“Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” – 2 Samuel 15:5-6

Diana Butler Bass wrote: “The seat of gratitude is the heart. Yet the workings of our hearts remain, in many ways, mysterious. On December 28, 2016, celebrated Hollywood actor Debbie Reynolds died at age eighty-four. The previous day, her sixty-year-old daughter, Carrie Fisher, star of the Star Wars films and noted author, had unexpectedly passed away from complications following a heart attack. A headline in the New York Times asked: “Did Debbie Reynolds Die of a Broken Heart?”

And that is a real thing: stress-induced cardiomyopathy, known as “broken heart syndrome,” when people who are particularly close die within a short time of one another. Indeed, that happened to my great-great-grandparents. Married for almost sixty years at a time when few people lived so long, they passed away within an hour of each other. Broken heart syndrome. Of course, we may never know about Debbie Reynolds.

Nor does the death certificate for my great-great-grandparents say “broken heart.” But the heart is a complex organ, necessary to all of life and susceptible to injury of both body and soul. We human beings did not always understand its biological functions, but somehow we came to celebrate the heart as the seat of emotions, conflating biological existence with the feelings that make our lives both miserable and glorious. During the last two decades, researchers have discovered real links between the heart and gratitude

…Indeed, multiple studies demonstrate connections between well-being (life satisfaction and happiness), physical health, and gratitude. In heart patients who are asymptomatic, researchers found that people who were grateful slept better, were less depressed and tired, and were more self-aware and confident, with lower risks of inflammation. According to one study, gratitude is a dimension of “spirituality and/or religious wellness”; it suggests that gratitude interventions might lower the risk of heart disease. “It seems that a more grateful heart,” says researcher Paul Mills, “is indeed a more healthy heart.””

There are many charismatic people who want to lead you astray from Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord and give Jesus alone your heart.

“Do your utmost to guard your heart, for out of it comes life.” – Walter Hilton

God’s Word: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“‘Don't be afraid,’ David said to him, ‘for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’” – 2 Samuel 9:7

Christopher H. J. Wright wrote: “What is kindness, then? What sort of behavior do we have in mind when we say that someone has been kind to us or to others? I think the essence of kindness is being thoughtful for others more than for myself in any particular situation. 

To be kind means to want to help others, to encourage or comfort them, to do something that serves or benefits them. In order to be kind to others, I need to put myself in their shoes and think what I would most want or need them to do for me—and then do it for them. 

Kindness seems very close to what Jesus meant when he said that we should do for others whatever we wish others would do for us. Kindness can be as simple as a pleasant word, or a caring smile. But more importantly, being kind means being willing to do something, or to take some action, that helps somebody else even if it might be inconvenient to myself. 

When others are willing to use some of their precious time to help me out of some difficult or confusing situation, they are being kind. Kindness goes beyond duty—it means doing something you don’t have to do, but just choose to do. Kindness goes beyond reward—it means doing something you won’t get paid to do.

In fact, real kindness usually costs something and doesn’t expect any reward. You do what is kind for its own sake and for the sake of the other person. In that sense, kindness is its own reward. In the Bible, kindness is often linked with generosity. In fact, the word Paul uses often had that sense: kindness could often mean generously providing for another person’s benefit. That’s biblical kindness.”

One of the best testimonies of Jesus Christ is kindness we show to others. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for His kindness towards you and seek to be kind toothers.

“To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.” – Abraham Lincoln

God’s Word: “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” - Colossians 3:12 

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” – 2 Samuel 15:5-6

Tony Reinke wrote: “If your eye causes you to sin…” is one of the boldest phrases from the mouth of Jesus, appearing three times in the gospels. Our eyes not only leads us into sinful behaviors, but also to take in sinful images. We may think of our eyes as neutral or innocent receptors, but they are not. Eyes have inherent appetites and desires. Sinful eyes rove unchecked, looking for sin.

We would do well to reclaim the phrase “the lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16 NIV) because even redeemed eyes are lustful, insatiable, never satisfied, even susceptible to spectacles of wealth, sex, power, and violence. Instead our eyes must serve as guardians of the heart. When they fail, they leave the heart exposed and unguarded. As one Puritan said, there are no means to guard the heart if we leave our eyes unguarded.”

There are many charismatic people who want to lead you astray from Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord and give Jesus alone your heart.

