The Jordan river in Israel flows into the Sea of Galilee then moves southward and it ends in the Dead Sea. It enters and leaves the Sea of Galilee, vibrant and full of life. Fisherman are still seen on the shores of the lake, as in Jesus’ time on earth, harvesting the tilapia that thrive there. In contrast, when the Jordan River enters the Dead Sea, it never exits. The water becomes stagnant and briny. As the name implies, there is no life in these waters. What enters and does not exit is dead. So it is with grace. Grace is not stagnant. If it stays in a person and does not flow out from them, it is not grace at all. It is dead.
I was reminded of this during my stay at Henderson Settlement in Appalachia this last week with the Sheridan United Methodist Church youth group. There were a total of 165 other “work campers” there with us completing various projects from painting to construction to sorting donations for the thrift store. We had devotions every morning presented by different groups. On the last day we were there, the designated group performed a skit depicting the results of grace in action. One person offered a beggar a prayer while another took it a step further by buying him a meal. Which person truly offered grace?
There is nothing wrong with praying for someone. Prayer opens possibilities for the Holy Spirit to work though God’s people. But often the person that should be empowered to act is you! Grace is a free gift from God which cleanses us and grants us life forever. We could never do enough to pay for it by what we do and God does not ask us to do that. Jesus already did that for us. However, if after accepting this gift, we fail to pass it on, then maybe we never really took ownership of grace in the first place.
James, the brother of Jesus, said that “faith without works is dead.” If grace flows in but never flows out, it isn’t real grace at all. It’s stagnant and dead like the Dead Sea. True grace is vibrant and living like the Sea of Galilee, flowing out to everyone it meets and touching them with kind acts and gentle words. What this looks like is different and unique for each person. We all have varied talents and preferences. Spending a week in a dorm with about 80 other women, sharing 4 showers and working on constructing a storage shed, is not for everyone. I enjoy short-term mission trips but this would be intimidating to many others. The number of ways to extend grace is as varied as the number of people in the world. We all have gifts to give. We just have to step out of our comfort zone and give them away.
But what if I’m not sure what I am doing is God’s idea or mine? Is this the work that He wants me to do? I have often struggled with these questions. How do I let God guide my actions? Andy Andrews, the author of “The Travelers Gift”, suggests that God works best on moving objects. He uses a boat in a river as an analogy of God’s guidance. The rudder of the boat doesn’t work if the boat is sitting at the dock. But if the boat is floating down the river, the rudder is able to move it where the boat needs to go. Let God be the rudder of your life. He can’t move you where you need to be if you are sitting at the dock. Move out in faith where you see a need. God will guide you when you are moving outside of yourself.
Grace is not stagnant. It is flowing like a river. Don’t be afraid to launch your boat into its waters. The wonder of it all is that it never fails to flow back to you in greater measure than what you allowed to flow out. As you give, you will receive in abundance, gifts that are eternal and never wear out. The shed that we built while at Henderson Settlement was for a disabled, elderly man and his sister who had moved back to Tennessee from Indiana so she could care for him. Their 2 other sisters lived in the same “holler.”They insisted on feeding us our lunch this last Thursday in gratitude for what we were doing for them. When we had completed our part of the project, the walls were up and the metal roof placed on the 12 x 12 foot building. It was just a simple shed but the expression we saw on their faces told us that it meant much more to them. The tears and hugs shared before we parted, are the gifts of grace returned that will stay with us forever.
Whenever I have been involved in missions, I always receive much more than I have given. ALWAYS. I may come home tired from the hard work and the long hours but I will continually return for more. That’s the way it is with God’s grace. Once you’ve seen its power, you long to stay within its flow no matter how near or how far the river of grace may take you.
