“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” – 1 John 2:18-19

Casey Clark wrote: “We may find it hard to believe Jeremiah’s words that the heart is “deceitful above all things.” We would rather look outward and think,

Yes, others may be quite foolish and misguided. But I have a good head on my shoulders.

We are reasonable and rational people, after all, who make thoughtful and considered decisions. If we've made poor choices we'd rather think,

My poor choices aren't my fault. I was ignorant or deceived.

We are not like Jeremiah's shrub in the desert, the bush in the wastelands, seeking water in a parched desert soil. We wouldn’t be so rash as to put our roots where no life can be found. Who'd try to grow plants in a desert? Maybe it's even a bad example.

Except it is not. One only has to travel to areas of the southwest United States to see countless people who have literally done this. The suburbs are full of green lawns and golf courses. The roots will search in vain for water below. It is a perfect image of trusting in your own strength—bought at great financial and environmental cost.

It's as if we saw the image of Jeremiah's desert shrub and said to ourselves,

You know, I like the sound of that!

We can convince ourselves of just about anything. We need to be extremely cautious not to "follow our heart" entirely. It's dangerous to entirely trust ourselves.

Our only hope for life is the life-sustaining water we can find when we put our trust in—dig our roots deep into—the LORD.”

There are many deceivers professing they are Jesus Christ, but they have a destructive agenda of their own. Today in prayer, pray for those who are caught up in a cult that they may have the courage to leave and follow Jesus.

“By entertaining of strange persons, men sometimes entertain angels unaware; but by entertaining of strange doctrines, many have entertained devils unaware.” – John Flavel

God’s Word: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” – 2 Timothy 4:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.” – 1 John 2:15-16

Frederick Buechner wrote: “If the world is sane, then Jesus is mad as a hatter and the Last Supper is the Mad Tea Party. The world says, mind your own business, and Jesus says, there is no such thing as your own business. The world says, Follow the wisest course and be a success, and Jesus says, follow me and be crucified.

The world says, drive carefully- the life you save may be your own- and Jesus says, whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. The world says, Law and order, and Jesus says, Love. The world says, Get, and Jesus says, Give. In terms of the world’s sanity, Jesus is crazy as a coot, and anybody who thinks he can follow him without being a little crazy too is laboring less under the cross than under a delusion. “We are fools for the Christ’s sake,”

Paul says, faith says –the faith that ultimately the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men, the lunacy of Jesus saner than the grim sanity of the world.”

We rob ourselves of our own happiness when we love the world. We are to love and follow Jesus. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for all that He is and seek to resemble Him in all that you do.

"Love not the world, for it is a moth in a Christian's life." - John Bunyan

God’s Word: “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” – James 1:14

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” – 1 John 2:12

There are few Christian authors more respected than C. S. Lewis. After his conversion to Christ at age 33, he would spend the rest of his life writing iconic Christian works. However, his relationship with Jesus was not a one-time conversion. Rather, at age 53, he wrote a letter to a friend describing an awakening in his heart of grace. Lewis describes the difference between an intellectual understanding that our sins are forgiven versus the truth settling within our hearts.

“During the past year a great joy has befallen me. Difficult though it is, I shall try to explain this in words. It is astonishing that sometimes we believe that we believe what, really, in our heart, we do not believe.

For a long time I believed that I believed in the forgiveness of sins. But suddenly (on St. Mark's Day) this truth appeared in my mind in so clear a light that I perceived that never before (and that after many confessions and absolutions) had I believed it with my whole heart.

So great is the difference between mere affirmation by the intellect and that faith, fixed in the very marrow and as it were palpable, which the Apostle wrote was substance.”

On the account of Jesus Christ, we have been unconditionally pardoned from our sins – past, present, and future. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for forgiving you.

“We have a free, full, final, forever forgiveness in the atoning work of Christ.” – J. Sidlow Baxter

God’s Word: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” – Hebrews 8:12

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.” – 1 John 2:10

In 1977, Ray Stedman wrote: “A couple of weeks ago Eldridge Cleaver was telling me about his days as a Black Panther. He said that while he was a Black Panther, he was filled with a terrible, roiling feeling of hatred and violence against any law enforcement agency. He couldn’t help himself. Every time he would get with them he would feel this terrible sense of anger and murderous rage within him. It made him the leader of the Black Panthers, the violent militants of the early 60s.

