“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me” – John 5:39

Augustine of Hippo came to the Lord at age 31 after living a worldly life. In Book Eight of Confessions, Augustine recounts how, in a state of deep inner turmoil, he “heard from a nearby house a voice, as of a boy or girl, I know not which, chanting repeatedly, ‘Take up and read. Take up and read.’” The words didn’t match any child’s game he knew. “So, halting my torrent of tears, I got up, interpreting it as a command from God to open the Scriptures and read the first passage my eyes fell upon.” He turned to Romans 13:13-14, and in that moment, his heart was transformed. Augustine’s life was forever changed, and he went on to become one of the most profound and influential figures in Christian history.

The Bible is the testimony of Jesus Christ. Throughout its books, it declares that Jesus is Lord of all. Today in prayer, worship the Lord and give Him all of your life for His glory.

“The Bible is the portrait of Jesus Christ.” – John Stott

God’s Word: “He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’” – Luke 24:44

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN †

“‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’” – John 4:34

On May 1, 2023, a small aircraft carrying seven passengers crashed deep in the Amazon rainforest, one of the most remote regions on Earth. The Cessna had been flying between two villages in southern Colombia when its single engine failed. It vanished into the jungle canopy, and all seven onboard were presumed dead.

The crash site was finally located two weeks later. Three passengers had died on impact. But four were missing—all siblings, ranging in age from 13 years to 11 months. No trace of them nearby. Just silence.

Hope waned as weeks passed. Rescuers dropped food, water, and whistles into the jungle, unsure if the children were even alive. Incredibly, they were—but they were hiding. Afraid and unsure if those searching were friends or foes, the children avoided the very people trying to save them.

Colombia intensified the effort: 150 soldiers, 40 volunteers, rescue dogs. Clues emerged—tiny footprints, a baby bottle, used diapers. Raised near the jungle, the older children knew how to survive. But even so, they were just kids. Could they really make it?

Then came a breakthrough. Rescuers recorded the children’s grandmother calling to them: “Stay in one place. Help is on the way.” They broadcast her voice through speakers lowered into the trees—her familiar voice calling them home.

On day forty, the children were found—starved, bitten, exhausted, but alive. What finally drew them out wasn’t the army or the food—it was a voice they trusted.

Do you desire to do God’s will in your life? Today in prayer, listen to His voice and follow His call.

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” – Augustine

God’s Word: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” – Acts 20:24

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN †

“He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30

In his book “Family Discipleship that Works”, Brian Dembowczyk writes: “One of the cardinal rules of improvisational theater is that actors must never steal scenes. In her book Improvisation for the Theater, Viola Spolin bluntly puts it this way: “Any player who ‘steals’ a scene is a thief.” On the stage, not stealing scenes is necessary to keep the performance going.

In God’s drama, the same rule applies for a different reason. When we try to steal a scene—when we fail to live in humility—we are stealing the at- tention Jesus deserves as the star. When all eyes should be on Jesus, we get determined to change that. We want those eyes to be on us, so we try to steal the scene from him. It’s the fruit of sinful pride, plain and simple.”

As we grow in Christ, we need to become more humble and to give more glory to the Lord. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is worthy of our praise and give Him glory throughout the day.

“We must view humility as one of the most essential things that characterizes Christianity.” – Jonathan Edwards

God’s Word: “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN †

“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” – John 3:3

In their book “Who in the World is the Holy Spirit?”, authors Tim Chester and Christopher de la Hoyde write: “Hannah was one of my wife’s work colleagues. She used to love spending time with our congregation, but she found the gospel message just plain weird. We did some Bible studies with her over the summer and she kept looking at us in astonishment. We would read about Jesus walking on water, rising from the dead, and ascending into heaven. “You really believe all this?” she would ask. Later she told us what we believed sounded crazy. Yet she kept telling herself, ‘They seem like sensible people who are able to hold down jobs.’

