“We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.” – 3 John 1:8

In her book “Just Open the Door,” Jen Schmidt writes: “The entertaining host seeks to elevate herself. And as Martha mentions, it’s a bit selfish. When the guest arrives, the entertainer announces, “Here I am. Come into my beautiful abode and have the honor of partaking of all the wonderful things I’ve spent hours getting done for you. Look at this lavish buffet, the intricate décor, and the wonderful party favors. How fortunate for you to be here and be part of this.”

While I embellish on what a hostess might actually say, we’ve all encountered this attitude once or twice, haven’t we? Maybe we’ve even allowed a similar tone to slip ever so subtly into our own hosting. But when you leave the entertaining host’s house, how do you feel? Remember that, and do the opposite.Hospitality is different. Biblical hospitality offers our best to Him first, understanding that our best to others will then fall into place. It transforms our selfish motives and elevates our guest.

When the hospitable hostess swings wide the door, all her attention focuses outward: “You’re here! I’ve been waiting for you. No one is more important today than you, and I’m thrilled you’ve come.” The posture we assume in hospitality is one that bends low, generously offering our heart to another despite whatever interruption to our own plans or comfort. Extending hospitality is about freely giving of ourselves while granting others the freedom to be themselves. Shifting our focus from us to them removes all unnecessary expectations. No need to worry about what to say or how to act. Just come as you are.”

Hospitality is making one feel at home in your house. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for the opportunities you have to make others’ feel at home in your home.

"When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: ‘You matter to me and to God.’"- Max Lucado

God’s Word: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” – 1 Peter 4:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth--and not I only, but also all who know the truth-- because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever” – 2 John 1:1-2

In his book “The Magnificent Story,” James Bryan Smith writes: “One of the gifts John Wesley left the church is the Quadrilateral. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral refers to the four ways we come to know something as true: Scripture (what the Bible teaches), tradition (the teaching of the church through the centuries), reason (our rational capacity), and experience (the knowledge we have of something experientially). Just as I have proposed that if something is true it’s usually beautiful and good, Wesley proposed that if something is true, it must also be biblically grounded, be in sync with church teaching, make sense to us rationally, and make sense in our own lives.

This is a good way to examine what we believe. To be certain, Wesley put the greatest weight on Scripture, less weight on tradition, and even less weight on reason and experience, because we are all capable of deception (as history and our own lives have shown).

It is my intention to use the Quadrilateral when answering the question, is it true?… This is a good way to examine what we believe. To be certain, Wesley put the greatest weight on Scripture, less weight on tradition, and even less weight on reason and experience, because we are all capable of deception (as history and our own lives have shown).”

The Lord has given us truth in His Word. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is truth and seek to follow Him in all that you do.

"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.'' – Leo Tolstoy

God’s Word: “Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.” – Leviticus 19:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:13

Harold Myers retired in 1990, and with his wife Lois, began to travel on cruises together. Harold read up on sea lore and came across a story about people who throw messages in bottles into the sea.

Something in the romance of that act caught his fancy. He resolved to give it a try. Sailing on the Carnival cruise ship Festival out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Harold tossed in four bottles over the course of several evenings. Each contained a dollar bill, a note in English and Spanish and each was stoppered with a cork and sealed with paraffin. The dollar, the note explained, was to cover postage for a response.

Two of his first three bottles were recovered.

Not long after he returned home from the Caribbean cruise, he received a letter from France. It turns out that a French vacationer on the island of St. Bart’s, some 30 miles from where Harold had tossed it in. Harold figured the bottle had traveled 30 miles in nine days. Not France, but not bad. "To tell you the truth," Harold says, "I was kind of shocked. I guess I really never expected to hear from anybody at all."

A bigger shock was to come. Another bottle tossed from the Festival bobbed around for almost 2,000 miles before being recovered in the open sea by a kayaking Canadian off the coast of Belize. The bottle drifted for four months and, Harold determined, survived a hurricane.

"That one really blew my mind. It kind of wowed me for a while," he said.

Your Bible has arrived safely in your possession after being written more than a thousand years ago. It is Our Heavenly Father’s love letter. It is to those who believe in the name of the Son of God that they may know that they have eternal life. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that we know we have eternal life in Jesus Christ because of His Word.

“Some read the Bible to learn and some read the Bible to hear from heaven.” – Andrew Murray

God’s Word: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” – 1 John 1:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18

Author George MacDonald once wrote a letter to his father about what he believed would be a great obstacle to his faith; that once he became a Christian he would no longer be able to appreciate beauty and the natural world.

