ON YOUR MARK: WEEK 4 DAY 5

Mark 4:21-25

A Lamp Under a Basket

21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

In the song “Love you to Death” by Josiah Queen, he says the words  “How can I stay to myself, if I have the cure for disease?” That is the question asked in this parable. We are meant to share the Gospel; it should be as obvious as a lamp on a stand. Now to us that may sound weird, but back before lightbulbs people used candles and lanterns for light. Which means when it got dark, it was very dark. If you were outside, you couldn’t see light pollution from a nearby town or city, but if there was a lamp on a stand, the light from it would stick out like a beacon.

The lyrical line that precedes what Josiah Queen says from above is, “How can I say I believe, if it’s never been that costly to me?” Our responsibility as believers is to share that cure so that more people would receive Salvation in Christ and worship God. Be a lamp on a stand, unashamed, unwilling to hide who you believe in.

Matthew 5:10-12 

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Take some time to pray for God to encourage you to be the “lamp on the stand!”