“Do your utmost to guard your heart, for out of it comes life.” – Walter Hilton

God’s Word: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“‘Don't be afraid,’ David said to him, ‘for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’” – 2 Samuel 9:7

Jennifer L. Holberg wrote: “Every morning among all my email is a small gem: a blessing from the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. Mostly penned by Maxine Shonk, OP, the blessings focus on a characteristic of God and how that part of God’s multitudinous character models and transforms us. During some parts of the year, email subscribers to these blessings also receive stories about Dominican sisters who have reached milestones in their ministries, stories that chronicle the ways in which God has worked in equally multitudinous ways through these religious women. 

One of my favorite stories is about Sister Leo Mergener, who worked in a children’s home in the 1940s and 1950s. She was chastised for giving the children too many cookies and told to limit them to only one a day. In response, Sister Leo began baking the biggest possible cookies she could. As per instructions, the children only received one daily cookie—but what a cookie it was! I love the spirit of Sister Leo’s cookies: the way they proclaim the abundant life, the way they insist that God’s extravagant love finds tangible expressions in the way we interact with and serve one another.”

One of the best testimonies of Jesus Christ is kindness we show to others. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for His kindness towards you and seek to be kind toothers.

“To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.” – Abraham Lincoln

God’s Word: “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” - Colossians 3:12 

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

"Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword." - 2 Samuel 1:11-12

Esau McCaulley wrote: “A theology of mourning allowed Rev. Dr. King to look on the suffering of the people in Birmingham and refuse to turn away. Mourning calls on all of us to recognize our complicity in the sufferings of others. We do not simply mourn the sins of the world. We mourn our own greed, lusts, and desires that allow us to exploit others. Sin is more than exploitation, but it is certainly not less. 

A theology of mourning never allows us the privilege of apathy. We can never put the interests of our families or our country over the suffering of the world. Mourning is intuition that things are not right—that more is possible. To think that more is possible is an act of political resistance in a world that wants us to believe that consumption is all there is. Our politicians run on our desires by convincing us that utopia is possible here and they alone can provide it.”

Mourning is an inevitable loss on earth. Today in prayer, thank Jesus that in Him, we have overcome death, one day all mourning will come to an end, and we will see those who trust in Him again in Heaven.

"Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity." - Mother Teresa

God's Word: "Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him." - Acts 8:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail  

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’” – 1 Samuel 17:32

John Ortberg wrote: “But there is a pursuit that is worthy of our devotion. There is a goal that is achievable even in the most desperate of situations. It will produce good far beyond our own little sphere of influence. It is something that our souls long for: the life we’ve always wanted.

It is the quest for what might be called a well-ordered heart. … What does it mean to have a well-ordered heart? Augustine suggested that to have a well-ordered heart is to love the right thing to the right degree in the right way with the right kind of love.”

In our darkest moments, our Heavenly Father is near. Today in prayer, ask the Lord for courage as you face difficult situations.

“Courage: The lovely virtue – the rib of Himself that God sent down to His children.” – James M. Barrie

God’s Word: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” – 1 Samuel 16:7 

Mark D. Roberts wrote: “I own a pair of protective goggles and use them faithfully. I wear them when I’m cutting branches with my chainsaw or attacking weeds with my weed whacker. My goggles serve a crucial purpose: they protect my eyes. Once, I forgot to wear my goggles while sawing a branch and ended up with a spec of wood in my eye. I had to make an emergency trip to the eye doctor. From then on, I became more careful about wearing goggles because my eyes are precious to me.

Psalm 17:8 doesn’t mention goggles explicitly. But this verse does reflect an understanding of the value of eyes and the need for their careful protection. The NRSV translates the first part of this verse: “Guard me as the apple of the eye.” The original Hebrew speaks of guarding “the little one of the daughter of the eye.” Traditional English translations, along with the NRSV, use “the apple of the eye” (KJV). These peculiar expressions, in both Hebrew and English, refer to the pupil of the eye, that which is essential for vision and most in need of protection.”

The Lord continually is looking for men and women, boys and girls that have a heart for Him. Today in prayer, give Jesus your heart and fully serve Him.

“Let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average.” – A.W. Tozer

God’s Word: “then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men)” – 1 Kings 8:39

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KING †

“But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” – 1 Samuel 15:22

Kent Hughes wrote: “Elisabeth Elliot once stayed in the farmhouse of a Welsh shepherd and his family high in the mountains of North Wales. She stood watching one misty summer morning as the shepherd on horseback herded the sheep with the aid of his champion Scottish collie. The collie, she realized, was in its glory. It was doing what it had been bred and trained to do. Its eyes were always on the sheep, but its ears were dedicatedly tuned to obey its master. 

Through obedience the dog had experience its glory. The same is true in the spiritual realm, as Mrs. Elliot insightfully summarized: “To experience the glory of God’s will for us means absolute trust. It means the will to do his will, and it means joy.””

