Mark 4:20King James Version (KJV)

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mark 4:20 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

²⁰ The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce thirty or sixty or even a hundred times as much as was planted.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts.

These are these people that devote their lives to the Lord, those of true to Faith the real Christians.

Job 6:18-20King James Version (KJV)

18 The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

19 The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

20 They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.

Job 6:18-20 Good News Translation (GNT)

¹⁸ Caravans get lost looking for water;
 they wander and die in the desert.
¹⁹ Caravans from Sheba and Tema search,
²⁰  but their hope dies beside dry streams.

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

18 Caravans were groups of people that travel together for safety reasons because it could be dangerous and travel in numbers made it safer than traveling alone. Running out of water was a big problem in those days not only would they have to find water for themselves but need to find water for the animals that are with them. The area in the bible is surrounded by desert. The body dies without water quickly and with the heat of the desert it would be even sooner.

19 Sheba is in Arabia which is full of desert. Tema is on the coast of Ghana. Traveling by foot was the common and easiest way to move then.

20 Dry streams were very common in the desert, the heat and lack of rain would cause them to dry up.

Mark 4:19King James Version (KJV)

19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Mark 4:19 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

¹⁹ But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American

 These are my thoughts.

We are not to let the struggles in this life keep us from going to the Lord.

Job 6:16-17King James Version (KJV)

16 Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:

17 What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

16 It is amazing how river can be frozen but underneath the water stills flows, it is amazing how the water can be so cold be still not be full of ice. Sometimes rivers can be hidden because of ice and snow they can be frozen over to where they can be walked on.

The ice melts when heat comes. The streams Job is referring to are streams without water so the ice and snow fill the stream and when it melts there is nothing left. We as Christians have the Living Waters of Christ and are to be never dried up but full.

Keep our eyes on Jesus. 

Mark 4:18King James Version (KJV)

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Mark 4:18 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

¹⁸ The seeds that fell among the thorn bushes are also people who hear the message.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts.

Many people will hear the message but many will not allow it to change their lives.

Job 6:14-15King James Version (KJV)

14 To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

15 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

Job 6:14-15 Good News Translation (GNT)

¹⁴ In trouble like this I need loyal friends—
 whether I've forsaken God or not.
¹⁵ But you, my friends, you deceive me like streams
 that go dry when no rain comes.

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

14 Friends come and go, there comes a time good friends will pass away, to have the Lord is forever. Job had his priorities all wrong, this may be the reason the Lord allows his good friends to talk to him because of him valuing their friendship more than his relationship with the Lord. We are to put no relationship before ours with the Lord.

15 Job was realizing that His friends were not as great as he thought they were, they were in their way defending God and not Job, they were wrong about things but they were saying one main truth that God was not doing wrong and Job should submit to Him, no matter how much we are living for Him we always could do more. 

Keep our eyes on Jesus.

Mark 4:17King James Version (KJV)

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

Mark 4:17 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

¹⁷ But they don’t have any roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts.

There are those out there that appear to be Christians but aren’t willing to put on the armor of God and fight.

Job 6:11-13King James Version (KJV)

11 What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?

12 Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

13 Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

Job 6:11-13 Good News Translation (GNT)

¹¹ What strength do I have to keep on living?
 Why go on living when I have no hope?
¹² Am I made of stone? Is my body bronze?
¹³ I have no strength left to save myself;
 there is nowhere I can turn for help.

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

11 We are to find our strength in the Lord, things will get hard sometimes and only He can truly bring us to where we need to be. He is our hope and sometimes people have to reach the place where they have no one to turn to before they turn to Him. He died for us that are the greatest hope we could ever have the hope of salvation and life with Him.

12 Job could be broken is his point here, we all can reach our breaking point and sometimes God allows to be broken so He can mold us and bring us back up to Him.

13 Job should have never been trying to save himself in the first place but should have been looking to the Lord the whole time, still he is not turning to him. We should not wait to turn to the Lord last but save time and problems and go to Him first because He can fix things for His will, that does not mean things will be fixed the way we want them to be but they way He knows they should be.

Keep our eyes on Jesus. 

Mark 4:16King James Version (KJV)

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

Mark 4:16 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

¹⁶ The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts.

There are some people who accept the gospel right away but we are stand with people as they grow with Christ.

Job 6:8-10King James Version (KJV)

8 Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

9 Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

10 Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

Job 6:8-10 Good News Translation (GNT)

⁸ Why won't God give me what I ask?
 Why won't he answer my prayer?
⁹ If only he would go ahead and kill me!
¹⁰ If I knew he would, I would leap for joy,
 no matter how great my pain.
I know that God is holy;
 I have never opposed what he commands.

Good News Translation (GNT) Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

8 God is good and if we are children of His then He hears our prayers, Job had faith in the Lord so God was listening to His prayers. God would answer Job’s prayers but it would be on His time and not on Job’s time, this is the same way for us God answers our prayers Him way not ours. God answering our prayers does not mean Him giving us what we want but what is best.

9 This was spoken out of Job’s grief; Job was not suicidal but did wish God would just do away with his life. Job was trying to understand what the Lord was doing but could not and only knew his life had gotten extremely hard, when things are hard it difficult to look past the troubles to see where God may be leading us.

10 Job knew that nothing he had done caused God to allow troubles in his life. Job says God is holy even though he is in grief and knows God allowed him problems that caused it. It is at the hardest times that ones true faith will come out and sadly those who are not truly His will run from Him.

Keep our eyes on Jesus