25% or 75% Off? *

And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

Mark 4:20

Shopping is NOT my favorite leisure sport. I have friends who think it is an Olympic event - summer and winter - but I'm not vying for position on Team Shop-till-you-drop. However - show me a REAL sale or a great coupon and I can quickly become the first round draft pick! I like it any place and any time I think I'm getting way more value added for the money spent. It just makes sense, right? Who wouldn’t choose a 75% off sale over a 25%?

I like to get a deal. My friends tease me about being part Jewish when it comes to getting a deal. I like big returns for my money and the larger the percentage off, the better I like it. But buyer, beware! You have to know the value and what something really costs in order to be able to determine if it's truly a sale or worth the percentage off.  I've learned over the years to not invest in something unless it's a sure thing. Wall Street is not a sure thing. The Word of God is. And our text reads that if we hear and accept God's Word, we're going to get a great return.

In his book, Unlocking the Prophecy Code, Dr. Bryan Cutshall walks his readers through the Parable of the Sower. I highly recommend his book as an aid in understanding parables. You might ask how important is it to be able to understand or interpret the parables? Well, since Christ taught in parables, I'd say it's very important. In verse 13, it reads, Then Jesus said to them, If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 

Mark 4 is a chapter full of a phenomenal wealth of knowledge from Jesus. There are 4 different examples in this chapter regarding those who hear the Word of God and what they do with it. They ALL heard but they didn't accept. They ALL had the opportunity to reap the reward of the spiritual riches, but only some took it to heart. If you were to assume percentages of 100%, they all heard - 100%, but only 25% accepted. That leaves 75% off the mark. That's not a bargain. In this case, I'd stay with the 25%.

Prayer:

Father,

        Forgive us for following after the world. Help us to hear and accept Your Word and all its worth. Let us never try to cut a deal or trade or shortchange our relationship with You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen