January 17: Mark 4

How does Mark 4 lead us to worship?

The chapter opens with one the parable of the sower. He speaks of four kinds of soil: path, shallow, thorny and good. Satan steals the seed (word) that lands on the path; it never even sinks in, but vanishes without a trace. The shallow soil is... shallow. It looks like the gospel will bear fruit in this person's life, but since there is no depth, there is no lasting fruit. The thorny soil doesn't produce fruit because the cares and worries of this life are allowed to choke the gospel out before it can really bear fruit. And the good soil is good! It reflects a life of love and worship.

We all know we want to be the good soil. But if we're honest, we often fall into the first three kinds. How many times have you heard the Word of God and failed to let it sink in in the least? You read the Bible, but really your eyes are just looking at black lines on a page. Or do you find your understanding of the Word to be shallow in some way so that it is not able to bear fruit? And how many times have we all found ourselves distracted by all the worries of this life—money, career, relationships, comfort—and fail to live for Christ as a result?

When I go to God's Word (in song, sermon, prayer or personal reading), I am in danger of not letting that Word bear fruit. The proper fruit of the Word is a life lived in total worship. How often do I simply go through motions? Fail to let it get deep in my soul? Focus on the concerns of this world rather than the Lord who made it?

I feel most convicted of being thorny soil. I am so very much like the disciples in the boat (4:35-41). My prayers (or my justifications for not praying) so often come in the accusatory mode: "don't you are that I'm perishing? Look at the wind and the waves! Look at my bank account! Look at my friends' unfaithfulness or the injustices of my neighbor/family/coworker! Look at what I'm facing! Don't you care that I'm perishing?" I tend to believe that my circumstances justify my own unfruitfulness, my faithlessness.

Jesus is good and bears with us in our weakness. He could have ridden out the storm and let his friends sweat. But he wants to put the Word that says he is faithful on display for them. "Peace, be still." He quiets the storm, then marvels at our lack of faith. The wind and sea obey him. Why not us?

Whatever thorns or storms we face, our Lord can put them to rest. And if he chooses not to, he can speak peace over our souls. Let's worship with all that we are Christ Jesus who IS faithful.