“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” – Proverbs 31:29-30

Anna L. Waring was born in 1820 at Neath in Glamorganshire, South Wales, where she spent her whole life. It has been said of her “Few authors are so sensitive or shy of publicity as Miss Waring. She has written her heart into her hymns, but particulars of her life and education are concealed from us”. She was the daughter of Elijah Waring and niece of Samuel Miller Waring. Her hymns were first introduced into America by a minister named F.D. Huntingdon in 1863.

Though her early upbringing was among the Quakers, she was impressed by the sacraments of the Anglican Church and became an Anglican in 1842. She wrote hymns in her teens and completed 39 of them by 1863. In order to read the Old Testament in the original, she learned Hebrew. She had a gentle but merry spirit and did helpful work for the “Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society”. It was written that in her ninety years of life were a blessing to all who knew her or read her poems and hymns.

In our churches and Christian organizations, there are millions of dedicated Christian women who need to be praised for their faithfulness in serving the Lord. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for these women of faith and seek out some of them and praise them for their service to other Christians and to the Lord.

“The faithful person lives constantly with God.” – Clement of Alexandria

God’s Word: “Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.” – Proverbs 22:4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” – Proverbs 30:6

Moses was far ahead of his time in terms of medicine and sanitation. A careful study of Leviticus 13, with reference to certain skin diseases, reveals some rather modern techniques (e.g., the diagnosis of certain symptoms), treatment to lessen spread (e.g., disinfection), and quarantine. No other law code in the whole of ancient history came anywhere near rivaling these health regulations.

Consider, for instance, the fact that the “leper” was required to “cover his upper lip” (Leviticus 13:45). Dr. J. S. Morton has noted: “Since the leprosy bacilli are transmitted from nasal drippings and saliva, this practice of having lepers cover their upper lips was a good hygienic policy”.

Concerning Moses’ procedures for quarantining, Dr. William Vis has written:

“To show how far Moses was ahead of modern society we need only to remind ourselves that the word quarantine originated in the fourteenth century when the Italian ports of Venice and Genoa first refused admission to immigrants who might be harboring plague and required them to stay on board for forty days—hence the word quarantine. Even in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries leprosy spread over southern Europe until the principles of Moses were re-enacted successfully.”

God’s word can withstand all criticism. Today in prayer, praise Jesus that His Word is reliable and is the truth.

“When the Bible speaks, God speaks.” – B.B. Warfield

God’s Word: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.” – Revelation 22:18

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

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

On May 7, 1990, in the woods behind Galloway Township’s Clubs Condominiums, in New Jersey, Steven Goff stabbed his 15-year-old friend Frederick “Ricky” Hart to death. The boys had been involved in a series of robberies and a fight between the two erupted. Goff left the teen there and never went back. He kept his secret for 23 years.

But in 2013, Goff, who was raised Roman Catholic, re-affirmed his faith. The guilt of murder became “overwhelming”.

In April 2013, after five sleepless nights, Goff walked into a police station and began detailing the crime. The case was definitely cold, it took three hours to find any paperwork of the murder.

That night, in a jail cell, Goff slept well for the first time in a long while. The relief was powerful though he said: “I’m going to suffer the rest of my life for this, as well I should.”

The best thing you can do with sin is to confess it and forsake it. Today in prayer, confess any sin in your life to the Lord. Draw close to Him and receive His gift of mercy.

“A man should never be ashamed to own he has been wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.” – Alexander Pope

God’s Word: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” – Psalm 32:3-5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” – Proverbs 27:1

In 1964, the RAND Corporation conducted a long-term forecasting report, putting questions to 82 experts in various fields to come up with a number of predictions for our times.

Here's a selection of predictions their predictions and the earliest year they thought each could be achievable.

1980: Robots as household servants.

1980: Manned landing on Mars.

1995: Human lives artificially extended by 50 years.

1995: Automated voting.

1998: Directly recording information to the brain.

1999: A military force on the moon.

2000: Two-way communication with extra-terrestrials.

2015: Long-duration coma to allow a form of time travel.

2020: Breeding of apes and other animals for menial work in the home.

“Primitive forms of artificial life will have been generated in the laboratory,” the report goes on. “A universal language will have been evolved ... (and) on the moon, mining and manufacture of propellant materials will be in progress.”

