<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 7;31-35<div><br></div><div><b>31. &nbsp;Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the Decapolis.</b></div><div><b>32. &nbsp;And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an&nbsp;impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hands upon him.</b></div><div><b>33. &nbsp;And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue;</b></div><div><b>34. &nbsp;and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”</b></div><div><b>35. &nbsp;And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.</b></div><div><b>36. &nbsp;And he charged the man to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.</b></div><div><b>37. &nbsp;And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He had done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>This miracle of healing belongs to&nbsp;almost all of us, praise God!&nbsp; God has given to almost all of&nbsp;us&nbsp;the gifts of hearing and of speaking.</div><div><br></div><div>This poor man received his gifts late in life…what a blessing. &nbsp;He was old enough to appreciate and recognize their magnitude and meaning, are we?</div><div><br></div><div>We take these gifts from God for granted and fail to understand how good God is to give them to us.</div><div><br></div><div>I believe this healed man was himself (along with the crowds)&nbsp;astonished beyond measure and thanked God continually, for not&nbsp;only the gifts Christ gave him, but for Jesus himself; &nbsp;as Nicodemus testified saying, <i>“Rabbi, we know you are a teacher <u>come from God</u>; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” &nbsp;</i>(John 3;2)<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>But, the gifts of hearing and of speech we take for granted are not the greatest gifts which God has given us,</div><div>rather the gifts of His Truth revealed in His Word, and the Holy Spirit, by which we have the power to dedicate our hearing to the hearing of the Truth, and our speech to the speaking of God’s truth to others, as well as our own&nbsp;&nbsp;praise in&nbsp;worship continually.</div><div><br></div><div>To truly hear, and to truly speak, is to hear with faith, and to speak with faith, all to God’s Glory, astonished by God’s immeasurable goodness to us. &nbsp;To hear a baby cry or a bird sing, and know God is behind it all and empowering it all, should keep us in a continual state of astonished worship and praise.</div><div><br></div><div>Our worship and praise is not just for these daily miracles which surround us continually (and we are tempted to&nbsp;take for granted) but they should draw us to acknowledge the goodness of God who gives them all, and above all Who gives us Jesus, repentance, and faith to believe AND to, <i>“live for the praise of His&nbsp;glory.” &nbsp;</i>(Ephesians 1;12)</div><div><br></div><div>Above all, we can now by the Holy Spirit and the gift of faith,&nbsp;devote our own&nbsp;hearing and speaking to the Word made flesh,&nbsp;Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord. &nbsp;Truly, all of our lives may now by faith&nbsp;be filled with fruitful,&nbsp;astonished, wonderment, and gratitude at the great&nbsp;goodness of God. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Blessed Father in Heaven, open our ears and lose our tongues that we hear and speak in the faith which keeps us astonished and ever thankful for all your mercies and gifts to us. &nbsp;Bless us to <i>“Be Opened”</i>to understand that life itself, with all the gifts You give us, is to be rejoiced in, and&nbsp;treasured far&nbsp;above all gold and silver. &nbsp;Inspire us to hear and speak with faith, which acknowledges not only Your works for us&nbsp;in Creation, but EVEN MORE, which&nbsp;acknowledges Your work for us in the incarnation, atonement, and&nbsp;the&nbsp;resurrection of our Lord Jesus. &nbsp;Finally, above all, bless us to joyful&nbsp;participation with Him in them, all through our&nbsp;Holy Baptism into Christ. &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.”</div><div><br></div><div><b><br></b></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></body></html>


Mark 7;31-35
31.  Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the Decapolis.32.  And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hands upon him.33.  And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue;34.  and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”35.  And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.36.  And he charged the man to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.37.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He had done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
This miracle of healing belongs to almost all of us, praise God!  God has given to almost all of us the gifts of hearing and of speaking.
This poor man received his gifts late in life…what a blessing.  He was old enough to appreciate and recognize their magnitude and meaning, are we?
We take these gifts from God for granted and fail to understand how good God is to give them to us.
I believe this healed man was himself (along with the crowds) astonished beyond measure and thanked God continually, for not only the gifts Christ gave him, but for Jesus himself;  as Nicodemus testified saying, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”  (John 3;2)
But, the gifts of hearing and of speech we take for granted are not the greatest gifts which God has given us,rather the gifts of His Truth revealed in His Word, and the Holy Spirit, by which we have the power to dedicate our hearing to the hearing of the Truth, and our speech to the speaking of God’s truth to others, as well as our own  praise in worship continually.
To truly hear, and to truly speak, is to hear with faith, and to speak with faith, all to God’s Glory, astonished by God’s immeasurable goodness to us.  To hear a baby cry or a bird sing, and know God is behind it all and empowering it all, should keep us in a continual state of astonished worship and praise.
Our worship and praise is not just for these daily miracles which surround us continually (and we are tempted to take for granted) but they should draw us to acknowledge the goodness of God who gives them all, and above all Who gives us Jesus, repentance, and faith to believe AND to, “live for the praise of His glory.”  (Ephesians 1;12)
Above all, we can now by the Holy Spirit and the gift of faith, devote our own hearing and speaking to the Word made flesh, Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord.  Truly, all of our lives may now by faith be filled with fruitful, astonished, wonderment, and gratitude at the great goodness of God.  
Prayer:  Blessed Father in Heaven, open our ears and lose our tongues that we hear and speak in the faith which keeps us astonished and ever thankful for all your mercies and gifts to us.  Bless us to “Be Opened”to understand that life itself, with all the gifts You give us, is to be rejoiced in, and treasured far above all gold and silver.  Inspire us to hear and speak with faith, which acknowledges not only Your works for us in Creation, but EVEN MORE, which acknowledges Your work for us in the incarnation, atonement, and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  Finally, above all, bless us to joyful participation with Him in them, all through our Holy Baptism into Christ.   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.”




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