29Jul16

Mark 7:32-35
32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting 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.

Faith is messy. God isn't always pretty in the way He does things. Can you imagine for a second that you have been deaf your whole life and then some guy you've never met before sticks his fingers in your ears and spits in your mouth?! What?! Jesus did things like this a lot. Many of the miracles he worked involved spit, mud, and hands on action. If that's how He worked while on the earth why do we expect that our faith will be pretty? Could He have just spoken and the guys would have been healed? Yes. But, did He? No. Jesus consistatnly showed us through His actions that this life is not pretty. That the process of healing can be very messy. That sometimes we have to get down and dirty with ourselves and with others in order to bring healing. Are you willing to get a little messy for your faith or are you only good with God when things are clean and pretty?