<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div><b>32. &nbsp;That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.</b><div><b>33. &nbsp;And the whole city was gathered about the door.</b></div><div><b>34. &nbsp;And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The term, <i>“diseases” </i>is curious. &nbsp;Quite literally, it means ‘<u>not</u>&nbsp;at ease’, discomforted means <u>not</u>&nbsp;comforted. &nbsp;Humans are hard-wired into their fleshly nervous system. &nbsp;Pain is transmitted almost&nbsp;instantly&nbsp;to the brain by our fleshes’ nervous system. &nbsp;It demands action (if at all possible) to ease the pain and to comfort the flesh. &nbsp;Our&nbsp;flesh is very demanding, it does not tolerate pain well. &nbsp;Its’ only impulse is to find relief, healing, and comfort.</div><div><br></div><div>How then are we to understand the saying, “No pain, no gain,”&nbsp;especially&nbsp;in the area of physical growth. &nbsp;Increasing&nbsp;of&nbsp;strength, endurance, abilities, and health, requires some&nbsp;pain. This pain&nbsp;is&nbsp;not an&nbsp;indication of something&nbsp;negative, but rather a positive. &nbsp;Exercise quickly becomes painful and exhausting, yet it is for our good. &nbsp;It builds us up, expands our abilities, and after hard work, there comes a flood of endorphins, a&nbsp;brain chemistry which gives a sensation of pleasure.</div><div><br></div><div>I believe this truth about pain helps us understand when&nbsp;Jesus says, <i>“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 16;24). &nbsp;Not all physical suffering is bad. &nbsp;However, the sort of ‘self-denial’ Jesus is here referring to has more to do with the setting aside of the fearing and selfish&nbsp;human will, to become a servant rather than seeking to be served.</div><div><br></div><div>Certainly Jesus cares about our bodies as well as our souls. &nbsp;We confess that on the last day&nbsp;our bodies will be raised immortal,&nbsp;imperishable, and&nbsp;glorified. &nbsp;But, which must&nbsp;come first, our own&nbsp;healthy&nbsp;spirit or our&nbsp;flesh? &nbsp;Answer:&nbsp;The spirit, our soul, our will, our mind. &nbsp;This is where all true eternal healing begins.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;All earthly healings in this life are only temporary, death is still working in our physical bodies. &nbsp;We may gain relief through healing&nbsp;from physical suffering for a season, but in the end, death&nbsp;comes to us all.</div><div><br></div><div>Not all who were physically healed by Jesus were also spiritually healed. &nbsp;Jesus’ power over all matter, our flesh, the wind and waves, bread and fish, is shown to us not for the sake of escaping all physical dis-eases and fearful sufferings, but to reveal to us just exactly <u>who</u>&nbsp;Jesus is, God incarnate, the Giver of all Life. &nbsp;The One who is able to heal our sin-sick souls, and make our spirit to be aligned with His own.</div><div><br></div><div>We all understand our sensitivity to&nbsp;and&nbsp;awareness of physical&nbsp;hunger and pain, how mysterious that our souls and spirits are not hard-wired into our physical nervous system, so that we actually felt the suffering of our hunger and thirst for righteousness and the comfort of sin forgiven.</div><div><br></div><div>True healing to our souls and spirits comes&nbsp;<u>only</u>&nbsp;through the Word and Holy Sprit. &nbsp;Yet, we are insensible to our own spiritual pain, and we neglect our own suffering souls and spirits. &nbsp;We ‘feel’ no compulsion to hear,&nbsp;read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s living Word. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Therefore, we by faith&nbsp;must be ‘physicians’ to our own sin-sick&nbsp;souls and spirits and comfort&nbsp;them with the healing Word. &nbsp;The doctor does not feel your pain, yet, he understands what you need to be truly comforted, and he ministers to your physical afflictions. &nbsp;God, the Holy Spirit within you, is your true physician, urging you to apply daily the healing, comforting&nbsp;Word to your souls and spirits.</div><div><br></div><div>How differently we should feel about regular Bible reading and worship at church with Holy</div><div>&nbsp;Communion! &nbsp;Oh, if only we felt our spiritual pain like we feel our physical pain. &nbsp;The churches would be overflowing, it would be like the town of humanity crowding around the House of the Lord. &nbsp;True wisdom understands our Good Physician is pleading with us to ‘apply the medicine of Life’ God’s Word.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, our spiritual nervous system is broken. &nbsp;We feel not the pains of our sin and selfishness. &nbsp;Yet, You have by Your Word revealed both our sickness and Your Cure. &nbsp;Bless us to not neglect the healing comfort of Your Word and Spirit, the ‘Balm of Gilead’ .&nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”<br><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


32.  That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.33.  And the whole city was gathered about the door.34.  And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
The term, “diseases” is curious.  Quite literally, it means ‘not at ease’, discomforted means not comforted.  Humans are hard-wired into their fleshly nervous system.  Pain is transmitted almost instantly to the brain by our fleshes’ nervous system.  It demands action (if at all possible) to ease the pain and to comfort the flesh.  Our flesh is very demanding, it does not tolerate pain well.  Its’ only impulse is to find relief, healing, and comfort.
