Mark 4:1-20

Be Still: I wait for you Lord as a watchman waits for the morning. Renew my strength. In your word I put my hope. 

Read: Mark 4:1-20

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”…But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

‘“they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!” (v11-12)

Encounter: I love to open gifts. Birthdays, Christmas, you name it. Any time is a good time to give me gifts. I won’t say no! Top tip: gifts are best given in wrapping paper. Even just a ribbon is sometimes enough. Do you know what’s even better though than a gift wrapped present? A gift wrapped present, inside a present, inside a present. Now that’s a gift on steroids! 

In this passage, Jesus tells us a parable of a sower who sows seed in four different places with four different outcomes: the seed on the path, the seed on the rocks, the seed in the thorns and the seed in the soil. Only the fourth seed in the good soil grows and produces fruit. It’s a classic parable which you’ve no doubt heard before. The question I have today is why did Jesus speak in parables at all? Sometimes, I confess I struggle to understand their meanings. Eugene Peterson puts it this way, "But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening.” (The Message)

Maybe God’s word is a bit like a gift. The thing is not in the wrapping job itself, but what’s inside. It’s in the opening, treasuring and using of the truth. The more we read our Bible and look into God’s perfect word, the more exciting it gets. It’s like buried treasure we get to dig up for and cherish for ourselves. His word is alive and full of wisdom and truth. Jesus is Truth. He is God’s Word. He is the sower in the parable and we must remember that it is by his grace we are planted and grow. 

Apply: Am I opening God’s word as a gift and seeking him in the pages of the Old Testament and New? The bible tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. (Col.1:15) If so, where can I see him in the scriptures? What is he teaching me? How is he shaping me?

Devote: Lord Jesus, help me to sow seeds of your good news wherever I go. Remind me of my testimony and give me opportunities to share it. Give me a greater hunger to know you more and unwrap the gift of your word.