<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 6;33-35a<div><br></div><div><b>33. &nbsp;Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.</b></div><div><b>34. &nbsp;As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.</b></div><div><b>35a. &nbsp;And when it grew late, his disciples came to &nbsp;him—</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Imagine you had just finished a long journey, (a ‘business trip so to speak’), it had been successful, but you were tired and looked forward to getting home. &nbsp;On the way&nbsp;back home, you learned that while you were gone, your dear friend, someone you highly respected who had been&nbsp;<span>wrongly imprisoned, had been unjustly killed while in that prison. &nbsp;He had been beheaded!</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>You are not only exhausted from your long journey, but now&nbsp;you were in shock and deep grief over the murder of your dearly respected friend. &nbsp;(Who had been murdered for doing just what you&nbsp;had been doing, calling people to repent.&nbsp;You may also be being assaulted with the fear that you could be next!)&nbsp;&nbsp;Your much loved pastor and trusted spiritual guide says to you, “You need to get away for a while, be <span>alone without responsibilities,</span>&nbsp;and just rest.”</div><div><br></div><div>This sounds wonderful to you. &nbsp;You go with your pastor on this ‘retreat’&nbsp;aboard a boat which&nbsp;takes you to a lonely place. &nbsp;But, as you arrive, it isn’t a quiet, lonely place of retreat, but a disaster area! &nbsp;It is&nbsp;&nbsp;over crowded with people in need! &nbsp;Would you not be a little disappointed and frustrated? &nbsp;You were primed for some personal time away from duties and&nbsp;the demands of others, alone with your pastor to teach and comfort you. &nbsp;This was to be a nice little spiritual&nbsp;mini-vacation for you…</div><div><br></div><div>Instead of your pastor saying, “Back in the boat my friends, we will find another quiet place for you to rest in.”</div><div>He gets out of the boat and begins to care for this huge needy crowd, all day long and into the evening!</div><div><br></div><div>You and your disgruntled grieving&nbsp;friends watch him go with his compassion for the crowds, but there is no room for&nbsp;compassion in your own sorrowing and exhausted hearts. &nbsp;You and your friends separate yourselves as best as you can from your pastor and try to find a little place of rest and peace <u>away from your pastor and the crowd.</u>&nbsp; You wait for your pastor to finally come back and care for you, but he doesn’t.</div><div><br></div><div>So you and your exasperated friends decide to separate from&nbsp;your pastor instead!<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>Is there not a limit to how much our Lord expects from us? &nbsp;No.</div><div><br></div><div>He has given us a new clean heart and a ‘right’ spirit within us. &nbsp;That heart and spirit are his very own. &nbsp;In Christ, we too can be exhausted, sorrowful, <u>AND still have compassion for others, AND serve them.</u></div><div><u><br></u></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;O Most Merciful Heavenly Father, grant us grace&nbsp;and faith to believe Christ indwells us by the Holy Spirit, AND, <i>“I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” &nbsp;</i>(Philippians 4;13). Bless us dear Father to embrace whatever you lay upon us as coming from Your perfect plan and will for us. &nbsp;Deliver us from self-seeking and self-serving, we pray, in Jesus, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, everyday, progressively, be transformed,’soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><b><br></b><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></div></div></body></html>


Mark 6;33-35a
33.  Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.34.  As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.35a.  And when it grew late, his disciples came to  him—
Imagine you had just finished a long journey, (a ‘business trip so to speak’), it had been successful, but you were tired and looked forward to getting home.  On the way back home, you learned that while you were gone, your dear friend, someone you highly respected who had been wrongly imprisoned, had been unjustly killed while in that prison.  He had been beheaded!
You are not only exhausted from your long journey, but now you were in shock and deep grief over the murder of your dearly respected friend.  (Who had been murdered for doing just what you had been doing, calling people to repent. You may also be being assaulted with the fear that you could be next!)  Your much loved pastor and trusted spiritual guide says to you, “You need to get away for a while, be alone without responsibilities, and just rest.”
This sounds wonderful to you.  You go with your pastor on this ‘retreat’ aboard a boat which takes you to a lonely place.  But, as you arrive, it isn’t a quiet, lonely place of retreat, but a disaster area!  It is  over crowded with people in need!  Would you not be a little disappointed and frustrated?  You were primed for some personal time away from duties and the demands of others, alone with your pastor to teach and comfort you.  This was to be a nice little spiritual mini-vacation for you…
Instead of your pastor saying, “Back in the boat my friends, we will find another quiet place for you to rest in.”He gets out of the boat and begins to care for this huge needy crowd, all day long and into the evening!
You and your disgruntled grieving friends watch him go with his compassion for the crowds, but there is no room for compassion in your own sorrowing and exhausted hearts.  You and your friends separate yourselves as best as you can from your pastor and try to find a little place of rest and peace away from your pastor and the crowd.  You wait for your pastor to finally come back and care for you, but he doesn’t.
So you and your exasperated friends decide to separate from your pastor instead!
Is there not a limit to how much our Lord expects from us?  No.
He has given us a new clean heart and a ‘right’ spirit within us.  That heart and spirit are his very own.  In Christ, we too can be exhausted, sorrowful, AND still have compassion for others, AND serve them.
Prayer:  O Most Merciful Heavenly Father, grant us grace and faith to believe Christ indwells us by the Holy Spirit, AND, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4;13). Bless us dear Father to embrace whatever you lay upon us as coming from Your perfect plan and will for us.  Deliver us from self-seeking and self-serving, we pray, in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, everyday, progressively, be transformed,’soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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