Dirty Bible, Clean Heart

  "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears...and he was heard because of his reverent submission.  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered ..." -Hebrews 5:7-8 Last fall, which considering present global circumstances seems like ages ago, I remember having lunch with a friend. We were catching up and began talking about what God was doing in each of our lives. The prayer requests that we had, places God was leading us into, etc. As the conversation progressed, my friend said something to me that really caught my attention. She said, "you know I have this special type of relationship with God that basically anytime I ask Him for something He just does it for me!" As I thought about her statement, my friends words really resonated with me. Although God had not yet answered every single prayer request at that time, I did think that for the most part I pretty much received wh...

  "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-- how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" Maybe no one knows or perhaps everyone does but God knows. In fact, it's become your number one prayer request. And even if you haven't mentioned it that much, deep inside you want to. You desperately want to ask God to do this one thing for you but perhaps you don't because it's so precious that should you ask and not receive it, the disappointment would be overwhelming. After much wishing and praying the day comes when God gives you His word that He will do it!  He is going to fulfill that desire of your heart. Tears of joy run down your face as you wonder in awe at God's love and kindness that He should give you such a wonderful promise. Faith fills your heart and thanksgiving your lips. But what you may not realize in that moment of ecstasy is that between God giving you a promise and Him actually fulfilling it is a four-...

  "If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people"- Charles Spurgeon I think there are few things in life as frustrating as waiting. Whether it be something small such as waiting for food at a restaurant to major things like waiting for test results from your doctor's office. Waiting is hard. Yet the life of the Christian will undoubtedly include seasons of waiting (a fact that most Old and New Testament saints can attest to). Waiting is not a class we pass and  move on from. On the contrary, waiting is similar to your math courses in high school...there are several, each one a step above the last. When we complete a season of waiting, be assured that another one lies in the future. Simply ...

While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader.  “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” -Mark 5:35  Has God ever given you a specific promise for your life? For some that might mean a new business venture, or a baby, perhaps a spouse, or maybe even a ministry. These are some of the things that many of us desire and that (I believe) God wants to freely give us (Rom 8:32). All throughout the Bible, we see God making promises with His chosen people. And because Hebrews 13:8 declares that God "is the same yesterday, today, and forever" we can rest assured that if God fulfilled promises to His people then, He will do so today as well. But what if the promise God made you is taking longer than expected? In fact, what if between the time that God spoke that promise over your life and now, things have actually grown worse?!  What do we do then? The Bible has plenty to say about waitin...

"When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples  to ask him, “ Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else ?”  Jesus replied,  “ Go back and report to John what you hear and see:   The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.  Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me ." -Matthew 11:2-6 I cannot imagine what John must have felt. His circumstances had changed quite drastically. Before his imprisonment, he had led a flourishing and vibrant ministry but now sat in a dark and dirty prison. And as the days, weeks, and even months drew on, John never expected to experience the doubts and questions that he did. Was Jesus really  the  Messiah? All the signs pointed towards a resounding  yes!  Yet as he sat in that prison, John wondered...had h...

  "Self-love is, no doubt, the usual foundation of human jealousy...the fear lest another should by any means supplant us." -Charles Spurgeon As they danced, they sang:  “Saul has slain his thousands,  and David his tens of thousands.”  Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. -1 Samuel 18:7-9 I don't think there's yet to be a human on this Earth that has not experienced jealousy at one time or another. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel, Leah of her sister Rachael, King Saul of his servant David, even the church of Corinth over the different ministers within its walls (1 Cor 3:3-4). Jealousy is much more common a sin than we think yet one that oftentimes goes unacknowledged, unnoticed, or  disguised underneath layers of anger and resentment. Is jealousy simply ...

  "God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering ." -Saint Augustine  "For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." -2 Cor 1:5 I don't think that any of us particularly enjoy suffering. In fact, we spend most of our time trying to avoid even the least bit of it. I was reminded of this during the beginning of this Covid-19 pandemic when I saw the massive crowds rushing to the grocery store purchasing what seemed like an excessive amount of food and toilet paper. I understand that these shopping patterns were mainly driven by fear, but it made my point nonetheless. As humans we cringe at even the thought of the slightest discomfort. Even natural forces such as wind and water do this. The theory is rightly termed the path of least resistance . And this is the path that we often take, sometimes even unknowingly to us. However following Jesus will at times require us to go through ...