The Measure You Use
Words of Faith 11-21-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 4
[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."

This is a verse that sounds terribly unfair. It is also a verse that could be misused if plucked out of context. We need to read carefully and understand exactly what Jesus was saying.
Jesus was not speaking of material resources when He said that "whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." In the previous verses Jesus was talking about the light, the truth, the seed of the Gospel‑‑ what we HEAR. So His admonition is to carefully consider what you hear from God.
Another way to say this is that we are stewards of the truth we hear. Not only are we responsible to be obedient, but we are also accountable for the way we share that truth. If we measure out the truth of God stingily then the truth of the Lord will be measured back to us in a similar manner.
The one who has very little truth, but chooses not to measure that truth to others, will have even that small truth taken from them. The one who gives a generous measure from the witness and grace of God in their life will find an abundance of God's blessing in truth that they cannot contain.

In Christian culture, far too often growth with God ceases at the experience of salvation or soon after. A person will "punch their eternal ticket" to heaven by going to an altar and trusting in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus, but then they will hide that ticket somewhere deep in their soul. It is a little like winning a prize ticket and then hiding that ticket in a shoebox stored in a dark closet. It does no good when hidden away!
Jesus made it very clear that the light of Christ was not meant to be hidden. The light of Christ is not to be hidden under a bowl or under a bed. The good soil is the one which receives and then produces. We are responsible for sharing every bit of grace that we experience in Christ. We are accountable for the way we measure out to others every joy we experience in our walk with Him.
There is no solitary blessing from God. From Abraham onward, we have been a people blessed to be a blessing. Don't hide the light.

Lord, may I find today the grace and the courage to measure out to others the truth and the grace that You have poured upon my life. Take away my fears. Remove my reticence. Give me courage that trusts in You, in Your light, in Your gospel. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.