"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” – Titus 3:9

In his book “52 Weeks with Jesus” author James Merritt writes: “The actress Brooke Shields has quite an impressive family mosaic. Hanging from her family tree are the likes of Charlemagne, El Cid, William the Conqueror, the royal houses of virtually every European country, and five popes—prior to the twelfth-century imposition of celibacy!

She’s not unique, though.

Experts say that even without a documented connection to some notable ancestor, the odds are virtually 100 percent that every person on earth is descended from one royal person or another. It works the other way as well. Anyone who had children more than a few hundred years ago is likely to have millions of descendants today, quite a few of them famous.

You may be a royal blueblood right now and not even know it. You may have the blood of some king or queen flowing through your veins. In the genealogy of Jesus, God demonstrates that anyone can become a part of the greatest royal family of all—the family of not just a king, but the King of kings.”

Foolish genealogies and pointless controversies waste our time. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that in Him we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and seek to use your time wisely to honor Christ.

“Genealogy: a perverse preoccupation of those who seek to demonstrate that their forebears were better people than they are.” – Sydney J. Harris

God’s Word: “nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith.” – 1 Timothy 1:4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” – Titus 3:5

Max Lucado, in his book “3:16: the Numbers of Hope” wrote: “God does for you what Bill Tucker’s father did for him. Bill was sixteen years old when his dad suffered a health crisis and consequently had to leave his business. Even after Mr. Tucker regained his health, the Tucker family struggled financially, barely getting by. Mr. Tucker, an entrepreneurial sort, came up with an idea. 

He won the bid to reupholster the chairs at the local movie theater. This stunned his family. He had never stitched a seat. He didn’t even own a sewing apparatus. Still, he found someone to teach him the skill and located an industrial-strength machine. The family scraped together every cent they had to buy it. They drained savings accounts and dug coins out of the sofa. Finally they had enough.

It was a fine day when Bill rode with his dad to pick up the equipment. Bill remembers a jovial, hour-long trip discussing the bright horizons this new opportunity afforded them. They loaded the machine in the back of their truck and secured it right behind the cab. Mr. Tucker then invited his son to drive home. I’ll let Bill tell you what happened:

“As we were driving along, we were excited, and I, like any sixteen-year-old driver, was probably not paying enough attention to my speed. Just as we were turning on the cloverleaf to get on the expressway, I will never ever, ever forget watching that sewing machine, which was already top-heavy, begin to tip. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I saw it go over the side. I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck. As I rounded the corner, I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces. And then I saw my dad just looking. All of his risk and all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream, all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there, shattered.

“You know what comes next, don’t you? ‘Stupid, punk kid driving too fast, not paying attention, ruined the family by taking away our livelihood.’ But that’s not what he said. He looked right at me. ‘Oh, Bill, I am so sorry.’ And he walked over, put his arms around me, and said, ‘Son, this is going to be okay.’”

It is only by God’s great mercy are we saved through Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord for His mercy.

“Moral indignation never led anyone to Christ, but mercy has.” – William Dever

God’s Word: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” – 1 Peter 1:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” – Titus 3:2

Veda Gill shared the following story: “The Presbyterian Education Board was founded by Presbyterian missionaries in the 1850s who recognized the importance of educating girls in Pakistan and is now a highly successful education center for both boys and girls of all faiths. In Pakistan, Islam is practiced by 96.47% of the population. Only 1.27% of the country is Christian. 

I was teaching the elementary-age students about Jesus’ triumphal entry, and the children were having a difficult time understanding it.

The students kept asking, “if Jesus was a king, why did he have to borrow someone else's colt and why was it not an elegant, well-trained, well-bred adult?” 

It is so simple that even children understand. 

The humility of Jesus did not match that of a king. Jesus was and is indeed the king, but Jesus came not to serve himself, but in order that we might be saved. After all, no triumphant military leader would not have come nonviolently on a young colt to cut off the chariot, war horse, and bow; but would have come riding a chariot or a war horse and wielding a spear, a sword, or a bow.”

In all that we do, we need to remove our pride and seek to be humble servants of Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His humble example on earth and seek to humbly follow Him.

“Humility is strong, not bold; quiet, not speechless; sure, not arrogant.” – Estelle Smith

God’s Word: “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 6:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good” – Titus 3:1

Have you ever sung "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning"? African American spirituals are among the great treasures of American worship. They are born out of the tragic (and, let's be honest, wicked) oppression of Black Americans by white Americans—often Christians themselves. Spirituals are full of powerful emotions — especially joy, pain, and yearning.

They also are often deeply biblical, inviting the singer to enter into the experience of the Bible. "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed," is a great example. When you sing it, you inhabit the parable of the 10 virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), with the congregation exhorting each other to follow the example of the wise virgins to be ready.

