The Outcome You Receive Now Depends on the Measure You Use
David W Palmer
In the context of teaching “The sower sows the word,” Jesus made a profound statement:
(Mark 4:24 DKJV) And he said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear more will be given.”
The statement, “With the measure you use, it shall be measured to you” shows that we have a responsibility here; our responsibility is to work the “measure.” God also has a responsibility, and he has already fulfilled it; his is to supply the seeds and to make them 100% reliable—and they are. God has already created both natural and word seed with their own DNA, ability to grow, produce fruit, and reproduce. However, Jesus is saying that the “measure” (or amount) it produces for each of us is up to us.
When it comes to being holy as God is holy, for us to receive grace to help us do this, we need faith that pleases God. We get this by nurturing and harvesting the seeds of faith that come with the word he sows into our hearts. (God gives us faith; it comes through hearing him speak, and grows in the soil of our hearts (Rom. 10:17, Luke 8:15).) Moreover, we need to walk in the steps of Abraham’s faith. Yet, Jesus clearly says that we are the ones that control the “measure"—or the quantity of outcome. Therefore, the mechanism for having holiness manifested in our lives has been initiated and empowered by God, but the measure of holiness it produces is up to us:
(Mark 4:24–25 DKJV) And he (Jesus) said to them, “Take heed what you are hearing. With whatever measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you that hear will more be given. (25) For he that has, to him more will be given: and he that has not, from him will be taken even that which he has.”
Jesus says, “With whatever measure you use, it will be measured to you.” “Measure of what?” you may ask. The answer is in his preceding phrase of Mark 4:24, “Take heed what you hear.” Jesus says it’s our measure of taking heed that determines the measure of the results we receive. Therefore, the amount of heeding “what you hear” is what controls the amount of mature faith and kingdom harvest in your life. This is something we regulate, and through it, we can govern the outcomes. So, what does “take heed” mean? To find out, let’s look at the meaning of the Greek word from which it was translated.
Thayer Definition: blepō
1) to see, discern, of the bodily eye.
2) metaphorically to see with the mind’s eye:
2a) To have (the power of) understanding.
2b) To discern mentally, observe, perceive, discover, understand.
2c) To turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, to weigh carefully, examine.
The word translated, “heed,” comes from the Greek word, “blepo.” Jesus used this same word in John 5:19, where translators have it as “sees”:
(John 5:19 DKJV) Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Verily, verily, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever things he does, these also the Son does likewise (in like manner).”
Jesus was “seeing” things with his Father, but by his use of this same word in Mark 4, we see that it means he was taking “heed” to what he heard with his Father. The whole “listen, look” principle is that you can see what you are hearing when God speaks.
In point 2) of the definition above, we see that “blepo” means to “see with the mind’s eye.” It also means to “turn the thoughts, or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, and weigh carefully.”
Therefore, Jesus’s use of this word in Mark 4:24 obviously relates to the things we see with the mind’s eye; because he said to “take heed what you hear,” not “take heed what you see.” This is talking about a picture that forms in our minds as we hear things. Accordingly, Jesus said that the measure of “seeing with the mind’s eye” is the measure of the outcome we get from God’s word. He said that this is how God’s kingdom will work for you—and this includes finding the grace we need to be Holy, sweatlessly.
Jesus puts the ball in our court when he says, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” He is saying that the amount of faith, grace, and life we want to have manifested in our lives is our call. If we sufficiently take heed to God’s word, we will have sufficient grace. If we give 100% attention to God’s word, valuing it, loving it, meditating it, and birthing it, we will have a 100% outcome—whatever that may mean for each individual—according to God’s call, gifting, and grace.
Today, I encourage you to receive Jesus’s teaching about the “measure” we use; let it sink deeply into your heart and take firm root there.
We simply cannot relegate this instruction to God or anyone else. He has already fulfilled his responsibility in this, making all of the parts and processes to gracious holiness available, functional, and 100% reliable and effective. Our part is to follow his instructions for growing it as word seeds. The focus and “measure” we put into this will determine the outcome we get. It’s therefore not dependent on our circumstances, upbringing, personality, intellect, education, wealth, or race. It’s our responsibility to “take heed” what we hear; and the measure of doing this will ultimately determine the measure it works for us.
Jesus was saying that through this process—based on his successful mission on earth, including the cross; and based on the integrity of God, his word, and promises—you can enjoy any and every outcome that is yours in the new birth, as revealed in God’s word. From God’s side, the potential of this is limitless; he said the only limit exists on our side; it depends on the measure we are willing to invest in heeding his word and growing it to harvest in the soil of our hearts. (To learn more about this, I recommend my book: David W. Palmer, The Day God Explained Himself: Lulu)
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