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 ...

"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 ...