But a year or so ago, in the south of France, in a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, he had a vision, an inner view of the face of Jesus Christ, coming out of his boyhood to him. It drove him to reading the scriptures. He read Psalm 23 over and over again. He said that ever since that time on the balcony, he never had a feeling of hatred again. He has looked for it and expected it but instead there has been a feeling of love for everyone he meets.”

When we love others, people see the glory of the Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His love towards you and love others.

“To love another person is to help them love God.” – Soren Kierkegaard

God’s Word: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13:34

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

WALKING WITH JESUS                                  Friday - October 9, 2026

“But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” – 1 John 2:5-6

David Peterson wrote: “A TV reporter became interested in the Apollo trips to the moon—what did they talk about? He was surprised to find how much conversation was devoted to course corrections. Apparently, the lunar spacecraft was off course something like 85% of the time. When I asked a friend who was heavily involved in the Apollo missions if this was true, he told me it was. Once leaving the earth's orbit, because of limitations of fuel, the spacecraft mostly drifted, unpropelled to the moon. But occasionally, small retro-rockets were fired to correct the course. It's not a bad description of the Christian walk.”

When we walk with Jesus, our lives are transformed. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for new life in Him and seek to walk continually with the Lord.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.” – Helen Keller

God’s Word: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” – John 13:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” – 1 John 2:3

Adam S. McHugh wrote the following: “It would seem that hearing is but a narrow channel pouring into the deep sea of doing. Yet the etymological dictionary taught me that the sharp distinction between hearing and doing is the result of human beings tearing asunder what belongs together. For this is its lesson: the words listen and obey have the same root. In Latin, the word “obey” would not exist without the word “listen.” The word we translate into English as “obedience” literally means a “listening from below.” Obedience is a deep listening, a listening of the whole person, a hearing with your ears and with your heart and with your arms and legs.”

We are all naturally born rebels. It takes a supernatural rebirth through Jesus Christ to be obedient to the Lord and to love his commands. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for His goodness and His commandments and seek to follow Him with all of your heart.

"The secret of true obedience is the clear and close personal relationship to God. All our attempts after full obedience will be failures until we get access to his abiding fellowship. It is God's holy presence consciously abiding with us that keeps us from disobeying Him. I must consciously include the Lord in every thought, activity, and conversation until the habit is established." - Andrew Murray

God’s Word: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” – John 14:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” – 1 John 2:1

In 1829, Martin Van Buren, then governor of New York, wrote the following to the president: The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as ‘railroads. ’The federal government must preserve our canals for these reasons: If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen and lock tenders will be left without any means of livelihood. Canal boats are essential to our defense. In the event of trouble with England, the Erie Canal could be the only means by which we could move supplies … The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel through the countryside at the breakneck speed of 15 miles per hour.

In Jesus Christ, we have a supporter and a family member who can speak to the Father in our defense. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is Righteous and confess your sin to Him.

“If we sin, we’re not written off the list or kicked out of the family, for we have an advocate, a defense attorney in Jesus Christ.” – Jon Courson

God’s Word: “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” – Romans 8:34

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

In a way, the Reformation began in one monk's overwhelming guilt. Martin Luther was riddled with guilt and filled with anxiety because he could see that he could not live up to God's standard of righteousness. God's righteousness stood above him like a sword of Damocles, as he scrupulously tried to unearth and confess every one of his sins—again and again—afraid that he might overlook a transgression. Instead of a few minutes in confession, he would spend hours in the confessional. The guilt tormented him to the point that he later reported that he "hated the righteous God who punishes sinners." It was that same guilt, however, that worse out his confessors, that sent him into Romans—that justification comes by faith made him feel that he was "altogether born again and had entered paradise through open gates." Luther's liberation through the doctrine of justification by grace through faith—not by our own efforts or work—is a story which can offer this liberation anew to people suffering with guilt today. With Luther, we can have confidence, trusting in the work of Jesus Christ rather than in our own.

