"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame." - Song of Songs 8:6

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not would face harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp. When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally, they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together.

Christian author Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

Love is as strong as death. God’s love conquered the grave. Today in prayer, give thanks to Jesus that His love will triumph over everything.

"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love." - Augustine

God's Word: "The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." - Jeremiah 31:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." - Ecclesiastes 12:7

Dr. Joseph Hartounian, a former professor at McCormick Theological Seminary, came to America from Armenia. He was the professor of Systematic Theology and he wrote widely on theological matters and on the role of the church in the world.

 One day a well-meaning friend said to him, “Your name is difficult to pronounce and difficult to spell–it could hurt your professional career.

Why don’t you change your name to Harwood or Harwell or something like that?” Dr. Hartounian asked, “What do those names mean?” His friend said, “Well, nothing. They’re just easier to remember.” Dr. Hartounian said, “In Armenia when my grandfather was baptized, they named him Hartounian which means ‘Resurrection.’ I am Joseph Hartounian and I will be a son of Resurrection all my days.”

We should live our lives on earth as we would live them in all eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise Jesus in all that you do.

"Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever?" - C.S. Lewis

God's Word: "but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." - 2 Timothy 1:10

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 11:10

Leon Ho is the Founder and CEO of Lifehack - a website that specializes in productivity, health, and lifestyle. He wrote an article in January 2021 entitled: “20 Things Life Is Too Short to Worry About”. In the article, under the section of “What Can Go Wrong”, Leon wrote: I’m not going to drive to the store today. I may run out of gas, traffic will be busy, the store’s probably closed or crowded, they won’t have the item I’m looking for or it’ll be too expensive, I’ll forget my wallet, my car will get hit in the parking lot, someone may shoot up the store while I’m there, my car will break down, I’ll lose my key, and my house will get robbed while I’m gone…

Because of these possibilities, I’m going to sit home all day and do nothing instead.”

We need to banish worry from our minds, it can sap the joy from our life. Today in prayer, give the Lord all of your worries and cares. 

"I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about?" - Henry Ford

God's Word: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." - Ecclesiastes 11:1

Luke Short was a farmer in New England who lived to be over 100 years old. Though he was healthy in his body, he did not have peace with God in his spirit. One day at age 103, as he sat in his fields reflecting upon his long life, he recalled a sermon he had heard in Dartmouth as a teen before he sailed to America. The horror of dying under the curse of God was impressed upon him as he meditated on the words he had heard eighty-five years prior by Pastor John Flavel. The memory of that sermon as a 17-year-old so stirred Luke that he repented of his sins and became a communing and joyful member of the local church. 

When he died, Luke had the following gravestone epitaph: “He lies a babe in grace, aged three years, who died according to nature, aged 106”.

The Lord desires us to step out in faith and to take real steps to follow Him. Today in prayer, cast your bread upon the water, trusting that Jesus will bless your action no longer how long it takes.  

"For it is in giving that we receive." - Francis of Assisi

God's Word: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." - 2 Corinthians 9:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say." - Ecclesiastes 10:20

In January 2012, two British tourists were barred from entering America after joking on Twitter that they were going to “destroy America”.  

Leigh Van Bryan, 26, was handcuffed and kept under armed guard in a cell with Mexican drug dealers for 12 hours after landing in Los Angeles with pal Emily Bunting.

The Department of Homeland Security flagged him as a potential threat when he posted an excited tweet to his pals about his forthcoming trip to Hollywood that read: “Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?”

Homeland Security failed to understand British slang where “destroy” meant “party hard”. 

Van Bryan and his traveling companion were detained by Homeland Security overnight, during which they were interrogated about their plans. Though they tried to explain that "to destroy" is to "party quite hard in," the pair was put on a plane to Paris the next morning. Officials claim that in secondary interviews, details “revealed both individuals were inadmissible to the United States.”

Once spoken or written, our words can take flight and land where we do not intend them. Today in prayer, ask Jesus to direct your speech so it will bring Him glory.

"Open your ears, for which of you will stop the vent of hearing when loud Rumor speaks?" - William Shakespeare

God's Word: "A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends." - Proverbs 16:28

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

“Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.” - Ecclesiastes 10:12

William Henry Preece was a Welsh electrical engineer and inventor. He studied at the Royal Institution in London Great Britain under Michael Faraday. In the 1870s, he was the consulting engineer for the Post Office. He became Engineer-in-Chief of the British General Post Office in 1892. He developed several improvements in the railroad signaling system that increased railway safety. 

