The FaithOfJesus2 Daily Devotional

Focus:

kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

( FaithOfJesus thread begun by rRandyP )

Today's Verse:

kjv@Mark:4:1-20

kjv@Mark:4:1 @ And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

kjv@Mark:4:2 @ And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

kjv@Mark:4:3 @ Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

kjv@Mark:4:4 @ And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

kjv@Mark:4:5 @ And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

kjv@Mark:4:6 @ But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

kjv@Mark:4:7 @ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

kjv@Mark:4:8 @ And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

kjv@Mark:4:9 @ And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

kjv@Mark:4:10 @ And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

kjv@Mark:4:11 @ And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

kjv@Mark:4:12 @ That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

kjv@Mark:4:13 @ And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

kjv@Mark:4:14 @ The sower soweth the word.

kjv@Mark:4:15 @ And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

kjv@Mark:4:16 @ And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

kjv@Mark:4:17 @ And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

kjv@Mark:4:18 @ And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

kjv@Mark:4:19 @ And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

kjv@Mark:4:20 @ And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Today's notes:

Context:

Before - He who doeth the will of my Father
After - With the measure ye mete

Key Concepts:

slide:kjv@mystery

What is God's righteousness observed doing?:

Shrouding/protecting divine wisdom in mystery from all except those who sincerely seek Him to find it.

What does this tell us about God's righteousness?:

Such wisdom is initially given indiscriminately as a seed capable of substantial growth to the point of being abundantly fruitful in every single case. Not only is it indiscriminate, it can be engaged in at anytime if by God's terms and stipulations. Not every case experiences this growth however, not because of the seed, not because of the sower, but because of the willingness and endurance of the soil to receive and hold itself to the continual and proper process required to develop it to such extent. The divine process (and submission to it) is shown then to be just as important to the revealing of the mystery as the revelation itself; such is exemplary of God's righteousness.

How is man reacting?:

largely without fruit by the numbers, the few that do persist however are therein producing 30/60/100 fold return of the same seed.

Notes:

There are two things identified that cannot be attained/manufactured by man himself only given by God, HIS forgiveness and the word of HIS kingdom, neither of which will he be fruitful in unless he becomes converted and endure the process/forces of maturation. Those unwilling to receive this given truth seek instead to obtain a manufactured truth, one of their own choosing and rebellion. They take these parables given by Jesus and make them to say what they quite imagine to hear; thus their truest meaning is utterly hidden.

The purpose of sowing seed is to produce fruit. The first purpose of fruit is to have enough of the same seed to sow more crop. The second purpose is to harvest the substantial gain intended by such a planting. Fruit is not produced until the process is fully completed. If to mean understanding the mystery of the kingdom than to mean whole heartedly enduring the process and to in part be used in the planting of another.

Two of the four plants identified germinate only to become problems unto themselves. One is lost in the offence it takes towards being persecuted because of it (associating what others think/reject of it). The other is choked off by the cares of this world (associating what it thinks of itself). Both suggest a mis-perception of what the process and the fruit intended are supposed to be and then their role in that.
That God sees working us through this as important is not only revealing of the kingdom as HE intends it, but descriptive of the righteousness HE is building it by.

Key Messages:

What does this say about our present condition?

HIS forgiveness and HIS kingdom are largely eliminated from our process as we seek to manufacture this righteousness for ourselves. His word can be used in an attempt to hold our makings together, which He would rather not. So He packages His word in bite sized parables that protect the true meaning for those who would truly seek it and live it forward into their lives.
The meaning and understanding grows the stronger and the longer it is put forward, it is revealed and given through such, which requires faithfulness and resolve; the very thing all men most crucially lack minus true repentance. Many claim to have gotten themselves to that point without actually had undergone the process. How smart they think that they are!
The cares of this world indeed grow. You may start your incubation manageably with bare but comfortable essentials. The cares of this world indeed grow however. They grow in size even if they do not grow in number (which they usually do as well). It never seems to be a problem until it is indefensibly a problem and the forward work of faith needs near complete resuscitation. The same growth is discernibly true of the enticement of material/social riches, the urges and promptings of other things.

Further Resources:

Comment Board:Mark:4:1-20
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Mark:4:1-20 rwp@Mark:4:1-20 mhcc@Mark:4:1-20
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index

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