<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 6;48-52<div><br></div><div><b>48. &nbsp;And he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. &nbsp;And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. &nbsp;He meant to pass by them,</b></div><div><b>49. &nbsp;But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out;</b></div><div><b>50. &nbsp;for they all saw him, and were terrified. &nbsp;But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”</b></div><div><b>51. &nbsp;And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. &nbsp;And they were utterly astounded,</b></div><div><b>52. &nbsp;for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>We create our own ‘head-winds’.</div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Our Lord does send us into difficulties where the ‘winds’ <u>are</u>&nbsp;against us,&nbsp;&nbsp;just as in the case of Jesus commanding them saying, <i>“You give them something to eat.” &nbsp; </i>Human reasoning,&nbsp;limited human strength, and resources do&nbsp;combine to create great head-winds which&nbsp;oppose our progress in doing&nbsp;the Lord’s will.</div><div><br></div><div>Just as Jesus miraculously multiplied the loaves and the fishes, He, in His&nbsp;mercy sees our fleshly, struggling, lack of progress, and He comes to us, (by Word and Spirit with patient forgiveness.)&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>When our text says, <i>“He meant to pass them by.”</i>&nbsp; we may conclude that the disciples, (simply seeing Jesus&nbsp;miraculously walking on the water, crossing to Beth-saida), should, in just seeing Him passing,&nbsp;have been sufficiently&nbsp;encouraged&nbsp;to labor on, knowing that He had gone before them supernaturally as he is certainly able to,&nbsp;and would be there to meet&nbsp;them upon their arrival. &nbsp;It should have been enough just seeing Him walk by.</div><div><br></div><div>But, instead of taking courage and laboring on, the disciples forgot that Jesus can do anything, He is the Son of God. &nbsp;Nothing in this world is too hard for Him. &nbsp;When he said to them, ‘Get in the boat, cross over to the other side.’ &nbsp; scripture records, <i>“He sent them </i><u>before Him.”</u>&nbsp; That tells us Jesus told them He would meet them there in Beth-saida. &nbsp;That Word of their Lord <u>should</u>&nbsp;have been enough for them. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But, rather than take their strength and courage from his Word to them, they chose to forget who their teacher was, and instead they allowed their own personal experience with water, their fatigue, and self- created confusion to make them forget His Word. Instead they&nbsp;become terrified, thinking they saw a ghost! &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>God’s Word to us transcends human understanding, logic, and reason. &nbsp;When will we get it into our heads that His Word to us is the greater reality?!&nbsp;&nbsp;When will we stop trusting in our emotions,&nbsp;doubts, reason,&nbsp;and human experience?<span>&nbsp; If He says He goes before us and will meet us, <u>He will!</u></span></div><div><span><u><br></u></span></div><div><span>By&nbsp;speaking to them, telling them He is&nbsp;their teacher (and not a ghost), telling them to <i>“Take heart, have no fear.” &nbsp; </i>it is as if&nbsp;He is saying, ‘Here, have some of this delicious&nbsp;roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy which&nbsp;my Father made for you&nbsp;(My Word),&nbsp;and stop eating the poison of your own cooking!’ (Your own&nbsp;emotions,&nbsp;logic, and reasoning)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The fact that He got into the boat and the wind ceased, can be likened to a mother picking up a baby who is crying in the dark. &nbsp;Even when we act like faithless babies, our Lord has compassion on us and does what he must to deliver us from ourselves. &nbsp;He continually, patiently, keeps on embracing us (in our own darkness)&nbsp;by His patiently&nbsp;teaching us, praise God.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, who in Your&nbsp;perfect love, patiently continues to lead us into all Your Truth by the Holy Spirit;&nbsp;grant us to be delivered from hard-hearted trust in our own logic and reasoning. &nbsp;Bless us to know, Your Word to us is the greater reality. &nbsp; Christ our Savior and Lord has gone</span><span>&nbsp;</span><span>before us and promises&nbsp;</span><span>we shall someday see Him with our own eyes, (even as His loving eye</span><span>&nbsp;ever sees us with compassion&nbsp;</span><span>in all our struggles </span><span>and weaknesses.)</span><span>&nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“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.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><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>


Mark 6;48-52
48.  And he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them.  And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.  He meant to pass by them,49.  But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out;50.  for they all saw him, and were terrified.  But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”51.  And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.  And they were utterly astounded,52.  for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

We create our own ‘head-winds’.
Our Lord does send us into difficulties where the ‘winds’ are against us,  just as in the case of Jesus commanding them saying, “You give them something to eat.”   Human reasoning, limited human strength, and resources do combine to create great head-winds which oppose our progress in doing the Lord’s will.
Just as Jesus miraculously multiplied the loaves and the fishes, He, in His mercy sees our fleshly, struggling, lack of progress, and He comes to us, (by Word and Spirit with patient forgiveness.) 
When our text says, “He meant to pass them by.”  we may conclude that the disciples, (simply seeing Jesus miraculously walking on the water, crossing to Beth-saida), should, in just seeing Him passing, have been sufficiently encouraged to labor on, knowing that He had gone before them supernaturally as he is certainly able to, and would be there to meet them upon their arrival.  It should have been enough just seeing Him walk by.
But, instead of taking courage and laboring on, the disciples forgot that Jesus can do anything, He is the Son of God.  Nothing in this world is too hard for Him.  When he said to them, ‘Get in the boat, cross over to the other side.’   scripture records, “He sent them before Him.”  That tells us Jesus told them He would meet them there in Beth-saida.  That Word of their Lord should have been enough for them.  
But, rather than take their strength and courage from his Word to them, they chose to forget who their teacher was, and instead they allowed their own personal experience with water, their fatigue, and self- created confusion to make them forget His Word. Instead they become terrified, thinking they saw a ghost!  
God’s Word to us transcends human understanding, logic, and reason.  When will we get it into our heads that His Word to us is the greater reality?!  When will we stop trusting in our emotions, doubts, reason, and human experience?  If He says He goes before us and will meet us, He will!
By speaking to them, telling them He is their teacher (and not a ghost), telling them to “Take heart, have no fear.”   it is as if He is saying, ‘Here, have some of this delicious roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy which my Father made for you (My Word), and stop eating the poison of your own cooking!’ (Your own emotions, logic, and reasoning)
The fact that He got into the boat and the wind ceased, can be likened to a mother picking up a baby who is crying in the dark.  Even when we act like faithless babies, our Lord has compassion on us and does what he must to deliver us from ourselves.  He continually, patiently, keeps on embracing us (in our own darkness) by His patiently teaching us, praise God.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, who in Your perfect love, patiently continues to lead us into all Your Truth by the Holy Spirit; grant us to be delivered from hard-hearted trust in our own logic and reasoning.  Bless us to know, Your Word to us is the greater reality.   Christ our Savior and Lord has gone before us and promises we shall someday see Him with our own eyes, (even as His loving eye ever sees us with compassion in all our struggles and weaknesses.) In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