In 1889 Preece assembled a group of men at Coniston Water in the Lake District in Lancashire and succeeded in transmitting and receiving Morse radio signals over a distance of about 1 mile across the water.

Preece also developed a wireless telegraphy and telephony system in 1892. Additionally, he worked with Guglielmo Marconi in the wireless field to develop radio. 

But Preece was not beyond making wrong predictions. In 1876, he wrongly predicted: “The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys."

We need to guard our lips against foolish talk and we need to be gracious in our speech. Today in prayer, ask Jesus to give you wisdom in all that you say.  

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” – Dale Carnegie

God's Word: "Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin." - Proverbs 10:14

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” - Ecclesiastes 10:1

On Thanksgiving night 2019, 911 received a call from a 65-year-old man in Maine. Ronald Cyr, of Van Buren, Maine, called emergency services after he was shot by a gun. He was taken to a nearby hospital and died from his injuries. The gun had been a part of his home security system that he had rigged in his own home. 

Upon arriving at the scene, investigators found Cyr's front door was rigged with a device "designed to fire a handgun should anyone attempt to enter the door," police said.

"Following an extensive investigation that lasted into the early morning hours by the Maine State Police, the Maine State Police Bomb Squad and the Van Buren Police Department, it was determined that Mr. Cyr had been shot as the result of the unintentional discharge of one of his homemade devices," police said.

Foolishness can take lives. Today in prayer, ask Jesus to give you wisdom in all that you do so you may bring honor and glory to Him. 

"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom." - Charles H. Spurgeon

God's Word: "Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly." - Proverbs 13:16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it, and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man." - Ecclesiastes 9:14-15

On January 1, 2008, Keith Severin and his 7-year-old son, Adrien, agreed that they would spend at least 15 minutes every day that year searching together for treasure. Each day they went out each day in every kind of weather to see what they could find. A year later their collection of coins, golf balls, recyclable bottles and cans, and various other items had yielded more than $1,000. In the process, they enjoyed many hours of companionship and fun.

If we decided to spend 15 minutes a day searching for treasure in the Bible, what would we find? Solomon wrote: “If you seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God… Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path” (Pr 2:4-5, 9).

Seek God’s wisdom in all that you do. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for His wisdom and pray for wisdom this day.

"You cannot access wisdom by the megabyte. Wisdom is concerned with how we relate to people, to the world, and to God." - Edmund P. Clowney

God's Word: "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." - Proverbs 2:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man's labor on earth--his eyes not seeing sleep day or night" - Ecclesiastes 8:16

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina affected millions of people in the vicinity of New Orleans. The category 5 storm caused $125 billion in damage and killed 1,800 people. The majority of those died during the aftermath of the storm due to no power, transportation, food, or water.

One of the main reasons the storm was so devastating was a huge percentage of the population hadn't evacuated, despite mandatory evacuation notices and precise weather data that showed the strength, size, and direction of the coming storm.

Less than a month later, when Hurricane Rita roared ashore along the Texas-Louisiana state line, the aftermath of the storm wasn't nearly as disastrous. But this time, people learned wisdom. Galveston, Texas, for instance, a coastal city with a population of 58,000, was almost a ghost town a full three days before Rita was scheduled to make landfall.

"Normally, we see people begin to make preparations about 48 hours before a hurricane hits," said Margaret O'Brien-Molina, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross. But four days before Rita was to come ashore, she said, "gas was starting to dwindle in some areas, and stores were jammed with people getting ready. They are taking it very seriously - mainly because of hurricane Katrina." 

In all that you do, seek wisdom. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for His Word and seek His wisdom in the Bible in all your decisions. 

"He is truly wise who looks upon all earthly things as folly that he may gain Christ." - Thomas a Kempis

God's Word: "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold." - Proverbs 3:13-14

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 8:15

Mike Royco reported this true story in the Chicago Tribune:

“A man named Bill Mallory traveled to India to discover the purpose of life. But he didn’t find the answer there. So after returning, he noticed a sign at Chevron gas station that simply said, ‘As you travel, ask us.’ So every time he pulled into a Chevron station, he would look to the sign and say, ‘I’m a traveler. I’d like to ask you a question. What is the purpose of life?’ These were the real answers he got. I’m not making this up. The first guy said, ‘Sorry, I’m new here.’ The second guy said, ‘I don’t remember anything in the manual about that.’ Another guy said, ‘I’m not much for church myself, sir.’ One guy gave him a leering look and a wink, whatever that meant. However, most people just gave him a blank stare, cleaned his windshield; but he kept asking at all the Chevron stations. One day Mallory got a phone call from Chevron Customer Relations. He said, “We understand you’ve been asking our dealer questions and getting unsatisfactory answers.’ The man suggested that he write out his question and send it to Chevron Corporate with a self-addressed stamped envelope. So Bill Mallory wrote, ‘What is the purpose of life?’ and sent it to Chevron Gas Company. A couple of weeks later, the envelope was returned. The only thing in it was an application for a credit card!”

