Men of Encouragement | Men's Devotional

Two and a Half Acres of Faith

Jesus Reels

Visionary Marriage: God's Call to Husbands

Opening the Road to the Kingdom of God

The Urgency of Slowing Down

Facing Giants: A 6 Day Journey to Courage and Faith

Let Your Light Shine by Vance K. Jackson

Prepare: Positioned for God's Purposes

How God's Goodness Changes Everything

New International Version

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMRK">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="MRK.4.1+MRK.4.2+MRK.4.3+MRK.4.4+MRK.4.5+MRK.4.6+MRK.4.7+MRK.4.8+MRK.4.9+MRK.4.10+MRK.4.11+MRK.4.12+MRK.4.13+MRK.4.14+MRK.4.15+MRK.4.16+MRK.4.17+MRK.4.18+MRK.4.19+MRK.4.20+MRK.4.21+MRK.4.22+MRK.4.23+MRK.4.24+MRK.4.25+MRK.4.26+MRK.4.27+MRK.4.28+MRK.4.29+MRK.4.30+MRK.4.31+MRK.4.32+MRK.4.33+MRK.4.34">
 <div class="p">1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water&#8217;s edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3&#8220;Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Then Jesus said, &#8220;Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, &#8220;The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that,</div><div class="q1"> &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,</div><div class="q2"> and ever hearing but never understanding;</div><div class="q1"> otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!&#8217; # 4:12 
 Isaiah 6:9,10 &#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then Jesus said to them, &#8220;Don&#8217;t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop&#8212;some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">A Lamp on a Stand</div><div class="p"> 21He said to them, &#8220;Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don&#8217;t you put it on its stand? 22For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24 &#8220;Consider carefully what you hear,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;With the measure you use, it will be measured to you&#8212;and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Growing Seed</div><div class="p"> 26He also said, &#8220;This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain&#8212;first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Mustard Seed</div><div class="p"> 30Again he said, &#8220;What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkISA">
 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="ISA.6.9+ISA.6.10">
 <div class="p">9He said, &#8220;Go and tell this people:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Be ever hearing, but never understanding;</div><div class="q2">be ever seeing, but never perceiving.&#8217;</div><div class="q1"> 10Make the heart of this people calloused;</div><div class="q2">make their ears dull</div><div class="q2">and close their eyes.#6:9,10 Hebrew; Septuagint &#8216;You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.&#8217; / 10 This people&#8217;s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes</div><div class="q1">Otherwise they might see with their eyes,</div><div class="q2">hear with their ears,</div><div class="q2">understand with their hearts,</div><div class="q1">and turn and be healed.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> </div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkROM">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="ROM.11.7+ROM.11.8+ROM.11.9+ROM.11.10+ROM.11.11+ROM.11.12">
 <div class="p">7What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8as it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;God gave them a spirit of stupor,</div><div class="q2">eyes that could not see</div><div class="q2">and ears that could not hear,</div><div class="q1">to this very day.&#8221;#11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10</div><div class="m"> 9And David says:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;May their table become a snare and a trap,</div><div class="q2">a stumbling block and a retribution for them.</div><div class="q1"> 10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,</div><div class="q2">and their backs be bent forever.&#8221;#11:10 Psalm 69:22,23</div><div class="s1">Ingrafted Branches</div><div class="p"> 11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!</div><div class="p"> </div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

Following Jesus in the Gospel of MarkSample

Scripture

About this Plan

Related plans