There are many versions, but they all feature expectation and longing for deliverance—and the long obedience in the meantime.

Most versions start with "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning," which is repeated before ending the verse with a phrase of urgency. Some versions have a version of "the time is drawing nigh," others say "for this work's almost done." Between each verse, a refrain of, "children, don't get weary," reminds the singers of Jesus' admonition to "keep alert!" While the later verses vary—they tend to trace the progression of life or spiritual growth. One marks time by the passing of the night—another, which I particularly like—uses the image of climbing Jacob's ladder as an image for the spiritual life.

It's impossible to miss the desire for freedom of the enslaved in these songs, the spiritual readiness paired with a this-worldly readiness to escape their bondage.

It's an incredible heritage passed down by fathers and mothers in the faith who followed Jesus through deep adversity.

The Lord desires us to be ready and obedient, no matter what situation comes our way. Today in prayer, follow Jesus no matter what happens this day. 

"The majority of us do not enthrone God, we enthrone common sense. We make our decisions and then ask the real God to bless our god's decision." - Oswald Chambers

God’s Word: “Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.” – Deuteronomy 8:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” – Titus 2:15

Mercedes Ruehl, one of the few actresses to win a Tony and an Oscar in the same year (for Lost in Yonkers and The Fisher King), saw her first Broadway show when she was in grade school. Her family was in New York visiting relatives and driving through Times Square. On the spur of the moment her parents decided to see if they could get tickets to The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

"I remember waiting in the car," says Ruehl, "while my mother ran up to the box office. The only tickets left were for box seats. Box seats! To me there were no better seats, and I remember my father saying, sure, go for it. One of the best qualities of my parents was that they liked to have fun.

"As we watched the play, I could not take my eyes off its star, Tammy Grimes. She must have felt my adoration, because at one point she looked up and held my eyes. It was probably for no more than one second, but it seemed like ten seconds. I always felt that was my official invitation to be an actress. With her gaze I was touched like a knight on both shoulders with a sword."

We all need encouragement in this life and to follow Jesus. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for those who have encouraged you during your life and seek to be an encourager to others.

“We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.” – William Barclay

God’s Word: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” – Titus 2:11-12

In his book “Race and the Christian” Pastor Tim Keller writes: “I knew a man who was the head of a set of car dealerships in the South. The way in which things were done was you could come in and negotiate, and the salesman had a pretty big window of what they could give you the car for. They would negotiate, you would negotiate, and it was a lot of horse-trading going on except there was car-trading I guess. The salesman couldn’t go lower than this, but they could get this high and so it was a tradition. Somebody did some research and found out that men always were better negotiators with the salesmen than women, and white men and black men were better negotiators than African-American women. When somebody actually looked at what was going on, African-American women were regularly paying far more for their cars and were actually subsidizing the price for white men. With that information, the dealer had two options. On the one hand, he could say “because we’re not deliberately trying to hurt African-American women, we make better profits this way, we have no responsibility.” Or, we could pursue justice for all people, and take a deeper look at the system. The owner, a Christian man, ultimately decided he did have a responsibility to change the system. Ultimately, he changed the entire way he sold cars, beginning by creating a set-price, with no haggling allowed. At first, his own profits went down, with a noticeable loss of white male car buyers. Nevertheless, he says it’s the only way to be just. Over time however, as word got out about their change in pricing, a noticeable higher number of women and minorities began buying their cars from their dealership. What does righteousness look like? Do we have eyes to see systemic injustice? And are we willing to do something about it?”

We need to say “no” to the world and its passions and temptations. Only in Christ is there salvation. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to give you self-control and the strength to say "No" to the world and “Yes” to Jesus.

“What makes resisting temptation difficult, for many people, is that they don’t want to discourage it completely.” – Franklin P. Jones

God’s Word: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” – Proverbs 1:10

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

Have Integrity                                  Tuesday - August 12, 2025

“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness” – Titus 2:7

In his book “The Mingling of Souls”, author Matt Chandler writes: “Several years ago I saw a television show called Caught on Camera. It featured clips of people being secretly filmed doing all manner of horrific things, precisely because they thought they were alone. In one scene a man urinated into a pot of coffee that had been brewed for his coworkers. In another, a cook in a restaurant spit into a meal he was preparing for customers.

And in yet another scene, a woman threw a puppy across a room. The show was disgusting, but it revealed that a lot goes on in a person’s heart and head that simply can’t be seen. In our brave, new surveillance culture, we catch the real character of people all the time, as “nanny cams” capture abuse of children and the elderly, and security cameras film employee vandalism and cruelty.”

Each day, set a good example by walking with integrity. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to give you wisdom and strength to have Christ’s integrity in all that you do.

