{"id":36819,"date":"2025-08-01T22:00:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=36819"},"modified":"2025-07-22T15:26:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T22:26:02","slug":"mark-4_21-29-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/mark-4_21-29-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Be Afraid to Share What God Has Given You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark 4:21-29\u00a0 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Mark 4:21-29.\u00a0With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.\u00a0 Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?\u00a0 After you\u2019ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the\u00a0GAME sharing\u00a0below.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Mark 4:21-23 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 21-23:\u00a0 Remember that Jesus is talking here with his disciples, to whom he has revealed the secrets of God\u2019s kingdom (see v11).\u00a0 As a disciple of Jesus, you\u2019ve been entrusted with the light of His truth not just for your benefit but for the benefit of others.\u00a0 God doesn\u2019t give you this light so that would hide it (\u201cput it under a bowl or a bed\u201d – 21).\u00a0\u00a0 He wants you to\u00a0share\u00a0it, disclose it, bring it out into the open (v22).<\/p>\n

Sometimes because I fear looking a certain way or weirding someone out I opt not to\u00a0share\u00a0my faith with others.\u00a0 Just the other day, I was having a conversation with someone I\u2019m just getting to know.\u00a0 He asked me what I did this past weekend.\u00a0 The first thing that came to mind was that we went to church and had an amazing time.\u00a0 But instead of saying that I fumbled around and shared something else that was \u201csafer\u201d and much more boring.\u00a0 And then I left kicking myself for being so stupidly fearful about\u00a0sharing\u00a0my faith.\u00a0 I asked God for another chance to\u00a0share\u00a0my faith with that person.<\/p>\n

By not taking the opportunity to\u00a0share\u00a0my faith in even a natural, non-confrontational way, I prevented God from using me to bless and reach others.\u00a0 That\u2019s why whenever I opt not to\u00a0share\u00a0my faith when there\u2019s an opportunity, I almost always regret it.\u00a0 But whenever I choose to\u00a0share\u00a0and be out loud with my faith, I almost never regret it.\u00a0 It\u2019s because whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.\u00a0 May you and I not be afraid to\u00a0share\u00a0Jesus with others in wise, loving ways.<\/p>\n

Mark 4:24 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and even more.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 24:\u00a0 It matters to God what we do with the truth that we hear.\u00a0 Do we use the truth we hear to judge others?\u00a0 Be careful, for with the measure you use it will be measured to you and even more, Jesus says (v24).\u00a0 Always measure yourself before you measure someone else.<\/p>\n

Mark 4:25 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 25:\u00a0 You might ask, \u201cWhat kind of God is this who gives to those who already have and takes away from those who don\u2019t have?\u201d\u00a0 Here is what Jesus is saying:\u00a0\u00a0when you cherish the spiritual truth that you have, applying it and\u00a0sharing\u00a0it with others in wise and loving ways, God will give you more.<\/strong>\u00a0 But if you don\u2019t cherish the truth that God has given you, you don\u2019t\u00a0share\u00a0it, and you act as if God has never revealed anything to you, then even what you have will be taken from you, because you didn\u2019t do anything with it.<\/p>\n

If I had to summarize verses 21-25 in one sentence, here it is:\u00a0\u00a0It matters what you do with the truth that God has given to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark 4:26-29 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
\n27\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
\n28\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
\n29\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 26-29:\u00a0 Is the man scattering seed in this case God or someone else?\u00a0 It\u2019s not entirely clear but you don\u2019t need to know the answer to that question to get the point of this parable, which is this:\u00a0\u00a0There is something about the way the kingdom of God grows that is beyond our understanding and beyond anything that people do.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes it might feel like you\u2019re working so hard to serve God and people and yet you don\u2019t see the fruit that you hope to see.\u00a0 And yet sometimes it might feel like you didn\u2019t do anything special and yet people are coming to Christ, as if the kingdom of God is happening \u201call by itself\u201d (v28) though you don\u2019t know how (v27).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s called the kingdom of\u00a0God<\/em>.\u00a0 If there was a completely predictable 1 to 1 cause and effect relationship between how hard we work and how much we harvest and when, then there would be no need to rely on God to do anything.<\/p>\n

When it comes to serving God on the mission He has for us, what you do and how you do it matters so use what you have, be consistent and give it your all.\u00a0 But at the same time, remember that it doesn\u2019t all depend on you.\u00a0 We want to trust God, rely on Him and believe that in His time and in His way God will bring the harvest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, since it matters what I do with what I hear, I pray for wisdom and courage to be faithful with what You have given me.\u00a0 May I not be afraid but eager to\u00a0share\u00a0my faith with others.\u00a0 May I do so wisely and lovingly, knowing that You will always use it in Your time and way.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Mark 4:21-29.\u00a0With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.\u00a0 Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?\u00a0 After you\u2019ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the\u00a0GAME sharing\u00a0below.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Mark 4:21-23 (NIV)
\n21\u00a0\u00a0He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
\n22\u00a0\u00a0For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
\n23\u00a0\u00a0If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
\n\u00a0
\nOn verses 21-23:\u00a0 Remember that Jesus is talking here with his disciples, to whom he has revealed the secrets of God\u2019s kingdom (see v11).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36819"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36822,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36819\/revisions\/36822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}