We do not know what will happen tomorrow. Today in prayer, confess any sin of boasting in the future and trust in Jesus for all of your days. 

“I never worry about the future, it comes soon enough.” – Albert Einstein

God’s Word: “Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” – James 4:13-16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.” – Proverbs 19:5

“The Art of Cross-Examination” is a classic text for trial attorneys and law students on how to cross-examine witnesses. Written by American attorney Francis L. Wellman, the book was first published in 1903 and was still in print more than 100 years later.

Francis L. Wellman was a practicing attorney in New York State as well as an assistant district attorney in New York City. 

The book is peppered with examples and techniques on cross-examining a witness.

On the subject of false witness and perjury, Wellman complained. “Perjury is decidedly on the increase, and at the present time in our local courts scarcely a trial is conducted in which it does not appear in a more or less flagrant form.”

The Lord hates lying lips and a false witness. Today in prayer, confess to the Lord any lies in your life and seek to be truthful in all that you do.

“The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousand fold.” – Aristotle

God’s Word: “A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.” – Proverbs 21:28

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.” – Proverbs 18:16

Thomas Kane was a Chicago businessman and Presbyterian layman. Many years ago, he began to tithe of his income, and after five years of trying it, he noticed that his business and his finances had undergone a decided change for the better.  He began asking others if they had a similar testimony, and he collected story after story that was similar to his own.  So in 1876, he wrote a little pamphlet, a tract, and sent it across the United States to churches and to pastors.  In it, he said, “My belief is that God blesses in temporal as well as spiritual things the man who honors Him by setting apart a stated portion of his income.  I have never known an exception.  Have you?” Millions and millions of copies of this little tract spread around the world.  Years later, he wrote a book entitled “The Biography of a Tither,” in which he said that he received thousands of replies to that little tract, but not one person ever wrote telling him that tithing didn’t work for them.  “The negatives,” he said, “are nonexistent.”

The Lord blesses those who give. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for all that you have and ask Him how you can faithfully give to others.

“Nothing is really ours until we share it.” – C.S. Lewis

God’s Word: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” – Matthew 2:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17

In August 2016, doctors told Cecil Hogue his kidneys weren’t functioning properly. At the rate they were deteriorating, he would eventually need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Neither option sounded good to Cecil, who was 53 and living in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Dialysis requires a strict regimen. A kidney transplant can be a long, hard road. The average wait for a kidney from a deceased donor in the U.S. is three to five years -- longer in some regions. Each year on the waiting list or on dialysis lowers the odds of a good outcome after the transplant.

By the spring of 2017, Cecil didn’t have much choice. His kidneys had started to fail. By September of that year, his doctors were preparing to place him on the kidney transplant waitlist.

Unbeknownst to Cecil, his buddy since the third grade Glenn Graham was thinking about his own options. His decision became clear after he learned Cecil’s daughter had tried to donate but wasn’t a suitable donor. Glenn talked to his own family. They agreed with his decision. He called Duke University Hospital to see if he could donate one of his healthy kidneys to save his best friend’s life.

“I’m in good health, no medical issues," said Glenn. “I didn’t see any negative consequences. I saw it as an opportunity to help.”  

Without telling his friend, Glen took the compatibility tests and learned he was a good match. He surprised Cecil soon after. The transplant was a success and both men recovered.

“It was an emotional moment,” Cecil recalled. “It is bigger than life that somebody, without you asking, steps up to do this.”

“It was an opportunity to help a very good friend and his family,” Glenn said. “I was happy to do it.”

We can never love our friends and family too much. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for your family and friends and ask Him how you can love them deeper.

“God evidently does not intend us all to be rich, or powerful, or great, but He does intend us all to be friends.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

God’s Word: “Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you-- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.” – Proverbs 27:10

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” – Proverbs 17:14

On January 1, 2012, parishioners at New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee watched as a brawl erupted right in the middle of the church service. A fight between two women near the church’s choir section turned into a brawl between the two families, according to a police report.

At the center of the altercation are Beverly Milam, her nemesis Terry Bell, and Bell’s daughter Charra Lumpkin.

Bell and Milam agree on one thing: the fight began with a quarrel at Bible study the previous Wednesday.

Milam said she told Bell to “stop sleeping with somebody” and then she said Bell got in her face.

Fast forward to first Sunday at New Salem.

The two women at the center of the fight have different versions of how the blows began.