“Be such as a man, and live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and every life like yours, this earth would be God's Paradise.” - Phillips Brooks

God’s Word: “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” – Proverbs 10:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.” – Titus 2:2             

In his book “3:16: the Numbers of Hope,” author Max Lucado wrote: “I love golf. If only it loved me in return. Alas, it is a one-sided romance. My golf swing is the stuff that keeps an instructor awake at night. One kindly compared it to an octopus falling from a tree. Another said, “I know your problem. You are standing too close to the ball after you hit it.” Still another suggested that I take a couple of weeks off from golf, then try bowling. 

One coach refused to give up on me. He is a terrific friend and experienced sleuth of the game. He works on golf like a mechanic on a V-8 engine, taking my swing apart piece by piece. During one lesson, I thought I had done the impossible. I thought I had stumped him. He studied me as I hit ball after ball. He watched from every angle. 

He stood behind me, to either side of me. Finally, I asked him, “What do you think I should do?” He rested his elbow on a crossed arm and cupped his chin in his hand. “I’m not sure.” “What do you mean?” “Well, I’m trying to find the one problem that is causing the other nine.” (We are still looking for it.) His approach makes sense. 

Problems are best solved when traced to their beginnings. This teaching strategy explains my fascination with the most well-known verse in the Bible: John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

In all that we do, we should be teaching others to love the Lord and love others. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that the greatest commandments are ones we can live by.

“The love of God and the God of love constrain you to love one another that it may at last be said of Christians as it was at first, ‘Behold how they love one another.’” – Ralph Venning

God’s Word: “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” – 1 Peter 2:17

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” – Titus 1:9

Most of us in the United States know the famous “I have a Dream” speech Martin Luther King Jr. gave at the Lincoln Memorial as part of the 1963 March on Washington. On a sweltering, humid day in the nation’s capital, some 250,000 people came to hear King speak on the cause of civil rights and the fight for equality and justice for African Americans. What most of us don’t know is that that the “dream” part of the speech almost never happened, in fact, should not have happened. It was not a part of the prepared remarks for that day, but inspiration came in the form of a gospel singer named Mahalia Jackson.

As King inched towards the climax of his speech, he seemed to hesitate, perhaps unsure of whether his prepared remarks were as inspiring as he had hoped. At that moment, the great civil rights leader heard a voice behind him. “Tell them about the dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!” Mahalia Jackson shouted. At that point, Clarence Jones, one of Dr. King’s advisors leaned over to the person next to him and said, “These people out there, they don’t know it, but they’re about ready to go to church.”

The rest, as we now know, is history. Dr. King had been testing out this “dream” section of his speech at previous events, and when he took Mahalia Jackson’s advice, he put into words the longings of a generation to experience equality and justice for all. He described the power of the gospel to create reconciliation where there had previously been hostility and tension.

Each of us needs to encourage believers and non-believers to follow Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for the good news we have in Jesus Christ and seek to encourage others to closely follow Him. 

"God intends that we be people who use words to encourage one another. A well-timed word has the power to urge a runner to the finish line, to rekindle hope when despair has set in, to spark a bit of warmth in an otherwise cold life, to trigger healthful self-evaluation to someone who doesn't think much about his shortcomings, to renew confidence when problems have the upper hand." - Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr.

God’s Word: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.” – Titus 1:8

In his book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ” author Daniel Goleman tells a story about self-control called “The Samurai and the Zen Master”:

“A belligerent samurai . . . once challenged a Zen master to explain the concept of heaven and hell. But the monk replied with scorn, ‘You’re nothing but a lout—I can’t waste my time with the likes of you.’ His very honor attacked, the samurai flew into a rage and, pulling his sword from its scabbard, yelled, ‘I could kill you for your impertinence!’ ‘That,’ the monk calmly replied, ‘is hell.’ Startled at seeing the truth in what the master pointed out about the fury that had him in its grip, the samurai calmed down, sheathed his sword, and bowed, thanking the monk for the insight. ‘And that,’ said the monk, ‘is heaven.’”

When we are self-controlled, we bring glory to Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, give your gifts, time and talents to the Lord and be self-control.

"The Spirit whom Christians have received is the Spirit of holiness, and nothing unholy can be tolerated in one whom he indwells: self-control is part of the fruit which his presence yields in a believer's life." - F.F. Bruce

God’s Word: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

DO NOT BE QUICK TEMPERED                                  Wednesday - August 6, “Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.” – Titus 1:7

In September 2015, 36-year-old Emily Smith flew into a fit of rage. She decided to burn down the rental house she lived in Hawaii.

"She threw other things onto the fire — boxes of clothes,” said her neighbor. "She was grabbing whatever she could. She was in a rage, obviously not well.”

