Main Passage: Mark 4:1-34

Memory Verse

And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.

Mark 4:11

Devotion

If we rated Jesus by today’s standards it’s hard to say how we would rate him. Jesus told stories called parables which may have been helpful for some people to remember, but they were also difficult for some people to understand. Today’s teachers usually have to teach something so that everyone understands it, but Jesus was didn’t mind it if only a few people really understood. The reality is that Jesus was a master teacher. He knew that some people were probably just there to see him or see a miracle. Jesus wanted his message to be heard by people who really wanted to hear. The people who heard the message and understood it were blessed by it and now had the opportunity to live out his teaching. There are a lot of people today who have had the Bible explained to them in a way that they can tell you what it means. They know a lot of facts but they don’t know how to live them out. They’ve heard the words of Jesus, but they haven’t let his words sink into their hearts. Hopefully as Christians we are constantly working the soil in our lives to make sure that our hearts are prepared before we read scripture and listen for God’s voice.

Questions to Ponder

Are you a person who really wants to hear from Jesus?
Are you just someone who knows about the Bible or do you live it out?
What kind of soil are you? How do you receive the words of Jesus when you read them?