If you want to know the purpose of life, you’re not going to find it in a gas station. If you want to know the purpose of life, you have to either talk to the One who created you and look in the Bible. There you will find life and enjoyment. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to give you a fresh appreciation for your life and a joy for living.

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

God's Word: "Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do." - Ecclesiastes 9:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” - Ecclesiastes 7:8

Charles Bradlaugh was an English political activist and atheist. He founded the National Secular Society in 1866. In 1880, Bradlaugh was elected as the Liberal MP for Northampton, thus becoming the first atheist elected to Parliament. 

Bradlaugh would give lectures on atheism all over the country and the final part of his talk would be his taking a stopwatch out of his pocket and mocking the God whom he rejected. “If you exist then smite me dead in the next minute.” So he would stand with his stopwatch and wait in silence until the 60 seconds had passed and he would say to his audience, “What sort of God is this who can’t smite me down for my anti-god beliefs?” 

But what Bradlaugh had proved was God’s patience. And after 59 years, Bradlaugh died and now has to stand before God.

We need to be patient and take the long view in living our lives. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for His patience toward you and seek to be patient in all that you do.

"Patience is the queen of all virtues." - John Chrysostom

God's Word: "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly." - Proverbs 14:29

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

“Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.” - Ecclesiastes 7:7

Kellogg Brown & Root, now known as KBR, Inc., is one of the largest engineering and construction firms in the world and has been connected to large U.S. military contracts. 

In 2009, KBR pled guilty to charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for its participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts. The EPC contracts were to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, that were valued at more than $6 billion. KBR was fined more than $500 million. 

KBR Chief Executive Officer Albert Jack Stanley also pled guilty and was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.

"Today's guilty plea by KBR ends one chapter in the Department’s long-running investigation of corruption in the award of $6 billion in construction contracts in Nigeria. This bribery scheme involved both senior foreign government officials and KBR corporate executives who took actions to insulate themselves from the reach of U.S. law enforcement," said prosecuting attorney Rita M. Glavin. 

Maintain your personal integrity and flee from any bribery. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to keep you away from any bribes.

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." - George Washington

God's Word: "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous." - Exodus 23:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"God gives a man wealth, possessions, and honor so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil." - Ecclesiastes 6:2

In  2005, Lara and Roger Griffiths had a stress-free marriage. They reportedly never even fought or argued. Then the British couple won a $2.76 million lottery jackpot. After winning, the couple bought a million-dollar barn converted house in England. They also bought a Porsche and took lavish vacations to places such as Dubai and New York City.

Roger chased his rock star dreams and spent big bucks for his band to release an album. Lara got a taste for the high life as the couple paid for exotic cars, an expensive house, designer clothes and accessories, and a pricey private school for their daughter.

They dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into opening a salon, where Lara was later forced to work as an employee just to make ends meet. In the end, the couple was left with less than $10. They divorced less than a decade after winning the lottery. 

Money is fleeting. We need to spend every valuable moment of life bringing glory to Christ. Today in prayer, give the Lord your undivided heart and seek to glorify Him in all that you do.

"I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of Christ." - David Livingstone

God's Word: "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God." - Ecclesiastes 5:19

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 5:10

Ephraim Lopes Pereira d’Aguilar was born the Second Baron d'Aguilar; in Vienna in 1739. In 1757 he was naturalized in England, where he had settled with his father. He married in 1758 the daughter of Moses Mendes da Costa, who is reported to have brought him a fortune of £150,000. He succeeded to his father's title and fortune in 1759, and for a time lived in luxurious style with twenty servants at Broad Street Buildings. But by the Revolutionary War in America, he lost an estate there of 15,000 acres, and subsequently became known as a miserly and eccentric person. His estate at Colebrook Row, Islington, was popularly styled "Starvation Farm," because of the scanty food provided for the cattle. He was famous among his own community for his extraordinary thrift and is remembered as one of history’s greatest misers.

