Cast Out

                                                             John 9:35
                                          Jesus heard that they had cast him out;
                                      and when he had found him, He said to him,
                                           "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

Being healed by Jesus, the Jews brought the blind man to the Pharisees to explain to them how he had been healed. When the blind man told him how Jesus had put clay on his eyes the Pharisees were outraged, casting him out of the synagogue. Hearing he had been cast out, Jesus came to him.

Have you ever been cast out, rejected, falsely accused of something you did not do? It is devastating. You feel so alone. May it be a comfort to know, even if the whole world turns against you, Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. He will find you in the midst of your despair and devastation.

                            For He Himself has said,
                                 "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
                            So we may boldly say;
                                 "The Lord is my helper;
                                   I will not fear.
                                  What can man do to me?"         __Hebrews 13:5b-6

Jesus asked the man He had healed, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" When we are cast out, He asks us the same. Because we believe in Jesus, we can trust Him. Because we trust Him, we know what Jesus tells us is true. Though the whole world rejects us and we have been cast out from among those we thought we knew, Jesus is there. We can hang on tight to His hand as he leads us through the heartache to the other side of healing.

                           The LORD is my light and my salvation;
                           Whom shall I fear?
                           The LORD is the strength of my life;
                           Of whom shall I be afraid?               __Psalm 27:1

                          "Have I not commanded you?
                           Be strong and of good courage;
                           do not be afraid, nor dismayed,
                           For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
                                                                                     __Joshua 1:9





It is with much excitement I announce the release of my devotional,

                                                             "Living in the Vineyard,"
                                                        Listening for the Voice of God.

 Available on Amazon.com. Type my name in the search bar.

"Living in the Vineyard" will also be available as an ebook in early January

                         
          

Praise of God

                                                                  John 12:43
                                                    For they loved the praise of men
                                                        more than the praise of God.

Even though Jesus had done many signs and miracles, many Chief Priests and Jews refused to believe He was the Son of God. They were determined to see Him crucified for proclaiming what they felt was blasphemy. Those that did believe refused to proclaim Jesus as Christ for fear of the Pharisees.

                             Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him,
                             because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they
                             should be put out of the synagogue for they loved the praise
                             of men more than the praise of God.                  __John 12:42-43

When I read this, my first thought was, "Oh Lord, may this never be true in my life. May I be willing to proclaim my belief and love for you regardless of who I am with." Then I thought about how important it is to us all to be accepted by others. We can justify not sharing our beliefs for fear of becoming an offense to others.

What does our Father tell us we are to do?
                           "Come out from among them, and be separate says the Lord."
                                                                                                        __2 Corinthians 6:17

Jesus walked among the lost, not trying to blend in, nor cower from the Truth, but simply sharing the love of the Father. As we live our lives as a witness for our Lord, we are to do the same.

                             Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
                             And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and
                             given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
                             to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.                   __Ephesians 5:1-2

We live for an audience of One. His name is Jesus. May we live our life pleasing to Him. Only then will we bring Him the glory due His Holy name.

                           "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
                            good works and glorify your Father in heaven."      __Matthew 5:16



Coming Soon

                    "Living in the Vineyard" Devotional 

I am excited to announce the soon to be released book of 242 devotionals I have written. The Devotional will be available as an ebook as well as paperback. More details will follow as I receive a release date. I pray this Devotional will be a blessing to many.