Reading your Bible for Today August 30

August 30: Mark 4:10-12

Key Verse: Mark 4:10
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

Devotion:
Sometimes we need to look at things for a while before we start to understand what we are looking at. Sometimes we may well be staring right at the answer but cannot see it because we are thinking in a different way to what we need to in order to understand. We close off ideas and truths from ourselves just because our brains are coming to conclusions based upon other things rather than the one staring us right in the face!

How wonderful it must have been to have been within the presence of Jesus as He ministered to the people, and even more so as He ministered to the disciples. But, as He has promised, we are never alone. For as long as we have accepted Him as Saviour, The Holy Spirit is always with us, willing to explain things that we ask about... if only we ask and listen!

The disciples would have been none the wiser about the parable of the sower if they had not asked about it. Their minds were thinking of the physical rather than the spiritual concept which Christ had raised. They needed to ask for help and then to listen to that help as Jesus explained things to them. This is exactly what we are up against every day – we are faced with situations where we need God to explain what is happening around us and why. The only way we are going to find that out is by asking and listening!

We hear God's Word and can understand that He does love us and how we should fear Him as God. But to understand more we have to submit to Him and start to really listen to what He is saying to us... That's often the hard part... We don't have Christ standing in front of us, so we close off our minds to any other explanation – but if we listen to Christ within us (The Holy Spirit) then we can learn from His Word. As we read God's Word, He will continue to explain things so we can understand His Word. When we do, we can take it forward to others so they can begin to see how awesome our God is!

Points to Ponder:
How well do you listen to your friends?

How willing are you to listen to God?