Stewardship

Stewardship
For years preachers have used the Dead Sea as an illustration of the importance of giving back. The have made the point that the Dead Sea receives but has no outlet to give to and that is what makes it dead. Now it no longer even receives. We have a new illustration. It seems the Dead Sea really is dying. It is drying up. According to USA Today, only a major engineering effort will save the sea from completely drying up. The salt filled lake does not even look like the lake in our Bible maps. Both Israel and Jordan have been taking water from the Jordan River to irrigate desert land. This has robbed the lake of its source of replacement water. So now we have a new illustration. If we do not give of our resources to the kingdom of God and our local churches they could dry up and die. Giving and living go together.

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J. Michael Shannon is professor of preaching at Cincinnati Bible College in Cincinnati, OH.