June 10
Mark 4:21-25
There is so much good stuff packed into these few short verses! Let’s break it down.
Jesus is light. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12 NIV) As Christians, we have been given the light. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV) And now it is our job to share our light with others. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NIV) In the first part of the parable Jesus is telling us that our light is not to be hidden. “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not!” (part of vs. 21 NLT) We have been given such an amazing gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Who are we to hide that under our beds, and not let it shine for everyone to see? Jesus goes on to say, “For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to life.” (vs. 22 NLT) Someday, when Jesus comes again, every single person will see the truth. “It is written: ‘As surely as I live’ says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.” (Romans 14:11 NIV) But before that day comes, we have been given the responsibility to cast our shiny lures, sow the seeds, and shine the light of Jesus! In the last 2 verses, Jesus explains that the more we listen to His teachings, the more we will understand it. And that anyone who is listening will be given understanding. Being in His word daily and learning about Him through this study, we are at least doing one part of what He commanded. We are listening to His teaching. Now let’s do the other part. Turn your lights on bright today, people, and LET THEM SHINE!
Principle: Everyone is responsible to use what God has given him.
Application:
1. What in my life needs to be brought into the open?
2. How much time to I spend hiding God’s Word in my heart so that it may come to light when it is needed?
3. How am I specifically using the knowledge and understanding given me through this Bible study to show Christ to others?
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Application question #2 asks how much time I spend hiding God's word in my heart. I use "The Daily Bible" and do a fair job of staying current. Reading the Bible once a year helps me see the big picture. Some passages always seem like I have never read them before. From that reading I choose a verse or two to think about during the day. In addition, I'm doing a doctrinal study at church that's not bad. I listen to a couple of sermons via podcast most weeks. Then I have this study of Mark. My spiritual intake feels about right. Now the challenge is to figure out how to better "let it shine." It's hidden in my heart, but it's not supposed to stay there.
ReplyDeleteIts 1:15 A.M. and Rick and I just returned from running to the safe room in the campground after the tornado siren went off. Rick had his flashlight so we made our way through the trees ok, but I told him that the next time I really need to remember to take my own flashlight too, it was a bit difficult to manure my way with only his light. When we got back to the camper, I went on the computer to see what today’s lesson was and not surprisingly it’s about letting your light shine! I love how God puts everything together! I think that He gave me my own parable! It’s great to be around someone else’s light, BUT to see really well, we need to let our own light shine! And who knows how many people will begin to see.
ReplyDeleteWe had an interesting discussion Sunday evening in our "God As He Longs For You To See Him" study group at church. It was related to todays's application question #1 about bringing things into the open. The core of the discussion was that we all struggle with secret sins and that a good way to overcome them is to bring them into the light by telling someone else you are having that struggle. The thought is that when exposed in that manner, they are easier to defeat.
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect on today's reading I am reminded of a simple children song. "This little light of mine I'm going to let it shine..." Now as I have that in my head I am thinking about how do I apply that to my life today.
ReplyDeleteI am leaving today for St. Louis to attend a conference with co-workers. I think this will be a great beginning. There is only 8 of us going but I really only know 2 of them so this is a great oppoptunity to shine my light and give God the glory. Please pray for me to allow God's light to shine through me during this trip.
Let there be light! In everything I do and in everything I say. I keep going back and forth in my thinking. I need to turn that light on and let it shine- be filled with oil, have the wick trimmed so that it keeps shining brightly.
ReplyDeleteBut on the other hand, shouldn't it just be who and what I am? Shouldn't it be that it doesn't need to be "turned on" because light is the very essence of my being in Christ?
That's what I want it to be, but maybe that is part of the process becoming more like Him. I have to keep working at it. And when the day comes that every knee bows before Christ - the light will be eternally on.
Bob: Your thoughts are something I've been considering this week. So I have questions that maybe you can answer: How do you choose who to tell? What do you tell?
ReplyDeleteI've been a Christain most of my life, but it seems I don't have some basics down yet. For example, what does forgiveness really look like in my life when I have been hurt? I've really been struggling with this and know that not forgiving is a sin...
Andrea - sorry to take so long to respond. I did not know you asked me a question until Jane pointed it out. The answer to your question about choosing who to tell: I don't know! We did not go that deep in our group discussion and I am certainly the least qualified in this group to be answering hard questions. And I think that is a hard question. Maybe it depends on your personality type and your trust of others. I would find it very hard to share something I was embarassed about with anyone. You on the other hand probably have someone you trust who would not judge you and would help you with your issue. I think you would have to be very close to that person or persons. Sorry I don't have a good specific answer. Maybe some others will add their thoughts...
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