Mark 4:21-25 Evaluation
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 16, 2018, Mark 4:21-25
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then Jesus told them, “A lamp isn’t brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It’s to be put on a lamp stand, isn’t it? Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus gives the symbol of a lamp’s purpose. A lamp is used to light up an area that is dark, so it is placed where it can shine the most light over an area. Because of its purpose, it would be idiotic to cover a lamp and try to hide its light. In addition, Jesus tells us that hidden secret things will be revealed. Even if we wanted to hide who we are, someone would find out eventually.
(Application) I think there are two lessons here. The first is that we have a purpose to shine the light of Jesus’ message to others who are in darkness. To do that, we need to place ourselves where we can shine the most light rather than staying hidden in a church or at home. I don’t feel that this is an indictment for me about not speaking about my beliefs at work; rather, I feel that this is a directive to find ways and places where I can share my faith with others, where others can see my light. Second, I think that this is both a warning and a promise that when the light of Jesus is shining from me, He cannot be hidden even if I wanted to hide Him. His place in my life will be revealed whether I choose to or not. I can keep from shining by not being connected with Him, but if I am connected, His light will be seen.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen! He went on to say to them, “Pay attention to what you’re hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.”
(Application) Jesus says that it is not enough to hear. I have to pay attention to what I hear. Again there is the message that I got from the sower parable. It is not enough to sit in the pew and get emotional. I must apply the lessons that God gives me into my own life.
(Understanding the Text) In one meaning the measuring part of the verse means that I will be judged by the way I judge others, but in another meaning, it is not talking about judging other people, but about how I will be judged according to how I receive and apply God’s word. That judgment will determine whether I will receive more and how much more. I tend to think the second meaning is more accurate than the message being a warning against judging other people. The reason I think this is that the second meaning makes more sense with the idea of giving more or taking away. I think this is related to the meaning of the parable of the talents.
It all fits together with the second meaning. I am told not just to hear, but to pay attention, to measure what I hear. That means that I think deeply about what I hear and evaluate it and apply it. In turn, the Master will be evaluating me to see if I am ready for more. When I am, I will receive more. The more that I incorporate into my life of Jesus’ message, the more new input I will receive. Some people are still stuck at spiritual baby food because they have not paid attention to the deeper messages and/or incorporated them into their lives. Others receive deeper meanings because they have the foundation to receive more. It’s like when I teach ESL, until a student can use the simple tenses above a beginning level, it is useless to teach them to use past perfect tense. I have to get them to the appropriate level before I can teach them the higher lessons.
The final statement also makes sense in this context. It matches the old axiom “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” If we do not incorporate the messages into our lives, eventually we lose even the basic message. When we hear but do not obey, when we listen and forget, when we do not reinforce our learning and skills, we lose that knowledge and ability. We may be able to relearn it later, but we may have to start over from the beginning.
(Revelation of God) This is why I have been amazed that I am ahead of people who have been faithful church goers for years. I have been a Christian for years, but I spent 22+ years outside of the church fold. I never denied Jesus, but I never advanced in my relationship with Him and went backwards. I know that He continued to teach me through the channels that I left open to Him, but I should have been far behind my peers who started around the same time as me. However, I have been amazed at how many of those peers while attending church have shut themselves off from Jesus’ messages. I don’t understand how they have missed the basic levels of the message that Jesus has for them. Maybe, that is what kept me from bottoming out. I lost a lot of the higher level messages, but I never forgot the basic message that I received from the beginning, a basic knowledge of Jesus’ character-Jesus loves me and died for me. This was the basis for everything else I learned. I think many of them did not have that basic knowledge to start with. Thus, when they did nothing with their spiritual lives, they lost their knowledge faster because it was not rooted in Jesus’ character. I don’t know. It’s not that I think that I am so high. It is that they seem so incredibly low in knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is and what He does for us. Their lamps seem pretty dim and some of them don’t seem to have any light at all.
(Prayer) Never let me lose hold of knowing You at the most intimate level. Thank You for keeping a strong hold on me even when I kept letting Your hand slip through my fingers. Thank You for continuing to teach me through every outlet that I left open for You. Help me to open all of me as wide as possible to receive more of Your love and teaching.