Dirty Bible, Clean Heart

"He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering , and familiar with pain . Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem ." - Isaiah 53:3      I remember feeling extremely confused at first. Had I said something hurtful? Perhaps I had forgotten her birthday or broken a promise previously made? I did not remember having done/said anything to cause offense yet she refused to continue the friendship without so much as an explanation. I was around 8 maybe 9 years old when my one and only friend (for reasons unbeknownst to me as of this day) decided to call it quits! I had recently immigrated to the States with my family and spoke little English. This girl, being the only Spanish speaker in my grade, had quickly become my best  friend. Yet the friendship ended both quickly and abruptly. After replaying the days events and crying beyond consolation, I learned what rejection truly felt like. Whether it's the loss ...

  " For sin shall no longer be your master , because you are not under the law but under grace..." -Romans 6:14      There is a common unspoken belief amongst Christians that we cannot overcome sin. That somehow the victory that Jesus purchased is only enough to cleanse our sins yet not to give us power over them. I say unspoken because most would not openly admit to this belief, yet our actions agree to it. We go through life with this invisible sign on our backs that says  "I will try my best to live a godly Christian life because since I was born in sin, all I can really do is try and because God knows I'm only human, He won't expect anything more from me." Yet the death and resurrection of Jesus did more than just wipe our slate clean. God not only defeated death and sin but also gave us believers the power to overcome those very sins which once enslaved us (1 Cor 6:11). And not just some small sins either, the cross gives us power over all manner of...

  " And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever He chose ." -Hebrews 2:4 Have you ever asked God for something big in your life? Maybe financial freedom, bodily healing, or the dream of having a child. The prayers that seem biggest to us are truly nothing for God. But many times we forget that. In the midst of our tear-filled prayers, we act as if our requests are too hard, complex, or big for even God Himself. And if this line of thinking is prolonged, our doubts will fool us into believing that perhaps God does not want to answer our prayers...that miracles are a thing of ages past. But the record of Scripture shows a different picture. All throughout God's Word we see a God who brings water from a rock (Ex 17:5-6), fights against our enemies (2 Kings 19:35), and heals those fighting illnesses and in bondage to evil spirits (Matt 8:16). We, through our own weakness and unbelief, oftentimes place G...

  "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more .” -Heb 8:12      What's the worst thing you've done? Or that has been done to you? The event or sin you're constantly replaying in your mind and repeating in the prayer closet. I think most of us want to believe that God forgives each of our sins but oftentimes our words & actions/inactions betray us. We proclaim God's forgiveness but  continue reminding the Lord of our past failures each time they come to mind. But is this God's desire for us? To continue in an earthly state of "purgatory" until we've paid our debt? Until we feel enough guilt and shame for what we have done? Did not Jesus die for this very reason? Does not the Bible say that "God made H im who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21).  So if the Lord already paid the price for our sins taking upon Himself any shame attached, how do w...

"David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife ..." -Matt 1:6 We live in a pessimistic world. Regardless of how many motivational speakers and life coaches we hear, our society bombards us with negative messages. From a young age we are subconsciously led to believe that our past determines our future and habits create our identity. For example, we do not say a person "has a drinking problem" but most times we say "he/she is an alcoholic". The habit becomes the identity. So we walk through life carrying the invisible baggage of our sins and mistakes. But God is bigger than our choices & past failures, regardless of how bad it may seem (i.e. Saul became Paul). Sins & mistakes do not derail God's purpose for us . God's plan is not a rigid line from point A to B. Usually, as a result of our free will, it becomes a curvy road with detours along the way. And though some of these detours were not in the original outline of o...

  "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ." -Job 1:20 NIV What is your most painful memory? Think about this. Have you ever found yourself in a desperate place? When you cry out, "W hy, God? Why did you allow this to happen ?" or "Why haven't you changed my circumstances?" Have you been there before? Perhaps for some readers, this is not a distant memory but a present reality! A broken marriage, a financial crisis, or the unexpected death of a loved one are all enough to throw us into our own pit of despair. None of us are exempt from pain. And pain is a topic that the Scriptures do not shy away from discussing. In fact many  (if not all )  of the Biblical "heroes" experienced long dark valleys. Jesus is the foremost example. Of whom the Bible says, " He was despised and rejected by mankind,  a man of suffering, and familiar with pain " (Isaiah 53:3) . Therefore if our Hea...

" Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them . " -Matt 24:14 "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war , David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. "  -2 Samuel 11:1 NIV     Today  I want to expand on the subject matter of work. Last time we looked at the importance and our necessity for it. Work is not something that we are encouraged to do but rather expected to. The work that God calls us to is not only for our benefit, but has far-reaching effects in that it helps build God's Kingdom here on Earth. That is a big task! Yet one that a loving and gracious God is willing to share with us as His co-laborers in the Gospel. What an amazing privilege...to be partakers of this work and the rewards that await us by participating. Though there are numerous reasons why work is indispensa...

"The  Lord  God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden  to work it and take care of it ." -Genesis 2:15 NIV "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and  entrusted his wealth to them .   To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,   each according to his ability . Then he went on his journey.   The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.   So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.   But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money ."  -Matthew 25:14-18      God calls us to work. Not only does He call us to it, but He also expects it of us. The church (and even society itself) has recently re-discovered the virtues of rest in our busy modern world. After all, it was God Himself who instituted periods of rest  and...

  "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...