Ultimately, his experience was quite the opposite:

“One of my greatest difficulties in consenting to think of religion was that I thought I should have to give up my beautiful thoughts & my love for the things God has made. But I find that the happiness springing from all things not in themselves sinful is much increased by religion.

God is the God of the Beautiful, Religion the Love of the Beautiful, & Heaven the House of the Beautiful—nature is tenfold brighter in the sun of righteousness, and my love of nature is more intense since I became a Christian. . . . God has not given me such thoughts, & forbidden me to enjoy them. Will he not in them enable me to raise the voice of praise?”

We can overcome fear, by looking to the one who loves us more than life itself, Jesus Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His love for you and that you can overcome every fear through His love.

“The wise man in a storm prays to God, Not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

God’s Word: “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.’” – Matthew 14:27

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – 1 John 4:10-11

William Dixon lived in Brackenthwaite, England. He was a widower who had also lost his only son. One day he saw that the house of one of his neighbors was on fire. Although the aged owner was rescued, her orphaned grandson was trapped in the blaze. Dixon climbed an iron pipe on the side of the house and lowered the boy to safety. His hand that held on to the pipe was badly burned. Shortly after the fire, the grandmother died. The townspeople wondered who would care for the boy. Two volunteers appeared before the town council. One was a father who had lost his son and would like to adopt the orphan as his own. William Dixon was to speak next, but instead of saying anything he merely held up his scarred hand. When the vote was taken, the boy was given to him.

God loved us so much that He left Heaven to lay down His life for us. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for His love towards you.

"His purpose in sending Jesus into the world was to show his love and to draw men to himself." - Merrill C. Tenney

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.” – John 3:16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” – 1 John 4:1-3

In 16th century England, gunpowder was used for measuring the alcohol content of Whiskies and other Spirits.

The term ‘alcohol proof’ was first coined then and refers to a test to demonstrate the potency of an alcoholic spirit. Historical accounts of the test vary and it quite possibly could have been conducted using a number of methods, all with similar base principles. 

Back in the day, Spirits were taxed at different rates, depending on how much alcohol they had. A pellet of gunpowder was soaked in the liquid and could the pellet still be ignited afterward, the Spirit would be rated as above proof and thus taxed at a higher rate.

Gunpowder would not burn in Rum (Spirit of choice back then) with less than 57.17% of alcohol by volume.

In this passage, John is not talking about alcohol but rather the Spirit of God. The Lord asks us to test the spirits to see whether they are from Him. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that we can test the spirits to see whether they are from God or not.

“As we well know, the imbecility of ‘profound’ philosophers is so immense that it is exceeded only by the infinite mercy of God." - Giovanni Papini

God’s Word: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.” – 2 Peter 2:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” – 1 John 3:19-20

In his book “Jesus Outside the Lines,” Scott Sauls writes: “Ever since they were little, I have pronounced a specific blessing over each of our daughters as I have tucked them into bed at night. The blessing usually starts with a promise or declaration of their human dignity and value straight out of the Bible—“You are fearfully and wonderfully made…Nothing can separate you from the love of God…God will not harm you, but will give you a hope and a future…God so loved you that he gave his only Son for you.” The blessing concludes every time with the words, “God made you beautiful and special, and he loves you so much. And so does your daddy. Don’t you ever forget that. Amen.”

The reason I pronounce this nightly blessing over our daughters is that their hearts, like all human hearts, are prone to forget their fundamental identities as image bearers. I want the last thing they hear before they nod off to be a reaffirmation of what is true.

I want them to hear a counter-voice to the shame triggers of our culture and the negative verdicts from within that try to convince them that they are worth less than they actually are. In short, I want them to remember and rest in what God says is true about them. Neither the culture nor their own hearts get to name them, because their Maker already has.”

Child of God, Is your heart troubled?  Today in prayer, rest in the presence of Jesus.

“Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.” – Fanny Crosby

God’s Word: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” – 1 John 3:17

Joseph Rowntree was an English Quaker philanthropist and businessman from York. He made his money in the chocolate business. The company Rowntree’s, grew from 30 to over 4,000 employees by the end of the 19th century making it Britain's eightieth-largest manufacturing employer.

In the 1850s, Joseph saw extreme poverty and homelessness firsthand on his visit to Ireland. He worked in a soup kitchen and became burdened with how to help those in need.