Bell claims Milam struck her daughter.

Milam claims Bell’s friend “Angel” struck her in the face with an umbrella.

At that point, family members jumped in.

When officers arrived, they had to separate the women. Both had sustained minor injuries.

All parties involved said this has been an ongoing problem for several years.

The best way to get over a quarrel is to never start one. Today in prayer, confess any sins of anger to Jesus. Ask Him to give you the wisdom when to drop a matter before it becomes a quarrel.  

“You should either avoid quarrels altogether or else put an end to them as quickly as possible; otherwise, anger may grow into hatred, making a plank out of a splinter, and turn the soul into a murderer.”  – Augustine

God’s Word: “It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.” – Proverbs 20:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” – Proverbs 16:3

In 203 AD in Carthage in Northern Africa, Perpetua was a married noblewoman who committed her life to Christ. The 22 years old was arrested for her faith and she began writing about her imprisonment. She was a new nursing mother and her child was taken away from her. She and her slave Felicity, who was pregnant at the time, were imprisoned together. Perpetua’s diary became known as “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity”. It is one of the most important historical documents of the early church and narrates their sufferings and death. Regularly the two women were interrogated by the Romans to renounce their faith in Christ. Perpetua’s own father pleaded with her to turn from her faith.

In her diary, Perpetua recorded her commitment to Christ: “When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I said to him, ‘Do you see this vessel—waterpot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘So also I cannot call myself by any other name than what I am—a Christian.’”

The Lord asks us to commit to the Lord whatever we do. Today in prayer, commit all that you do to the Lord and seek to faithfully seek Him.

"Give me 100 men who hate nothing but sin and love God with all their hearts and I will shake the world for Christ!" - John Wesley

God’s Word: “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” – Psalm 37:5-6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” – Proverbs 15:18

Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York, wrote in Life magazine about a time he was especially discouraged during a political campaign. He wondered what his father Andrea would have thought if he knew his son felt like giving up.

A thousand pictures flashed through his mind, but one scene came sharply into view.

The family had just moved to Holliswood, New York, from their apartment in Queens behind the store. They had their own house for the first time; it had some land around it, even trees.

One tree was a great blue spruce that must have been 40-feet tall.

Less than a week after they moved in, there was a terrible storm. They came home from the store that night to find the spruce pulled almost totally from the ground and flung forward. Its mighty top was bent to the asphalt of the street. Their hearts sank.

But not Mario’s father Poppa. He was a small man at five feet six. But he was a strong and patient man. Looking at the tree, he told the family they were going to “push ‘im up”.  

“What are you talking about, Poppa?  The roots are out of the ground!” Mario replied.

But the family got a rope, tied it around the tip of the tree and pulled the tree upright.

With the rain still falling, Poppa dug away at the place where the roots were, making a muddy hole wider and wider as the tree sank lower and lower toward security.

If you were to drive past that house today, you would see the great, straight blue spruce, maybe 65 feet tall, pointing up to the heavens, pretending it never had its nose in the asphalt. Remembering that night in Holliswood, Cuomo couldn't wait to get back into the campaign.

One of the toughest lessons in life is learning to be patient. Today in prayer, confess any sin of impatience to the Lord and seek to be a patient person.

“There are three indispensable requirements for a missionary: 1. Patience 2. Patience 3. Patience.” - Hudson Taylor

God’s Word: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” – Psalm 27:14

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” – Proverbs 13:4

One of history’s laziest leaders was William Lamb, better known as Lord Melbourne. The British politician once quipped that he thought being Prime Minister would be a “damned bore.” When the Whig politician became British PM in 1834, he set about confirming that suspicion: His tendency to snooze through cabinet meetings, parliamentary debates and dinners earned him a reputation as a chronic laggard and prompted Benjamin Disraeli to demand that he “cease to saunter over the destinies of a nation and lounge away an empire.” Melbourne — whose favorite dictum was “Why not leave it alone?” — was equally idle when it came to his private life, declining to separate from his adulterous wife for more than a decade after she had scandalized him by having an affair with Lord Byron and writing a tell-all book about it. Historians have concluded that Melbourne does not rank highly as a Prime Minister, for there were no great foreign wars or domestic issues to handle, he lacked major achievements, and he enunciated no grand principles.

The Lord does have a plan for our lives. We need to discover that plan to diligently work at it. Today in prayer, confess any sin of laziness and seek to be a diligent worker.

