Light shining brighter

SCRIPTURE:

He 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? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Mark 4:21-25

OBSERVATION:

One of the most beautiful things about the Lord’s parables is how He just takes everyday common things and draws out incredible truths about the kingdom of God.

In the parable of the lamp, He gives us two parallels concerning the use of a lamp. In the first, the lamp is put under a bowl or a bed. Obviously, the light is hidden and is hardly useful for the purpose it was made. In the second parallel, the lamp is put on its stand, shining bright and strong to give light to everyone around.

The Lord then proclaims beautifully “for whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.” It is poetic language but basically says that the light will expose what was hidden.

Now, remember that the Lord spoke this parable right after the parable of the Seeds. And the seed among weeds in particular has a strong connection to the light under the bowl or a bed. The seed which is the Word of God is the light but the weeds are things that creep in and cover and block the light stifling it so that it cannot shine for those around.

The Lord is telling us not to let anything block the light but to let it shine brightly and openly and be useful to all around. In the Sermon of the Mount, the Lord said that we, His disciples, are the light of the world.

The Lord continues, “If anyone has ears, let him hear….” and “Consider clearly what you hear” Hear what? Hear the Word of God! Remember the seed?

Then He goes on “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more.” From hearing, the Lord suddenly talks about using. Remember He’s talking about the seed, the light. The Word of God that we hear, we are to apply, and the more we apply (put into practice), more Word and Revelation will be given to us.

And in conclusion, the Lord declares “Whoever has will be given more, whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Whoever has what? It is whoever has the Word of God and applies it. The more we apply, the more of God’s word  and revelation we get, the more we grow, the more we shine brightly. Whoever does not apply the Word of God, even the little that we receive is taken away. Remember the birds (Satan) that snatch the word away in the case of the seed thrown on the path?

APPLICATION:-

Whatever light and truth the Lord has revealed to us, we have a responsibility to apply it in our lives. The more we follow God’s Word, the more He reveals to us, and the more we find Him real in our lives. In contrast, if we just listen and let it slide without doing anything, we forget quickly and the lessons are lost. This has a powerful lesson for our growth. We need to desire to hear God’s Word with deeper passion. The more we learn, the more we need to exercise it, and God delights in showing us even more! May we shine our lights brighter and brighter, growing from glory to glory to be like our precious Lord Jesus!

PRAYER:-

We thank You Lord, for the light of Your revelation that You have given us. Help us not to just listen but to apply what we learn and do more and more what pleases You. Help us shine our lights brightly for Your glory. Even as we grow in You and learn and serve You more, anoint us and enable us to learn even more. Your Word is so precious, Lord. We thank You and love You. In Jesus name, Amen.