Devotionals

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Bill and Anthony
My half brother Bill came to visit in 2002. His first stop was his true sister Julie. She refused to let him in her house. He phoned other family members and received the same response. No one wanted him there. Why? You ask. Bill had a heart of gold, but he spent his life drinking. His skin was yellow from all the alcohol he consumed. He was about 63 years old, yet he appeared to be about 90 years old. He looked shabby. He phoned me, I told him to come on over, he could stay with me. That was a great two weeks we spent. We had a great time. He was a clown, he could make anything funny. When the day came for him to leave, I drove him to the train. As I waved good bye to him, I was unaware that was the last time I would ever see him alive. Shortly after that, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The amazing thing about it, was that he lived for two years with it. A few months prior to his death he prayed with Barb to receive Christ. The letters he signed to me thereafter he signed:”Love, your brother Bill, in Christ”. He went to be Christ in September of 2005. I was so thankful for the time we had together in 2002.
I met Anthony [ not his real name ] while waiting for a bus recently. My car was not running, that is what placed me on the bus. Anthony poured out his heart in the half hour wait for the bus. He had been drinking, his eyes were glassy. He told me that he was an electrician, and he had been in jail for a spell for a DUI. He lost his driver’s license and his job as a result. He was living with his 77 year old mother now. He had no job and no way to travel, even if he could do his electrical work. I asked him if he knew Jesus. His reply was that Jesus was the Savior. I told him perhaps he should get free training for something else. He asked me to pray for him. I prayed that he would stop drinking. He told me of his struggle with alcohol. I agreed that it was a hard habit to kick. My bus came and that was the last I saw of him.
Bill and Anthony remain in my memory. They shared a common problem, drinking. I’m sure they both must have felt the anguish of rejection from many people because of their drinking.
Jesus doesn’t reject like people often do. People often reject others for their looks, their status in life, their personality and their habits, etc. Jesus understands what rejection is like.
Scripture tells us that Jesus was despised and rejected of men. Jesus was rejected because he was the Son of God, not for any habits etc, yet he understands how we feel.Often times we feel we need to fix ourselves up before we are worthy enough to come to God for help. Billy felt this way for years. When I speak about God to him, he said did not want to discuss the subject. He felt he had to fix himself up, and he was unworthy to come to God for help.
Jesus says in John him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. We are unable to fix ourselves up. That is why Jesus came. Jesus came to give us his righteousness.2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteousness, when we trust him as our Savior. We are unable to attain any righteousness that would be good enough to earn salvation. Isaiah says that our righteousness is like filthy rags.
Every person who has ever lived needs the righteousness that only Christ can give. If we lived to be as old as Methuseleh, we could not attain righteousness on our own. Jesus spent time with that society had cast off as rejects. Most people were afraid of lepers, yet Jesus healed ten lepers. Jesus was called a friend of sinners. Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, a Samaritan woman. It was customary in bible times that Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Jesus healed Mary Magdalene, a prostitute. Jesus stayed at Zaccheus house a short man. Jesus reached out to those that others had cast off. Jesus is the one that will not reject us. Jesus will reach out to us and help us with whatever problems we encounter in life. Everyone has problems, we all need Christ. No one is better than anyone else. In the eyes of God, we are all sinners in need of a Savior.

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