“Laziness grows on people; it begins in cobwebs and ends in iron chains.” – Thomas Buxton

God’s Word: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” – Proverbs 6:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” – Proverbs 12:22

In 2004, Brian Williams became the anchor for the NBC Nightly News. He was the trusted face of news for over a decade. Then on January 30, 2015, he reported on the broadcast that in 2003, he was flying in Iraq on a military helicopter when it was “forced down after being hit by an RPG”.

Soon after it aired, Lance Reynolds criticized Williams’ story. Reynolds was a flight engineer on board one of the three Chinook helicopters that had been attacked. Reynolds and other crew members said Williams had been aboard one of a separate group of helicopters from the helicopter that had been fired upon, which was flying about half an hour behind and was forced to make an emergency landing because of a sandstorm rather than an attack.

Additional soldiers soon came forward both to confirm that Williams was not in the group of helicopters one of which had come under fire, and to express their hurt that Williams had inserted himself into the event.

On February 4, 2015, Williams apologized for and recanted his disproven Iraq War story and was demoted from news anchor.

Lies are in direct conflict with the Truth. Today in prayer, confess any lies to the Lord and seek to be a person of integrity who walks in the truth.

“White lies are non-existent, for a lie is wholly a lie; falsehood is the personification of evil; Satan has two names; he is called Satan, and he is called the Father of Lies.” – Victor Hugo

“There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16-19

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” – Proverbs 11:3

Pastor Hugh Halter writes the following: “I once offered up a free paint job during a church auction to raise money for a cause. I figured an elderly woman would bid a thousand dollars on a quick two- to three-day job and I could help someone in need without it costing too much. Sadly, fifty bucks got my services. I drove out one morning to meet my client, and as I headed into a very rich neighborhood called the Northwest Hills of Portland, I realized, that I might be in a pickle, All the homes were huge, and many of them were positioned on cliffs overlooking downtown. I prayed, but my worst fears were realized. The house was huge, and the back of the home was four stories high on stilts, overhanging a cliff full of blackberry briars.

In that moment I decided to feign illness. But as I put my head on the steering wheel to collect myself, a very gentle but very strong message entered my mind:  Paint the House. I knew it was God, but I sat there another thirty minutes to make sure. Eventually, with drooping head and shoulders, I knocked on the door. Out came Ralph, and we talked over the job. The last words I remember him saying were, “Oh, and I’d like you to hand paint it with a brush instead of using your paint sprayer so we don’t get any overspray on the plants.” Perfect, I thought. I should be done just about the time Jesus returns to earth.

For the next four weeks, Ralph and I became friends. Sort of like Sylvester and Tweety Bird. I tell you this story because at the time, I couldn’t find God in any of this. I actually thought that I was wasting precious finances and ministry time. It made no sense at all. Until I met Ralph’s son. Scott, a local businessman, found out that I had stuck it out with his crazy dad and was so impressed he eventually joined our church and became my greatest personal friend and financial advocate. He helped fund our church plant, and he also bought me a condo that we sold later so we could acquire an awesome mountain getaway spot for my family.”

Guard your good name and maintain integrity in all that you do. As a Christian, you carry Christ’s name with you and often your conduct is your witness. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for His Holiness and integrity and seek to follow Him in all that you do.

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity.” – Tom Peters

God’s Word: “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.” – Proverbs 13:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  – Luke 24:5-7

James Bedford was a psychology professor at the University of California. Prior to his death from cancer, Bedford expressed his desire to be cryogenically frozen. His hope was that his body could be resurrected, repaired and his consciousness revived with more advanced future technology. Bedford willed $100,000 for the preservation of his body.

However, when he died in 1967 everyone was caught off guard. The science of cryogenics was little more than a fringe idea and there was no cryonics industry equipped to preserve a body. To honor his wishes, Bedford’s nurse reportedly ran up and down the block collecting ice from home freezers of neighbors. She then called the Life Extension Society, founded to promote cryonic suspension of people, and Bedford became the first human to be cryogenically frozen.

After 50 years the cost of preserving his body has long exhausted the $100,000 Bedford had set aside. Frustrated by the high cost of storage, Bedford’s son moved his father’s body to a self-storage facility and periodically topped the container with liquid nitrogen himself. In 1982, Bedford’s body was entrusted to Alcor Life Extension Foundation, where his body remains in a frozen state.