After determining that the fire was set intentionally, police arrested Smith at the scene.

“She (Emily) said, ‘It had to burn,’” the neighbor said. “Flames were everywhere.”

Officials said 11 firefighters responded to the scene, but the house was already fully engulfed.

The neighbor reported: “As she (Emily) was going with firefighters I yelled out, 'You know she started the fire. I watched her do it. Be really careful', and at that point she didn't like that so she started to argue with the firefighters and it escalated finally to the point where she punched one of the firefighters and had to be subdued and the police ended up tackling her to the ground.”

The Lord desires that we would be self-controlled, not quick-tempered. Today in prayer, confess any anger in your life to the Lord and receive His peace.

“Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth.” – Chuck Norris

God’s Word: “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” – Proverbs 16:32

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” – Titus 1:6

In an article entitled “We Cannot Be Faultless (But May Still Be Blameless)”, Pastor Tim Challies gives the following fictional analogy: “Let’s suppose a day came when my father, a landscaper, was hired by one of our neighbors to design and install a garden. He dutifully sat before his drafting table to create the design, he visited the nursery to purchase the plants, he stood in the garden and began to create the shape of the different beds. But then a serious illness overcame him and he was forced to remain indoors for days or weeks.

And though at the time I was merely a child, I was a son who loved his father, so took it upon myself to surprise him by completing the project on his behalf. I studied the plans as carefully as I could, I carved the shape of the different beds, I put down a layer of topsoil, I planted the ferns and hostas, the roses and euonymus, doing my absolute best to lay them exactly where the plans dictated. When my father recovered sufficiently to venture out-of-doors, I led him to that garden and happily presented the work I had done for him.

His reaction was both joy and concern. He felt great joy that I had attempted to serve and please him, that I had done my best with the little knowledge and minimal skill I possessed. But he felt concern that the job was done more poorly than he would have done it. He noticed that the flower beds were not quite the right shape, that the edges were ragged, that many of the plants and flowers were a little out of place. He knew that he still had work to do in order to make it right.

As I stood before my dad and proudly displayed the work I had done for him, I would have been blameless, even though the work was not faultless. The work was, in fact, the farthest thing from faultless, for it was clumsy, messy, amateurish, and in no way up to the standards my father could have maintained on his own. So, judged by his standard, it was a failure. But though the work was not faultless, I was still blameless, for I had done the absolute best I could with the little knowledge and little skill I possessed. My motives were good, my desires were good, and my work was as good as I could make it.

How would a father respond in such a situation? He would commend his son for his love, for his generosity, for his desire to honor his father. He would not castigate his son for his lack of knowledge or lack of skill, but rather honor his desire to please his father to the degree that he was able.”

No matter what life throws our way, we should seek to be blameless in all that we do. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that when we follow Him, we can be blameless.

“When we quarrel, how we wish we had been blameless.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

God’s Word: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.” – Genesis 17:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON  †

“To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.” – Titus 1:4

Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas in his article “Christian Existence Today” describes the integral link between peace and time:

“Peace takes time. Put even more strongly, peace creates time by its steadfast refusal to force the other to submit in the name of order. Peace is not a static state but an activity which requires constant attention and care. An activity by its very nature takes place over time.

In fact, activity creates time, as we know how to characterize duration only by noting that we did this first, and then this second, and so on, until we’ve either gotten somewhere or accomplished this or that task. So peace is the process through which we make time our own rather than be determined by “events over which, it is alleged, we have no control.”

As we draw closer to Christ, we find peace that can only be found in Jesus. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is the Prince of Peace.

“I know men who would write a check for a million dollars if they could find peace. Millions are searching for it. Every time they get close to finding the peace that you have found in Christ, Satan steers them away. He blinds them. He throws up a smoke screen. He bluffs them. And they miss it! But you have found it! It is yours now forever. You have found the secret of life.” – Billy Graham

God’s Word: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” – Romans 5:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †

“a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” – Titus 1:2

During the 16^th century, Francis de Sales was a French priest and missionary. De Sales reflected on how his meditations on eternity consistently and found that these meditations elevated his spirit. He wrote: “I never think upon eternity without receiving great comfort. For I say to myself: how could my soul grasp the idea of everlastingness, if the two were not related in some way?

But as soon as I feel how close the yearning of my heart follows upon the thought of eternity, my happiness becomes incomparably greater. For I am certain that, according to his nature, man can yearn only for that which can be attained. And so my yearning makes me certain that I shall reach eternity.”

When our hope is in the Lord’s shed blood, we have eternal life in Him. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that in Him we have been saved from certain death and have eternal life.

“Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever?” – C.S. Lewis

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” – John 3:14-15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, JUDE, PHILEMON †