On his return to York, he created housing for his workers. Joseph bought land and built a model village. The first homes were built in 1902, “for the improvement of the condition of the working classes” he said. He developed financial trusts that would provide for future housing of workers.

These trusts still provide affordable housing for the people of York more than 95 years after his death.  

Seeing someone in need means you need to get involved, just as Jesus did. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for opportunities to get involved in people’s lives and show His love to them.

“The answer to the question, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ must always be ‘No! I am my brother’s brother.’” – Paul Klapper

God’s Word: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” – Hebrews 13:16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” – 1 John 3:4-6

In his book “Encounters With Jesus,” Timothy Keller writes: “Adolf Eichmann was one of the Nazi architects of the Holocaust who escaped after World War II to South America, where he was caught in 1960 and taken back to Israel for a trial. He was tried, found guilty, and executed. But there was a very interesting incident during the trial. They had to find witnesses who saw him commit the terrible crimes against humanity he was charged with. They needed to find people who saw him participate in atrocities at the death camps. One of the material witnesses was a man named Yehiel De-Nur, and when he came in to testify, he saw Eichmann in the glass booth and immediately broke down, falling to the ground and sobbing.

There was pandemonium. The judge was hammering to get order. It was very dramatic. Sometime later De-Nur was interviewed by Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes. Wallace showed De-Nur the tape of him falling down and asked him why it happened. Was he overwhelmed by painful memories? Or with hatred? Is that why he collapsed? De-Nur said no—and then said something that probably shocked Wallace and should shock almost all secular Western people. He said that he was overcome by the realization that Eichmann was not some demon but was an ordinary human being. “I was afraid about myself. . .. I saw that am capable to do this . . . exactly like he.”

We must forsake our sin and unite with Jesus Christ. It is only then do we stop the sin in our lives. Today in prayer, confess any sin that is in your life and live in Jesus Christ.

"We live in a world full of people struggling to be, or at least to appear, strong in order not to be weak; and we follow a gospel which says that when I am weak, then I am strong. And this gospel is the only thing that brings healing." - N.T. Wright

God’s Word: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” – Galatians 5:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1

In his book “Down to Earth: How Jesus’ Stories Can Change Your Everyday Life,” Tom Hughes writes:

“The value of a US hundred-dollar bill is not based on where it has been or how it has been used. Its value is not determined by its shape, size, or color. A one-dollar bill in American currency has the same shape, size, and color as a hundred-dollar bill. If you want to know what the bill is worth, what matters is whose image is on it. George Washington’s image tells us that it is a one-dollar bill we are holding. If we have a bill with the image of Benjamin Franklin, then we know we are holding a hundred-dollar bill. How do you determine what you are worth? You need to know whose image you bear.

…How much is a crisp, clean hundred-dollar bill worth? A hundred dollars. How much is a dirty, crumpled, hidden hundred-dollar bill worth? A hundred dollars. Why? The image might be in need of restoration and cleansing, but it is still there.”

We have a Heavenly Father who loves us far greater than we can ever know. Today in prayer, praise Jesus that He loves you and one day we will be reunited face-to-face with Him.

"Our doctrine of equality and liberty and humanity comes from our belief in the brotherhood of man, through the fatherhood of God." - Calvin Coolidge

God’s Word: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” – Galatians 3:26

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” – 1 John 2:28

In August 2021, the Rev. Wilson Rice, Sr., age 96, of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Laurel, Mississippi passed away. His wife Eva preceded him in death by only a few weeks.

“He was a great pastor and always preached about keeping the faith and staying on the battlefield,” said Uless Breland, a deacon at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church. “He was our anchor.”

“He’s always been a man that stood for God and did what God called him to do. I’ve never received anything from him except love, appreciation. He’s going to be truly missed by the entire family, grandkids, great-grandkids, great great-grandkids, all of us, we’re going to miss them.” she said.

He served faithfully at St. Luke’s for 56 years. Just a year prior to his death he said: “I made a promise to the Lord to serve Him until He calls me home,” Wilson said. “As long as I’m here and able, there’s still work to be done, and this is what He put me here to do.”

Our days are numbered by the Lord, but we can all make the most of them by offering ourselves as a living sacrifice and to continue in Him. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for your life in Him and give Him all of your life today.

“A living faith is not something you have to carry, but something that carries you.” – J.H. Oldham

God’s Word: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him” – Colossians 2:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“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

During the mid 2000s, Amy Carlson developed an interest in New Age philosophy. In late 2007, Carlson left her third husband, her children, and her job as a manager at McDonald's. In 2009, she began the cult Love Has Won.