Jesus died, was buried, and then rose from the grave. He did not suffer decay. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord for His Resurrection and that He is alive. Praise the Lord that eternal life awaits us beyond the grave!

“Angels, roll the rock away; Death, yield up thy mighty prey: See, He rises from the tomb, Glowing with immortal bloom.” – Thomas Scott

God’s Word: “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” – Matthew 28:5-6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTION FOR EASTER

“But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” – John 19:33-34

In September 2019, Japanese researchers said they have developed artificial blood that can be transfused into patients regardless of their blood type and can vastly improve the chances for survival of seriously injured people.

The artificial blood gets around problems with identifying blood types in emergency situations and overcomes limits on storing real blood from donors. At this time, platelets can only be stored for four days, while red blood cells can be kept for a maximum of 20 days at low temperatures. However, artificial blood can be stored at normal temperatures for more than a year.

Professor Manabu Kinoshita said, “It is difficult to stock a sufficient amount of blood for transfusions in such regions as remote islands. The artificial blood will be able to save the lives of people who otherwise could not be saved.”

Currently the blood types of patients must be confirmed before they can receive transfusions, so emergency medical technicians are prohibited from transfusing blood in ambulances. Since blood type is not an issue with the artificial blood, injured patients can be treated before they arrive at hospitals, resulting in a higher survival rate. No negative side effects, such as blood clotting, have been observed.

The blood of Jesus saves everyone who receives it. There are no compatibility issues, there is no scarcity of supply, and it lasts for all eternity. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for dying for your sins on the Cross.

“The cross is proof of both the immense love of God and the profound wickedness of sin.” - John MacArthur

God’s Word: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” – Romans 5:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTION FOR GOOD FRIDAY

“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” – Proverbs 10:12

In 1955, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was relatively new to Montgomery, Alabama but he quickly involved himself in the civil rights struggle there. He was a leading organizer of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began in December of 1955 after activist Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated city bus to a white passenger. The boycott brought Dr. King national recognition, but also made him a target of white supremacists. He was speaking at a nearby church on the evening of January 30 when a man pulled up in a car, walked up to Dr. King’s house, and tossed an explosive onto the porch. The bomb went off, damaging the house, but did not harm Dr. King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, who was inside with the couple’s seven-month-old daughter Yolanda.

News of the bombing spread quickly, and an angry crowd soon gathered outside the Kings’ home. A matter of minutes after his home had been bombed, standing feet away from the site of the explosion, Dr. King preached non-violence. “I want you to love our enemies,” he told his supporters. “Be good to them, love them, and let them know you love them.” 

In all that we do, we need to love others. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He loves you. Show your appreciation by loving others for Jesus.

“He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor.” – Bede

God’s Word: “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” – Proverbs 17:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” – Proverbs 9:8

John Wesley, who was a preacher and founder of the Methodist movement, was invited to the home of a preacher-friend of plain habits. At the dinner was the host's daughter, noted for her beauty, who had been profoundly impressed by Wesley's preaching. During a pause in the meal, Wesley's friend took the young woman's hand and called attention to the sparkling rings she wore. "What do you think of this, sir, for a Methodist hand?"

The girl blushed. Wesley likewise was embarrassed, for his aversion to jewelry was only too well known. But with a benevolent smile, he simply said, "The hand is very beautiful."

Wesley's remark both cooled his hotheaded friend and was a gentle rebuke to the woman’s jewelry. The young woman appeared at the evening service without her jewels and became a strong Christian.

A gentle, loving rebuke can shake us to great things.  Today in prayer, ask the Lord to give you a ready ear and heart and to apply any rebuke to become more like Jesus Christ.

"Often times God asks us to take risks in order to be obedient to Him. This is especially true when He speaks to us about our need to confront others when they are unmistakably caught in the cycle of unrepentant sin." - Ritch Grimes

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

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

DON’T BE ARROGANT                                                     Tuesday – April 7, 2020

“To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” – Proverbs 8:13

Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush, who were immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” ran Stratton Oakmont brokerage house in New York City. The two men were arrogant and flagrantly violated securities and U.S. laws. The company bilked investors for more than $200 million.   

