Written By Ben Dankaka
Meditation – Mark 4:22
I once worked in an organization where I was in charge of the mails that got into the office. Each morning, I would pick up a pile of envelops from our mailbox and open each envelope that was sealed by the sender. Recently, as I was studying my Bible, I stumbled on a message that Christ shared with his disciples. While He was teaching, Jesus said, “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought to the open”. This message immediately reminded me of the sealed envelopes I used to open in my office. It occurred to me that what Christ said was exactly what the senders of the mails I received did.
You see, the senders of the mails hide their message inside an envelope and like Jesus said, the hidden message is meant to be disclosed. Whatever they concealed inside the envelope is not intended to remain hidden, but similar to what Jesus said, it is to be brought to the open. Now Jesus was in fact speaking to His disciples about the messages He had been putting inside of them. Jesus had begun that teaching by saying, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?”
Jesus wanted His followers to understand the importance of making use of the messages He was depositing in them. He wanted them to know that it was their job to bring out the messages He had hidden in their hearts. Just as the sender of the message in an envelope expects the receiver to uncover the hidden message and make use of the information in it, Jesus expects His followers to unravel and make use of the messages He had hidden in their hearts. This message was not only for the disciples but for every person who follows Christ. Today, we are the disciples that Jesus is speaking to.
Whatever messages you have received from God, Jesus expects you to use it. The message that God has hidden in you is His word. What are you doing with the knowledge that He has placed in you? Are you using it to impact others? What God has hidden inside of you can also be the natural skill He has endowed you with. Inside every person; inside every Christian, is a hidden gift that God has deposited for the benefit of others. Because the gift is given to you, you are the only one who can unseal it. God is expecting you to bring out that hidden gift in you. He wants you to make use of that gift so He can multiply it. If you don’t make use of the gift that He has already deposited in you, He may take it away. For Jesus said, “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift you placed inside of me. Amen.
REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 4:2-25
Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.