Carlson was known to her followers as "Mother God" and claimed to be able to cure cancer and communicate with angels. She also said she was the reincarnation of both Jesus Christ and Marilyn Monroe. According to affidavits taken by the Saguache County Sheriff's Office, the group was brainwashing people and stealing their money. 

In September 2020, it had been stated that Carlson was in poor health and was paralyzed from the waist down, with Carlson herself stating that she had cancer. In early April 2021, the group was located in an RV park in Mount Shasta in northern California, but were asked to leave due to overcrowding. Carlson was last seen alive by someone outside the group on April 10, 2021. The group disbanded later that year after her corpse was discovered.

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 2023, 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

Henri J.M. Nouwen, in his book “Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son”, writes the following:

“Since I was very young my life has been dominated by two strong voices. The first said, “Make it in the world and be sure you can do it on your own.” And the other voice said, “Whatever you do for the rest of your life, even if it’s not very important, be sure you hold on to the love of Jesus.” My father was a little more inclined to say the first and my mother the second. But the voices were strong.

“Make your mark. Be able to show the world you can do it by yourself and that you are not afraid. Go as far as you want to go and be a man. Be a good older son and brother, and be sure you really do something relevant.” And the other said, “Don’t lose touch with Jesus, who chose a very humble and simple way. Jesus, by his life and death, will be your example for living.

I’ve struggled because one voice seemed to be asking me for upward mobility and the other for downward mobility and I was never sure how to do both at the same time.”

In all things, listen to the voice of 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 2023, 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

Pastor Fred Winters was killed at First Baptist Church in Maryville in 2009, when Terry Sedlacek entered a Sunday morning worship service on March 8 and shot Fred in the pulpit. Media outlets immediately descended on Maryville, pushing the story into national headlines. But at Fred’s funeral, there was a prominent theme of forgiveness for the man who killed him.

Fred’s widow, Cindy Winters, when asked about her husband’s killer said, “I do not have any hatred or even hard feelings toward him. We have been praying for him. One of the first things that my daughter said to me after this happened was, ‘You know, I hope that he comes to learn to love Jesus through all of this.’ We are not angry at all, and we really firmly believe that he can find hope and forgiveness and peace through this, by coming to know Jesus. And we hope that that happens for him.”

On the account of Jesus Christ, we have been unconditionally forgiven 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 2023, 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 his book “The Jesus Creed,” Scot McKnight writes: “Let me tell you the story of a great missionary named Frank C. Laubach (1884–1970). He grew up in the farming community of Benton, PA, and served as a Congregationalist missionary in the Philippines.

Where he was a total failure. He tried to bring the gospel to the Moros people and they were completely uninterested. So one day he’s praying and he yells at God, “What can I do for hateful people like these: murderers, thieves, dirty filthy betel nut chewers – our enemies?”

Laubach said his lips began to move and it seemed to him that God was speaking. These words came out: “My child, you have failed because you do not really love these Moros. You feel superior to them because you are white. If you can forget you are an American and think only how I love them, they will respond.” 

Laubach’s life was gradually but dramatically transformed in his understanding of the “others” he was called to love, and his work grew from a private to a public mission. Here’s what he said he learned he had to do: “I choose to look at people through God, using God as my glasses, colored with His love for them.””

When we see others as God as God sees them, then we can love them. 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 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †

“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

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers.  He was one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern Western philosophy. One day, he took a long summer walk as he often did. Immanuel was walking in his neighborhood, stopped in a park, sat down on a bench for several hours, and just sat there. A policeman saw Immanuel and walked over to him. He wanted to know what Immanuel was up to. He asked, “what are you doing?”

Kant replied, “I’m thinking.” The policeman inquired further and said, “Who are you?” Then the great philosopher, turned to the police officer and said, “that’s precisely the problem that I’ve been thinking about. Who am I?”

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are a child of God and we should walk with Jesus. 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 2023, 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

In his book “Just Passion,” author Dr. Mark E. Strong tells the following story: “I heard a story about a little boy who wanted to give God an offering but had nothing to give. He sat on the floor, watching people pass by and place their offerings in large wicker baskets. How he longed to give a little something to the Savior he so dearly loved. He walked to the front of the church, grabbed the rim of the basket and hoisted himself inside. When the deacons went to retrieve the boy, one scolded him, saying, ‘This is not a play area!’ Embarrassed and bewildered, the little boy responded, ‘I didn’t have anything to give the Lord, so I was giving him myself’.”