The joy of the Christian life is obtained by obeying Jesus. Today in prayer, confess any sin in your life and seek to follow Jesus with all of your heart.

“Obedience is a part of the honor we owe to God.” – Thomas Watson

God’s Word: “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:6-8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” – 1 Samuel 12:23

Seth Haines wrote: “We tend to spoil any good thing, human as we are. We turn the gifts of God into coping mechanisms, just like I did wine, and we do it with any old gift. Consider my friend Rich, a good and right man whom I consider the paragon of health. He’s a runner, and a darned good one at that.

But one morning over coffee he confessed. “After a stressful day, after a day when I feel like an imposter or a failure or like I’m measuring up short, I put on my shoes and run till I puke.” “Why?” I said, jerking upright, cocking my head to the side. “Maybe I’m trying to cope by doing something I’m good at? Maybe I’m trying to run away from my problems? I don’t really know.” And therein lies the problem. Running itself isn’t the problem. Running away is.”

Following Jesus is good and right. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His Word and the goodness of Jesus.

“Every word of the Bible rings with Christ.” - Martin Luther

God’s Word: “Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.” – Psalm 37:27

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."” – 1 Samuel 3:9-10

Adam S McHugh writes: “The very first word of the Rule of St. Benedict, that famous text that has guided the life of monastic communities since the sixth century, is listen. I want for us to put listening back where it belongs, at the beginning, in every aspect of life and faith. Listening isn’t only something we do in the preparatory stages of life, as though it’s a phase we grow out of once we reach a certain age.

Nor is it just a pleasant medicine that we need to inject a little more of into our relationships. Listening ought to be at the heart of our spirituality, our relationships, our mission as the body of Christ, our relationship to culture and the world. We are invited to approach everything with the goal of listening first. We are called to participate in the listening life.”

We need to learn to be quiet and to hear our Heavenly Father’s voice. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for His Word and seek to listen to Him and follow Him in all that you do.

“The closer you get to the Shepherd, the louder His voice will be.” – Nate Barbour

God’s Word: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord.” – 1 Samuel 2:12

In this stirring and thoughtful argument, N.T. Wright illustrates the complexity of evil by telling the story of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his return to his home country of Russia after many years in exile [Solzhenitsyn] greeted all the people he met on his journey across Russia, including those local bureaucrats who had tyrannized their fellow citizens under the Communist system but who had stayed on in office after 1989. Some objected: what was Solzhenitsyn doing fraternizing with these people who had been part of the evil system?

No, he responded, the line between good and evil is never simply between “us” and “them.” The line between good and evil runs through each one of us. There is such a thing as wickedness, and we must distinguish between small and low-grade versions of it and large and terrible versions of it. We must not make the trivial mistake of supposing that a one-off petty thief and a Hitler are exactly alike, that the same level of evil is attained by someone who cheats in an exam and by a Bin Laden. But nor must we suppose that the problem of evil can be either addressed or solved if we trivialize it in the other way, of labeling some people “good” and other people “bad.”

Because of his great love for sinners, Jesus conquered evil at the Cross. Today in prayer, confess any sin to Jesus and seek His will in all of your ways.

“At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match.” – John W. Wenham

God’s Word: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” – Romans 12:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †

“So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’” – 1 Samuel 1:20

Dallas Willard writes: “Agnes Sanford relates how, as the young wife of an Episcopal minister, her child came down with a serious ear infection. It lasted for six weeks while she prayed fearfully and fruitlessly.

Then a neighboring minister called to see her husband and learned that the child was sick. Quite casually, though intently and in a businesslike manner, he prayed for the little boy, who immediately shut his eyes, lost his fever flush and went to sleep.

When the boy awoke, his fever was gone and his ears were well. Sanford remarks,

The strange thing is that this did not immediately show me a new world. Instead, it perplexed me greatly. Why did God answer the minister’s prayers when He had not answered mine? I did not know that I myself blocked my own prayers, because of my lack of faith. 

Nor did I know that this [successful] prayer could not come from resentment and darkness and unhappiness, as a pipeline can be clogged with roots and dirt. This doubt and confusion remained in my mind, even though the child himself, whenever he subsequently had a bit of an earache, demanded that I pray for him.”

Our Heavenly Father desires to hear the prayers of our hearts and to answer them. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that our God loves us and answers prayer.

“When I stop praying, the coincidences stop happening.” – William Temple

God’s Word: “Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” – Psalm 13:3-5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL, CHRONICLES AND KINGS †