Money should NOT command our affection and be the driving force in our lives. Today in prayer, praise Jesus that true wealth is knowing and loving Him. 

"There is nothing that makes men rich and strong but that which they carry inside of them. Wealth is of the heart, not of the hand." – John Milton

God's Word: "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished." - Proverbs 28:20

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." - Ecclesiastes 5:2

Juan Thompson was a reporter for the national security-focused website “The Intercept”. In 2016, he was caught making up sources and fabricating quotes for the publication. His deceitful journalistic practices forced “The Intercept” to make severe corrections to four of his articles, and fully retract another.

According to his boss, editor-in-chief Betsy Reed, "An investigation into Thompson’s reporting turned up three instances in which quotes were attributed to people who said they had not been interviewed. In other instances, quotes were attributed to individuals we could not reach, who could not remember speaking with him, or whose identities could not be confirmed.

In his reporting, Thompson also used quotes that we cannot verify from unnamed people whom he claimed to have encountered at public events. Thompson went to great lengths to deceive his editors, creating an email account to impersonate a source and lying about his reporting methods." Thompson was fired for his actions.

We need to speak less and when we do, it should be the truth. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He hears all and understands all and seek to glorify in Him with your speech.

"Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so is he." - Publilius Syrus

God's Word: "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." - Proverbs 10:19

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Writing in an issue for Focus on the Family magazine author Stu Weber illustrates the need for a Christian “buddy” to help us survive the tough times. He tells about an event that happened in 1967 during the Vietnam War. A grizzled old noncommissioned officer at Fort Benning, Georgia taught the message: “Never go into battle alone!” Weber writes, “I can still hear that raspy voice cutting through the morning humidity like a serrated blade. We are here to save your lives,” he preached. “We’re going to see to it that you overcome all your natural fears--especially of height and water. We’re going to show you just how much incredible stress the human mind and body can endure. And when we’re finished with you, you will be the U.S. Army’s best. You will not only survive in combat, you will accomplish your mission!” Then, before he dismissed the formation, the hardened Ranger sergeant announced our first assignment. We’d steeled ourselves for something really tough -- running 10 miles in full battle gear or rappelling down a sheer cliff. So the noncom’s first order caught us off guard. He told us to find a buddy. Some of us would have preferred the cliff. “This is step one,” he growled. “You need to find yourself a Ranger buddy. You will stick together. You will never leave each other. You will encourage each other, and, as necessary, you will carry each other. It was the Army’s way of saying, “Difficult assignments require a friend. Together is better. You need someone to help you accomplish the tough course ahead.” 

The Lord brings spouses and friends into our lives because two are better than one for the difficult tasks in life. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for the friends and family that He has brought in your life that bring you support and comfort.

"Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil." - Baltasar Gracian

God's Word: "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:12

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11

On the island of Taiwan, there is a curious “eternal flame” that burns. The ever-burning flames located in Guanziling are burning from a crack in the earth near pools of hot springs.

The flames are fueled by enormous methane gas deposits beneath the area. Even in the hot spring itself, you can find bubbles of methane emerging from the earth. The flames in this area are believed to have been burning since 300 years ago. 

Local lore claims that a wandering monk discovered this phenomenon in 1701.

One tourist described the phenomena as a flame atop a small pond. Supposedly the flames are hot enough that you can feel the heat from several feet away. 

Historical descriptions of the flame through the years indicate that the flame is slowly dying out. 

Though we have eternity in our hearts, we cannot truly fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is God over all of time and is to be praised throughout all of eternity.

"We are citizens of eternity." – Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

God's Word: "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began." - Proverbs 8:22-23

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" - Ecclesiastes 3:1

James Cash Penney was an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the J. C. Penney stores in 1902.

He was the seventh of twelve children, only six of whom lived to adulthood. Penney's father was a Baptist preacher and farmer and he learned self-discipline at an early age. 

Young J.C. became a Christian businessman and he is often quoted for the wisdom he learned. On the subject of time, he said: “No serious-minded man should have time for the mediocre in any phase of his living.”

He also said: “If a man's business requires so much of his time that he cannot attend the services of his church, then that man has more business than God intended him to have.”

The Lord calls us into different seasons and we need to live each of these days bringing glory to Him. Today in prayer, thank Christ for this time in your life and seek to follow His will each and every day. 