The Lord desires that we obey Him and follow Him. 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 2023, 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

History was made when Justice DY Chandrachud took over as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) in November 2022. As the son of former CJI YV Chandrachud, this will be the only father-son duo to have reached the position of the CJI. CJI is equivalent to the United States Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Justice YV Chandrachud (the father) was appointed to the post of the CJI in 1978 and he retired in 1985, serving the longest tenure of seven years at the post till date. He was the 16th CJI.

His son, Justice DY Chandrachud, is a Harvard University Law School graduate and was first appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 13 May 2016.

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 2023, 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 his book “Participating in God,” Paul S. Fiddes tells the story: “Some years ago the Court of Appeal of British Columbia, Canada, was hearing a case about a man accused of arson. During his trial in a lower court a microphone had picked up something he had murmured under his breath – ‘O God, let me get away with it just this once.’ The judge of that court had ruled that this incriminating remark was not admissible as evidence, since it was not (in his view) a public utterance, but a private conversation between two persons – the accused and God.

The Appeal Court, however, now ruled against this judgment, on the grounds that ‘God is not a person’. When this story was reported in the Guardian newspaper, the reporter added his own twist to the verdict: he suggested that Christians should agree with the judgment of the Appeal Judges since they believe that ‘God is not one person but three’.”

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 2023, 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

In his book “Soul Detox,” Pastor Craig Groeschel wrote “Recently at church I asked our congregation, “How many of you battle with self-deception?” A few people in the crowd raised their hands. Then I asked, “How many of you know someone who is very self-deceived?” You guessed it. Almost everyone knew someone else who’s guilty of self-deception. Chances are you do too. You probably know someone who thinks more highly of themselves than they should. Or you might have a relative who thinks he’s funny, but everyone else thinks he’s annoying. You likely know someone who has a problem but will deny it until the cows come home.

It’s hard to be objective about ourselves. I laughed as I explained to our church that we have a statistical problem. Almost no one in our church believes that they are self-deceived, and yet almost everyone knows someone who is. Why? Because we have an unlimited capacity to deceive ourselves. As we lie to ourselves (“I’m a great singer”), we start to believe our lies. The more we tell the lies, the more we believe they are truth.”

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 2023, 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 

In his book “A Fellowship of Differents, Showing the World God’s Design for Life,” Scot McKnight writes: “So if we want to get the church right, we have to learn to see it as a salad in a bowl, made the Right Way of course. For a good salad is a fellowship of different tastes, all mixed together with the olive oil accentuating the taste of each. The earliest Christian churches were made up of folks from all over the social map, but they formed a fellowship of “different tastes,” a mixed salad of the best kind.

A recent study by a British scholar has concluded that if the apostle Paul’s house churches were composed of about thirty people, this would have been their approximate make-up:

·      a craftworker in whose home they meet, along with his wife, children, a couple of male slaves, a female domestic slave, and dependent relative

·      some tenants, with families and slaves and dependents, also living in the same home in rented rooms

·      some family members of a householder who himself does not participate in the house church couple of slaves whose owners do not attend

·      some freed slaves who do not participate in the church

·      a couple homeless people

·      a few migrant workers renting small rooms in the home

Add to this mix some Jewish folks and a perhaps an enslaved prostitute and we see how many “different tastes” were in a typical house church in Rome: men and women, citizens and freed slaves and slaves (who had no legal rights), Jews and Gentiles, people from all moral walks of life, and perhaps, most notably, people from elite classes all the way down the social scale perhaps to homeless people.”

We need to put our relationship with Jesus Christ first in our lives and when we walk in His light, all 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 2023, 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

In his latter years, Billy Graham made one last speech before the leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here is what he said: “I’m reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn’t there. He looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.

The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.” 

Einstein nodded appreciatively. 

The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and said, “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.” 

Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”

Having said that Billy Graham continued, “See the suit I’m wearing? It’s a brand-new suit. My children, and my grandchildren are telling me I’ve gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So, I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I’ll be buried. But when you hear I’m dead, I don’t want you to immediately remember the suit I’m wearing. I want you to remember this:

“I not only know who I am. I also know where I’m going.” May your troubles be less, your blessings more, and may nothing but happiness, come through your door. “Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil – it has no point.”

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 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN LETTERS OF JOHN †