September 2, 2010  |  Mark 4:11-12

Read - He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, "they may be ever seeing but not perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!"

Examine - This is not a difficult passage in terms of comprehension per se; but in terms of coming to grips with can be quite tough.  It involves the tension between Divine Sovreignty (God's ultimate control over all things) and human responsibility (the duty we have to make the wise choice). The secret of the Bible, the secret of the kingdom is Jesus, but knowing Him is a gift. Without knowing Him, the whole story of the Bible fails to make sense, and in the words of Paul is foolishness to a fallen world. The problem for us lies in that we do not know who is destined to understand the secret, and who is destined not to, so...

Apply - We who by grace have been blessed with the knowledge of the secret have a time-sensitive mission on our hands. If we understand Jesus is the secret of the kingdom of God, then we have have an obligation to share it. It is both a priviledge and a duty. However, we are freed up that the salvation of others is NOT in our hands. God has the job of providing (vs. 11) the secret of the kingdom of God, it is just our job to go and do the leg work. As a child of God, who perceives, understands and has been forgiven by the secret, I am compelled to take that message to others as first importance. What others to with that info is between them and the Lord.

Pray - Father, thank you for revealing the secret of the kingdom of God to me, your Son, Jesus. I have done nothing to earn your favor or the right to be brought into your family and yet here I stand, covered by the blood of your Son and your grace. Help me to be bold and courageous in being on mission for you.  Help me to share the secret with others and not hold back out of fear. The response of the hearer is not my responsibility; it is your's alone, and I trust you as a righteous, perfect, good, holy and just God to do what is right in your eyes, not mine.