Josh Shapiro was a broker who rose through the ranks at Stratton Oakmont. He said: “Eventually, the blindness from the drugs, the girls and the cars, the clothes and the money, wore off. These people (his co-workers) were some of the worst people that I have ever met in my life.”

Josh concludes: “I got to the point where I realized there was no way you could win. To this day, I still remember two clients’ names who lost all their money because of me. I think they’re dead now, but I did think about making amends. Now it’s too late.”

The sin of arrogance is odious to both God and other people. Today in prayer, confess to the Lord any pride or arrogance in your life. Seek to walk humbly with Jesus in all that you do.  

“The source of sin is pride.” – Augustine

God’s Word: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” – Proverbs 11:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.” – Proverbs 5:3-4

Dr. Sheila Graham Smith was a pastor’s wife more than 20 years ago when she learned that her husband was having an affair. Devastated and heartbroken, Sheila found herself alone in her misery. Her husband had no desire to mend their marriage.

Instead of sweeping marriage infidelity under the church pew, Smith advocates transparency because she lived through the shame and embarrassment.

“That was part of my journey what I had to go through,” she said. “As a minister’s wife, you feel guilty because you are supposed to know all the answers. We used to lead marriage seminars and when all this came out, I felt like a fraud.”

Yet she resolved to remain connected with her church family. She wrote the book: “Tell the Truth About Adultery” to give support to the victims of adultery.

Adultery hurts those involved and those who love them. Today in prayer, look to the Lord and flee from any temptation of adultery.

“Do not commit adultery. Adultery destroys a marriage and is a sin against God and against your mate.” – Billy Graham

God’s Word: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:18

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” – Proverbs 3:9-10

Jerry Caven was a science teacher when he began to manage a McDonald's restaurant in Idaho. He was extremely successful and he went on to own a restaurant chain, two banks, a ranch, a farm, and he had numerous real estate ventures. At age 59, Jerry was searching for a nice lakeside retirement home. But the Lord, His Owner, had other plans.

"God led us to put our money and time overseas," Jerry said. "It's been exciting. Before, we gave token amounts. Now we put substantial money into missions. We often go to India." When asked what changed the Cavens' attitudes toward giving, the answer came quickly: "Once we understood that we were giving away God's money to do God's work, we discovered a peace and joy we never had back when we thought it was our money!"

The Lord asks us to be a good steward of the money and goods He has entrusted to you. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for all that He has given you and seek to bless others with what you have been given.

“Feel for others - in your pocket.” - Charles H. Spurgeon

God’s Word: “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.” – Malachi 3:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

“For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6

In 2004, a painting by Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses, was brought to the Antiques Roadshow television show for appraisal. Born before the Civil War, Robertson did not take up painting until late in her life. Her primitive style eventually became extremely popular, and her work commanded a high price. The man who brought the painting to be evaluated had lived nearby and his mother was a friend of Grandma Moses. He said, “She was just a wonderful friend of the family. And she would let my mother buy these paintings, which she thought had relatively little value. I guess my mother did, too. She probably bought eight or ten paintings in all, and my guess would be for perhaps under ten dollars each.”

The painting that was bought for around $10 was appraised as being worth $60,000! In her early days of painting, Grandma Moses did not think of her works as being very valuable, so she parted with them for next to nothing. How often do we give up that which is valuable for a little temporary pleasure or advantage?

We find wisdom when we seek the Lord. And seeking the Lord begins with searching His Word. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that He gives wisdom in the Bible and seek Him with all of your heart.

“The wiser man shapes into God’s plan as water shapes into a vessel.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

God’s Word: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS

"My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them." - Proverbs 1:10

Beatrice Webb was one of the architects of the modern British welfare system. She and her husband founded the London School of Economics. Webb was a Socialist and an activist.

In her diary in 1925, Webb wrote the following:

“In my diary 1890, I wrote I have staked all on the essential goodness of human nature. But now 35 years later I have discovered how permanent are the evil instincts and impulses within us and how little they seem to change - like greed for wealth and power and how mere social machinery will never change that. We ask better things from human nature but we never get a response. No amount of science or knowledge has been of any avail. And unless we curb the bad impulse how will we get better social institutions?”

Every day and in many ways, we are tempted to sin. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that in Him we can overcome the temptation to sin.

"Few speed records are broken when people run from temptation." - E.C. McKenzie

God's Word: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." - Matthew 6:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2020, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PROVERBS