gives out; hence it is stagnant. The Sea of Galilee takes in but it also gives out; hence, it is filled with life; and its water is fresh. There you have a perfect illustration of the missionary church and the church that is not interested in missions. The latter takes in but it uses everything on itself. It never gives out. Hence it is filled with all sorts of loathsome creatures like a stagnant pool-criticism, gossip, fault-finding, division, and strife, etc., etc. The missionary church takes in, but it also gives out. Hence it is alive and aggressive and God's blessing rests upon it.
The same is true of the individual. The one who keeps everything for himself and refuses to share it with others, becomes a stagnant pool-a Dead Sea, a blessing to no one. The one who invests in foreign missionary work, is living an abundant life. It is for us to decide whether our lives are to be symbolized by the Dead Sea or the Sea of Galilee."
I think that goes along perfectly with what I was trying to say, and he did it shorter and more to the point. We must not become stagnant pools only focused on ourselves! God wants servants that a ready to do his will, not leeches just want to suck out the things that benefit them. Life is too short, we must not be useless and unfruitful.
As Oswald J. Smith wrote, "God so loved the world that He gave. He gave His only Son. He gave Heaven's best. What have you given?" Are you holding back? Saving the best for yourself? We are blessed to be a blessing! Let us go and bless others!