Then one day a member of our community challenged her, ‘don’t wait until all your questions have been answered,’ she said. Just ask yourself whether you can trust Jesus. Hannah went home and she describes how she was sitting on the floor in her front room when suddenly she knew it was all true. In that moment she became a Christian. What happened as she sat on her living room floor? The Holy Spirit came on her. There was no shining light or audible voice but the Holy Spirit came to give her faith in Jesus. This is what Jesus meant when in John chapter 3 verse 3 he says: “I tell you the truth no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Happiness, peace, and contentment can only be found in Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that in Him you have a rich, eternal life.

“For a soul to come to Jesus, is the grandest event in its history.” – Joseph Alleine

God’s Word: “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” – John 3:16-17

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN †

“This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” – John 2:11

Christian physicist and MIT professor Ian Hutchinson wrote “Can a scientist believe in miracles?” He affirms his answer “I’m a scientist, and I believe in miracles. So, the answer is yes.”

He notes that most of us don’t understand the Bible’s view of miracles. He says, “We tend to view God as mostly hands-off, standing on the sidelines, letting nature look after itself, but then on rare occasions reaching in to tweak things by the odd miracle here and there.” But Hutchinson argues that according to the Bible, “[God] continuously holds the universe in the palm of his hand … It exists because of his continuous creative power and will: If he were to stop exerting that upholding power, stop paying attention to every part of the universe, it would instantly cease to exist.”

Thus, he defines a miracle this way: A miracle is “an extraordinary act of God” by which God “upholds a part of the universe in a manner different from the normal.” He adds, “Yes, we know more today than people did long ago, but what we know today makes the universe seem, if anything, even more open."

The same God who performed miracles in the Bible continues to do so to bring glory to Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He continually shows us His glory and place your faith in Him.

“A miracle is an event beyond the power of any known physical law to produce; it is a spiritual occurrence produced by the power of God, a marvel, a wonder.” – Billy Graham

God’s Word: “And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” – Exodus 14:31

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN †

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” – John 1:12

In their book “Does God Really Like Me?: Discovering the God Who Wants to Be With Us” authors Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw write: “Being made in God’s image is also about God’s purposes in the world (God through us). In order to understand how image is connected with purpose, we need to understand a common practice in the ancient world. Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family.

Kim Il Sung and then his son Kim Jong Il ruled for over sixty-six years, demanding total loyalty and even veneration. To this day pictures of these leaders are hung in just about every home, office building, and school. There are over five hundred statues of Kim Il Sung all around North Korea. Kim Il Sung’s grandson, Kim Jong Un, assumed power in 2011 and is now building three enormous statues on the highest mountain in North Korea as a tribute to himself, his father, and his grandfather.

These pictures and statues are constant reminders to the people of North Korea that the Kim’s are in charge and demand their loyalty. In the same way, to show where they ruled and reigned, kings in the ancient world set up giant statues of themselves. The kings placed these images in the center of their cities and at the borders of their lands to remind people who was in charge. As we said in chapter three, an image isn’t something we look at on a screen, a reflection in a mirror, or picture seen with the eyes.

Image refers to a statue or a figure that can be touched—something we can’t ignore. In the ancient world it was understood that a god would have a living image of himself in the world. But the living image only applied to one person: the king! Egyptian and Babylonian kings—and they alone—were called the image of god. Because the king was the god’s image in the world, the king was also the rightful ruler of the kingdom, and he set up images of himself to remind everyone that he alone was in charge. Great for the king. Bad for everyone else. All of Humanity Rules!”

No matter what your situation in life, the Lord of the Universe loves you as His child. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is a loving God and He has given us the right to become His children through Jesus Christ.

“Unless we have seen in Jesus what God is like we would never even have dared to think of ourselves as being able to become the children of God. It is what Jesus is that opens to us the possibility of becoming the children of God.” – William Barclay

God’s Word: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:18

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN †