<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Mark 13;7&amp;8<div><br></div><div><b>7. &nbsp;And when you hear of wars</b><b>&nbsp;and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet.</b></div><div><b>8. &nbsp;For nation will rise against the nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the sufferings.</b></div><div><br></div><div>In the great Luther hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” &nbsp;we learn that in the very midst of the war between heaven and hell, (which rages down through the ages),&nbsp;God desires us to have the peace of Jesus. &nbsp;</div><div><i>“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. &nbsp;Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my&nbsp;enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.”&nbsp; </i>(Psalm 23;4&amp;5)</div><div><i>“Peace, I leave with&nbsp;you, my peace I give to&nbsp;you, not as the world gives do I give to you. &nbsp;Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. </i>(John 14;27)</div><div><br></div><div>Notice in today’s reading Jesus says, <i>“do not be alarmed”. &nbsp; </i>This is a <u>command</u>&nbsp;of our Lord to us all.</div><div>Unholy fear seeks to enter us&nbsp;like a thief. &nbsp;Leave him out in the cold,&nbsp;let him&nbsp;find&nbsp;no place in us. &nbsp; He&nbsp;seeks&nbsp;to disturb and rob us of&nbsp;our sense of security and calm, tempting us to doubt God’s protecting love.&nbsp; God’s plans for us are always and only good, no matter how the war rages around us. &nbsp;We remain safe. (see Jeremiah 29;11)</div><div><i><br></i></div><div><i>“Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. &nbsp;We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. &nbsp;He who does not love remains in death.” &nbsp;</i>(1 John 3;13&amp;14)</div><div>We have already died with Jesus and have been raised with Him&nbsp;to a life which cannot be taken from us.</div><div>Death for us is just a doorway into&nbsp;the presence of our loving&nbsp;King. &nbsp;Death holds no terror for those who have (in their baptism)&nbsp;already died.</div><div><br></div><div>The signs Jesus spoke of have been with us&nbsp;&nbsp;through the ages. &nbsp;They are a reminder of the shortness of time and the nearness of Jesus’ return. &nbsp;These signs are meant by God to keep us about the business of the Kingdom, the making of disciples. &nbsp;We are called to bring&nbsp;the lost and erring into the Mighty Fortress of God, with&nbsp;the great Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. &nbsp;In Him,&nbsp;death has been defeated, the sufferings of this dying world hold no&nbsp;terror for us.&nbsp;We who have been given the gifts of repentance and faith now have the very life and&nbsp;peace of Jesus&nbsp;resting in our souls.</div><div><i>“The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”</i></div><div>(Philippians 4;7)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to believe that in the perfect love of&nbsp;Christ, resting in us,&nbsp;we have the power by the Word and Holy Spirit,&nbsp;to cast out all fear. (see, 1 John 4;18) &nbsp;As the world around us goes spinning off in&nbsp;dismay and despair, make us strong witnesses to Your peace, the peace of sin forgiven,&nbsp;resting in us. &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><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></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 13;7&8
7.  And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet.8.  For nation will rise against the nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the sufferings.
In the great Luther hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God,”  we learn that in the very midst of the war between heaven and hell, (which rages down through the ages), God desires us to have the peace of Jesus.  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.”  (Psalm 23;4&5)“Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. (John 14;27)
Notice in today’s reading Jesus says, “do not be alarmed”.   This is a command of our Lord to us all.Unholy fear seeks to enter us like a thief.  Leave him out in the cold, let him find no place in us.   He seeks to disturb and rob us of our sense of security and calm, tempting us to doubt God’s protecting love.  God’s plans for us are always and only good, no matter how the war rages around us.  We remain safe. (see Jeremiah 29;11)
“Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you.  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love remains in death.”  (1 John 3;13&14)We have already died with Jesus and have been raised with Him to a life which cannot be taken from us.Death for us is just a doorway into the presence of our loving King.  Death holds no terror for those who have (in their baptism) already died.
The signs Jesus spoke of have been with us  through the ages.  They are a reminder of the shortness of time and the nearness of Jesus’ return.  These signs are meant by God to keep us about the business of the Kingdom, the making of disciples.  We are called to bring the lost and erring into the Mighty Fortress of God, with the great Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In Him, death has been defeated, the sufferings of this dying world hold no terror for us. We who have been given the gifts of repentance and faith now have the very life and peace of Jesus resting in our souls.“The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4;7)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to believe that in the perfect love of Christ, resting in us, we have the power by the Word and Holy Spirit, to cast out all fear. (see, 1 John 4;18)  As the world around us goes spinning off in dismay and despair, make us strong witnesses to Your peace, the peace of sin forgiven, resting in us.  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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