If we confess our sins to Jesus, he is faithful to forgive us of our sins. Today in prayer, confess your sins to the Lord and know He is faithful to forgive you and to purify you from all unrighteousness.

“The confession of evil works is the beginning of good works.” – Augustine

God’s Word: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” – 1 John 1:8

Bill Tell wrote: “A number of years ago I was discipling a young man who had recently been released from the state’s juvenile detention center. As a teenager he had been hooked on drugs, and he had resorted to stealing to support his habit. His behavior had resulted in a new, unwanted identity. Standing before the judge, he likely heard something like this: “You stole (behavior), you are a thief (identity).” Not only was he declared guilty of law-breaking behavior, he was condemned as a thief. Parents often follow the same pattern with their children. A young teen comes home from school with another disappointing grade. Perhaps they got a speeding ticket. I’ve talked with countless students whose fathers’ words still haunt and define them: “You failed again (behavior) . . . you really blew it (behavior) . . . you are a failure (identity) . . . you are a disappointment (identity).” They were given identities based on their behavior. You sin, therefore you are a sinner. For those of us who are believers, is this a true statement? The behavioral part is certainly true: we still sin. A lot. The apostle Paul, writing as a mature believer, laments in Romans 7:19 that “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” Likewise, the apostle John wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8). But what about the last part of the statement: you sin, therefore you are a sinner? Is this part true of a follower of Jesus? Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes that “what is worse than doing evil is being evil.” Paul openly admitted he still did evil but rejoiced that God did not consider him an evil person. He continues on in Romans 8:1: “There is . . . no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is the absurd and exhilarating good news of the gospel: our identity is no longer based on our behavior; it is based on the behavior of Jesus! This is why we are called “saints” (for example, Romans 1:7). Our identity is not that of sinners trying hard to become saints. We are saints (because of Jesus’ behavior) who, like Paul, continue to do things we hate—and sometimes sadly don’t hate.”

We should not deceive ourselves. Today in prayer, confess your sins to Jesus Christ and seek His grace.

"The problem with people who have no vices, is that you can be fairly certain that they have some pretty annoying virtues!" – Elizabeth Taylor

God’s Word: “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:6-7

Paula Huston wrote: “In the great scheme of things, light is actually quite rare. Geo-physicists tell us that 71 percent of the earth’s surface lies under the ocean, which means that most of our planet abides in eternal darkness. Astrophysicists add that over 95 percent of the total mass and energy content of the universe is “dark,” which means that it is entirely invisible to us. Since our earliest beginnings, we have indeed been a people dwelling in a land of gloom and living under the shadow of death.

No wonder the predominant symbol in the Christmas story is light. The people who walk in great darkness now see a great light. The glory of the Lord shines down upon the shepherds. The great star of Bethlehem sheds its light over the manger where the child sleeps, illuminating the way west for the wise men and their camels. Epiphany, which commemorates their journey, is known in Greek as “The Day of Lights.” Leo the Great says that for those who had no idea of what was about to happen, it must have been as though Jesus arrived “from a very remote and deep seclusion,” spreading light in his wake.”

We need to put our relationship with Jesus Christ first in our lives and when we walk in His light, all of our relationships will be correct. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for His fellowship and seek to follow Him in all that you do.

“A habit of devout fellowship with God is the spring of all our life, and the strength of it.” – H. E. Manning

God’s Word: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” – 1 John 1:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN

“The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” – 1 John 1:2

Mark Batterson wrote: “I preached my first sermon at National Community Church on January 14, 1996. The only thing I remember about that message is my opening illustration. I can’t remember the original source, but I think I stumbled across it in a Reader’s Digest . It was a survey of fifty people who were over the age of ninety-five. Add it up and that’s about five thousand years of combined life experiences. They were all asked the same question: IF YOU COULD LIVE YOUR LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? Three answers emerged as a consensus. One, they would reflect more —stop and smell the roses. Two, they would risk more —the greatest risk is taking no risks. And three, they would do more things that live on after they died . Are you living for time or eternity?”

All who trust in Jesus Christ have eternal life. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His gift of eternal life.

“For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.” – William Penn

God’s Word: “so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” – Titus 3:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2026, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN