<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 8;1-3<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him, and said to them,</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me three days, and have nothing to eat;</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;and if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come a long way.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Have you ever smelled a new-born baby? &nbsp;That is what heaven smells like, just&nbsp;like spring blossoms of wild woodland flowers!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>We may assume that the crowd had brought some food with them when they traveled to be with Jesus to&nbsp;be taught by Him. &nbsp;(I am certain He was also casting out demons and healing as He was accustomed to doing.)</div><div><br></div><div>We may also assume that what ever food they did have was completely consumed after being with Jesus for three days.</div><div><br></div><div>Being with Jesus was so captivating the people paid little attention to their own earthly needs. &nbsp;How wonderful that with Christ we become less and less&nbsp;concerned with our own physical welfare, wants, and needs.</div><div>How even more wonderful, that although we become less alert to our earthly needs,&nbsp;Jesus himself is still perfectly aware&nbsp;of our&nbsp;circumstances and has <i>“compassion on the crowd”, </i>(including us)<i>. &nbsp;</i>They may not be&nbsp;thinking much about ‘how they will get home’, but Jesus is.</div><div><br></div><div>He even knows that for some, ‘home’ is a long way away.</div><div><br></div><div>Why should we take time to note this? &nbsp;Because by this, we know&nbsp;our God cares not only for the cleansing of our souls, but also for the nurturing&nbsp;of our bodies. &nbsp;His prayer includes this petition, <i>“Giver us this day our daily bread.” &nbsp;</i></div><div><br></div><div><i></i>Even though the last time Jesus fed the 5000, they wrongly responded, wanting to make Him their&nbsp;</div><div>‘bread king.’ &nbsp;Yet, in spite of the fact that the people still fail to understand that Jesus is&nbsp;himself, <i>“the Bread of Life.” </i>(John 6;35) &nbsp;He, in his compassion, is concerned for their bodily needs. &nbsp;He is willing to do this for them, even though feeding them earthly bread,&nbsp;will certainly not by itself feed the hunger of their souls, (or ours). &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>We however, are blessed to understand God cares for us <u>both</u>&nbsp;body and soul. &nbsp;The death and resurrection&nbsp;&nbsp;of&nbsp;Jesus gives life to our souls the moment we believe, and it gives the promise of the resurrection to our earthly&nbsp;dying bodies too. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Heaven is a place where we will have immortal glorified bodies, and for us,&nbsp;(both body and soul) God says,<i>”On this mountain&nbsp;the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined.” &nbsp;</i>(Isaiah 25;6)</div><div><br></div><div>But, there is one item on that menu which our Lord will not let us taste, death itself. &nbsp;That is for Him alone to swallow up whole and for us never to know, Alleluia! &nbsp;(Isaiah 25;7&amp;8)</div><div><br></div><div>By that feast, all our sadnesses, sorrows, and sufferings will forever be lifted from us. &nbsp;All our tears and reproaches (memories of our past sins) will be utterly wiped away. &nbsp; Jesus carries <u>all</u>&nbsp;our sins away from us into the dark tomb, never to be seen or known&nbsp;again. &nbsp;This feast makes us truly, fully, new, like newborn children, innocent, fresh and&nbsp;pure, can you by faith smell that?</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;O Most Merciful Father, thank You for Your perfect understanding of <u>all</u>&nbsp;our needs. &nbsp;Bless us to become so enthralled with being with&nbsp;Jesus, that we too care little for our fleshly needs. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.<i></i></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><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 8;1-3
1.  In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him, and said to them,2.  “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me three days, and have nothing to eat;3.  and if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come a long way.”

Have you ever smelled a new-born baby?  That is what heaven smells like, just like spring blossoms of wild woodland flowers!

We may assume that the crowd had brought some food with them when they traveled to be with Jesus to be taught by Him.  (I am certain He was also casting out demons and healing as He was accustomed to doing.)
We may also assume that what ever food they did have was completely consumed after being with Jesus for three days.
Being with Jesus was so captivating the people paid little attention to their own earthly needs.  How wonderful that with Christ we become less and less concerned with our own physical welfare, wants, and needs.How even more wonderful, that although we become less alert to our earthly needs, Jesus himself is still perfectly aware of our circumstances and has “compassion on the crowd”, (including us).  They may not be thinking much about ‘how they will get home’, but Jesus is.
He even knows that for some, ‘home’ is a long way away.
Why should we take time to note this?  Because by this, we know our God cares not only for the cleansing of our souls, but also for the nurturing of our bodies.  His prayer includes this petition, “Giver us this day our daily bread.”  
Even though the last time Jesus fed the 5000, they wrongly responded, wanting to make Him their ‘bread king.’  Yet, in spite of the fact that the people still fail to understand that Jesus is himself, “the Bread of Life.” (John 6;35)  He, in his compassion, is concerned for their bodily needs.  He is willing to do this for them, even though feeding them earthly bread, will certainly not by itself feed the hunger of their souls, (or ours).  
We however, are blessed to understand God cares for us both body and soul.  The death and resurrection  of Jesus gives life to our souls the moment we believe, and it gives the promise of the resurrection to our earthly dying bodies too.  
Heaven is a place where we will have immortal glorified bodies, and for us, (both body and soul) God says,”On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined.”  (Isaiah 25;6)
But, there is one item on that menu which our Lord will not let us taste, death itself.  That is for Him alone to swallow up whole and for us never to know, Alleluia!  (Isaiah 25;7&8)
By that feast, all our sadnesses, sorrows, and sufferings will forever be lifted from us.  All our tears and reproaches (memories of our past sins) will be utterly wiped away.   Jesus carries all our sins away from us into the dark tomb, never to be seen or known again.  This feast makes us truly, fully, new, like newborn children, innocent, fresh and pure, can you by faith smell that?
Prayer:  O Most Merciful Father, thank You for Your perfect understanding of all our needs.  Bless us to become so enthralled with being with Jesus, that we too care little for our fleshly needs.  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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