How then are we to understand the saying, “No pain, no gain,” especially in the area of physical growth.  Increasing of strength, endurance, abilities, and health, requires some pain. This pain is not an indication of something negative, but rather a positive.  Exercise quickly becomes painful and exhausting, yet it is for our good.  It builds us up, expands our abilities, and after hard work, there comes a flood of endorphins, a brain chemistry which gives a sensation of pleasure.
I believe this truth about pain helps us understand when Jesus says, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  (Matthew 16;24).  Not all physical suffering is bad.  However, the sort of ‘self-denial’ Jesus is here referring to has more to do with the setting aside of the fearing and selfish human will, to become a servant rather than seeking to be served.
Certainly Jesus cares about our bodies as well as our souls.  We confess that on the last day our bodies will be raised immortal, imperishable, and glorified.  But, which must come first, our own healthy spirit or our flesh?  Answer: The spirit, our soul, our will, our mind.  This is where all true eternal healing begins. 
 All earthly healings in this life are only temporary, death is still working in our physical bodies.  We may gain relief through healing from physical suffering for a season, but in the end, death comes to us all.
Not all who were physically healed by Jesus were also spiritually healed.  Jesus’ power over all matter, our flesh, the wind and waves, bread and fish, is shown to us not for the sake of escaping all physical dis-eases and fearful sufferings, but to reveal to us just exactly who Jesus is, God incarnate, the Giver of all Life.  The One who is able to heal our sin-sick souls, and make our spirit to be aligned with His own.
We all understand our sensitivity to and awareness of physical hunger and pain, how mysterious that our souls and spirits are not hard-wired into our physical nervous system, so that we actually felt the suffering of our hunger and thirst for righteousness and the comfort of sin forgiven.
True healing to our souls and spirits comes only through the Word and Holy Sprit.  Yet, we are insensible to our own spiritual pain, and we neglect our own suffering souls and spirits.  We ‘feel’ no compulsion to hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s living Word.  
Therefore, we by faith must be ‘physicians’ to our own sin-sick souls and spirits and comfort them with the healing Word.  The doctor does not feel your pain, yet, he understands what you need to be truly comforted, and he ministers to your physical afflictions.  God, the Holy Spirit within you, is your true physician, urging you to apply daily the healing, comforting Word to your souls and spirits.
How differently we should feel about regular Bible reading and worship at church with Holy Communion!  Oh, if only we felt our spiritual pain like we feel our physical pain.  The churches would be overflowing, it would be like the town of humanity crowding around the House of the Lord.  True wisdom understands our Good Physician is pleading with us to ‘apply the medicine of Life’ God’s Word.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, our spiritual nervous system is broken.  We feel not the pains of our sin and selfishness.  Yet, You have by Your Word revealed both our sickness and Your Cure.  Bless us to not neglect the healing comfort of Your Word and Spirit, the ‘Balm of Gilead’ . In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle PastorA chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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