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend." - Theophrastus

God's Word: "I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." -Ecclesiastes 3:17

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" - Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

Tedd Kidd was five years older than Janet, finished college before her, and started to work in a city hundreds of miles from her. They always seemed to be at different places in their lives. But they had been dating for seven years.

Every Valentine's Day, Tedd proposed to her. Every Valentine's Day, Janet would say, "No, not yet."

Finally, when they were both living in Dallas, Texas, Tedd reached the end of his patience. He bought a ring, took Janet to a romantic restaurant, and was prepared to reinforce his proposal with the diamond. Another no would mean he had to get on with his life without her.

After salad, entree, and dessert, it was time. Tedd summoned up his courage. Knowing that Janet had a gift for him, however, he decided to wait. "What did you bring me?" he asked. She handed him a box the size of a book. He opened the package and slowly peeled away the tissue paper. It was a cross-stitch Janet had made that simply said, "Yes."

Yes - it is the word that God, in his tireless pursuit of the sinner, longs to hear.

Our lives do belong to the Lord and outside of Him we will not find enjoyment. Today in prayer, praise Christ that in Him we can find an abundant and joyful life.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." – John Piper

God's Word: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:12-13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 2:1

Errol Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He starred in early films “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, “Captain Blood”, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, and the hero in a number of Westerns such as Dodge City, Santa Fe Trail, and San Antonio.

Flynn developed a reputation for womanizing, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, and, for a time in the 1940s, narcotics abuse. He was linked romantically with Lupe Vélez, Marlene Dietrich, and Dolores del Río, among many others. Carole Lombard is said to have resisted his advances but invited him to her extravagant parties. He was a regular attendee of William Randolph Hearst's equally lavish affairs at Hearst Castle, though he was once asked to leave after becoming excessively intoxicated.

He was the consummate pleasure seeker. The expression "in like Flynn" referred to the supreme ease with which Flynn reputedly seduced women. Flynn was reportedly fond of the expression and later claimed that he wanted to call his memoir “In Like Me”. He died at age 50 because of a bad heart and liver due to his excesses. 

Seeking pleasure does not bring fulfillment; that can only come through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, thank Christ that in Him we can find contentment in all circumstances.

"I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes for joy." - C.S. Lewis

God's Word: "He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich." - Proverbs 21:17

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow." - Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

In 1824 Joseph Aspdin invented Portland cement by burning finely ground chalk and clay until the carbon dioxide was removed. Aspdin named the cement after the high-quality building stones quarried in Portland, England. Portland cement became the standard for building in the twentieth century.

Although the Ancient Romans weren’t the first to create concrete, they were the first to utilize this material widespread. By 200 BC, the Romans successfully implemented the use of concrete in the majority of their construction. They used a mixture of volcanic ash, lime, and seawater to form the mix. They then packed the mix into wooden forms, and once hardened, stacked the blocks like bricks. After more than 2,000 years, Roman concrete structures stand tall due to their ingredients colliding with Earth’s natural chemistry.

The earliest recordings of concrete structures date back to 6500 BC by the Nabataea traders in regions of Syria and Jordan. They created concrete floors, housing structures, and underground cisterns.

New “discoveries” are often just rediscoveries. But the greatest discovery of all is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that in Him we will truly learn new things each day.

"The Christian life is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ lived nineteen hundred years ago, lived now by Him in you!" - W. Ian Thomas

God's Word: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." - John 5:39-40

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †

"The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.'" - Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

Leo Tolstoy was born into an aristocratic Russian family in 1828 and he became an author. Tolstoy is best known for the novels “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina”. He was a Christian who wrestled with the big questions of life. 

In his book “A Confession”, Tolstoy wrote:  “My question—that which at the age of fifty brought me to the verge of suicide—was the simplest of questions, lying in the soul of every man…a question without an answer to which one cannot live. It was: “What will come of what I am doing today or tomorrow? What will come of my whole life? Why should I live, why wish for anything, or do anything?” It can also be expressed thus: Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?”

Loving Jesus Christ brings meaning and purpose to life. Today in prayer, pray for those people who you know who do not yet know Jesus. Pray they may have a personal relationship with Him and in Him they may have eternal life.  

"The only reason why man as man has individual significance is that Christ died for him."  - George MacLeod 

God's Word: "'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Everything is meaningless!'" - Ecclesiastes 12:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2021, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN ECCLESIASTES & SONG OF SONGS †