Use it or Lose it

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

USE IT OR LOSE IT

Mark 4:24-25

24 "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." 

NIV

Here we find what may be called a warning against hearing the truth and not doing anything with it. What good does it do to attend the highest level of learning in a particular field such as medicine, receive a degree and license to practice, and then find a job building houses? Here Jesus is telling us that when we hear his teaching we need to make improvements in our life based on that teaching. If we merely attend church once a week and sit and listen to sermon for twenty minutes then continue to live in the same manner as we have for the past week, we have gained nothing, in fact we have lost something. In all reality if all we ever learn about him or his teaching is within twenty minutes a week we already are losing. But no matter how little of how much time we spend listening and learning we must use that which we have learned. The more we learn the more we are required to apply that learning in our lives. WE must continue to improve our condition. When the doctor becomes degreed and licensed he still has to continue to improve his knowledge and skills as a physician, keeping up on the latest information, technics and procedures in order to be and effective practitioner. We too must continue to learn and apply that learning to improve our effectiveness as a practitioner of the gospel. If we ever think we have learned enough we are sadly mistaken. If we ever think we do not need to improve in our life we are very sadly mistaken. If we have condensed our life into a check list of do’s and don’ts we have missed out completely. We need to continue to hear on a daily basis, we need consider carefully what we hear and make those adjustments in our life to improve. Will we ever gain perfection? Absolutely not, but that cannot be an excuse not to improve. We cannot excuse ourselves based on our humanity. We need to continue to improve, or at least make every effort to do so, striving to apply what we hear, what we read, what we learn and understand with the help of the Holy Spirit. When we confuse or profess that we can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives us strength it is not about the things in this world, but it is about improving our lives in the Kingdom of God. When need to use it or lose it.