I visited my favorite bookstore last Sunday after church. It is a daily routine I cherish. It is a time for me to feed my mind. Safely hidden in one of the bookshelf corner was this little green book by a certain Frank Mihalic, Stories.

This book engrossed me for an hour. Such amazing stories that drive a deeper sense of life with every page turn.
Let me share with you one particular story that kept me…

The Story of the Two Seas

There are two seas in Palestine, and they are both very different.

One is called the Sea of Galilee. It is a large lake with clean freshwater from which you can drink. Fish and people swim in it. Green fields and gardens surround it. Many people have built their homes near to it. Jesus sailed across it many times.

The other big body of water is called the Dead Sea, and it really lives up to its name. Everything about it is dead. The water is so salty that you would get sick from trying to drink it. It has no fish. Nothing grows along its banks. No one wants to live anywhere near its unpleasant smell.

The interesting thing about both these bodies of water is that the same river flows into both of them.

So what makes the difference? Just this: one receives and gives; the other receives and keeps.

The Jordan River flows into the top of the Sea of Galilee and out the bottom.

The lake uses the water and then passes it on for others to use.

The Jordan then flows into the Dead Sea and never gets out again.

The Dead Sea selfishly keeps the water only to itself. This makes it dead. It gets and never gives.

There is a deep profound lesson to be learned from this, but let me first lay down groundwork to begin our journey today.

Everyone passes through severe financial difficulty. This unique difficulty comes to us in varying degrees. Some of us need millions, some hundreds of thousands, some tens of thousands, and some thousands to just a few hundreds. Whatever amount it is, the severity depends on our individual circumstances.

And yet the lesson the two seas offer today applies to all of us. We are all blessed by God as His word guarantees in Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you nor forsake you’…”

The lesson: As God provides for your need, remember to pass it on to others who are also in need. Do not store it, as God promises abundance. Surplus has its divine use in God’s economy. It is not yours to keep. As the Sea of Galilee exemplifies, let it flow through you and live.

This is something we may not easily understand. Our initial thought (our nature even), in a trying financial situation is to get everything we can and keep it. It is our nature to secure every little bit of money, even if we don’t need it. But God doesn’t work this way.

His word tells us in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

God will surely provide for you as you follow God’s word and have faith in Him. It is a guarantee. Our faith in Him will bring us through. We will be victorious. BUT know when enough is enough, and know when you need to let God’s provision pass through you… to others.

God will use your experiences and your future abundance to feed into others’ lives, difficult experiences and dire needs.

Prepare to be marveled at how He provides for you… AND THROUGH YOU.

God bless your day!

This is “Utanggalin”, a weekly article supporting the Freedom from Debt Campaign by Crown Financial Philippines in cooperation with the CBN Asia Family of Ministries.

Has this article blessed you? Please tell us about it! You may read more articles if you visit www.utanggalin.com. You may reach us by sending an email to utanggalin@crown.org.ph. We are here to help you get started towards the road to true financial freedom.

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Jim Reyes is a veteran radio broadcaster, and recently the National Director of a Christian Media Ministry in the Philippines. For the past 18-years he has been involved with broadcasting ministries such as FEBC Philippines, United Christian Broadcasters & Trans World Radio Philippines. He is the husband of Ma. Teresa Reyes and a father to a cyberkid, Charis Reyes.