“You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation.” – Lamentations 5:19

Elizabeth became Queen of England on 6 February 1952 on the death of her father King George VI. She was 25 at the time and on tour in Kenya with her husband Prince Philip.

She was crowned the following year, on 2 June 1953.

The Queen became the UK's longest-serving monarch on 9 September 2015, surpassing the 63 years, seven months and two day-long reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

Queen Elizabeth II is also the "world's longest-reigning living monarch" to her long list of titles.

As head of the Commonwealth, she is officially the queen of 16 countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica. Between these countries, Queen Elizabeth has seen more than 160 different prime ministers take power during her reign.

More than 82% of the population has never known any other sovereign.

There a King whose reign is eternal. Jesus Christ reigns through all of the ages. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord that His throne endures from generation to generation.

"God, who is eternal, infinite, supremely mighty, does great and unfathomable things in heaven and in earth, and there is no understanding his wonderful works.  If the works of God could easily be grasped by human understanding they could not be called wonderful or too great for words." - Thomas à Kempis

God’s Word: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” – Psalm 90:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at the head of every street. How the precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter's hands!” – Lamentations 4:1-2

Homer and Langley Collyer were a pair of millionaires who liked two things and two things only: creating bomb booby-traps to ward off intruders and living in a mansion full of garbage. In the 1940s, these two brothers lived amongst their piles of trash in a Manhattan row house, with Langley caring for his blind brother Homer. Langley believed that the key to restoring Homer's sight was vitamin C, so he fed his older brother 100 oranges a week to try and restore his vision. Good-hearted Langley also kept piles of newspapers around, assuming that one day his brother would want to catch up on current events after his eyesight returned. And then something crazy happened - the Collyers were killed by one of their own booby traps in 1947. 

After receiving a tip that someone had died in the Collyer home New York City, police went to Manhattan where they had to break in through a second floor window to gain access. From there commenced a three-week long manhunt that began in the piles of old newspapers, phone books, and furniture boxes in the home and took police all the way to Atlantic City in search of the brothers. When they finally re-searched the home, police found the brothers buried no more than ten feet away from each other, beneath mountains of their hoarded trash. 

Things in life can cause our hearts to wander from our love for the Lord. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His goodness. Seek Him as you would the most precious treasure of all.

"The world is poor because her treasure is buried in the sky and all her treasure maps are of the earth." - Calvin Miller

God’s Word: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” – Lamentations 3:25

In an article entitled “Hope in God in Hopeless Times,” Pastor Jack Wellman writes the following about Sovereign Hope:

“‘But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.’- Psalm 39:7 When we look to ourselves, our employer, our retirement fund, or our inheritance, we cannot fully hope with 100% certainty.  But what do we look for when our Hope is in God?  We know that even our employer’s decisions are in God’s sovereign hands.  Proverbs 21:1 says, ‘The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.’  The king thinks he might be in charge, or the boss might think he or she is making their own decision, but in God’s sovereignty, they do nothing that is not in God’s divine plan for us.  They are subject to the Lord’s will whether they know it or not.”

Jesus Christ wants every heart to put their hopes in Him. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that He does not disappoint those who place their hope in Christ.

"To those who have learned to love and trust Jesus, the prospect of meeting him face to face and being with him forever is the hope that keeps us going, no matter what life may throw at us." - James I. Packer

God’s Word: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

Vietnam veteran and Air Force Colonel John Mansur told about an eight-year-old orphan girl who was wounded after a misdirected mortar attack. An American Navy doctor and nurse were called. They surmised that the little girl would die if a blood transfusion did not take place. A quick test showed that neither American had the correct type, but several of the uninjured orphans did.

The doctor spoke some pidgin Vietnamese, and the nurse a smattering of high-school French. Using that combination, together with much impromptu sign language, they tried to explain to their young, frightened audience that unless they could replace some of the girl's lost blood, she would certainly die. Then they asked if anyone would be willing to give blood to help.

Their request was met with wide-eyed silence. After several long moments, a small hand slowly and waveringly went up, dropped back down, and then went up again.

"Oh, thank you," the nurse said in French. "What is your name?"

"Heng," came the reply.

Heng was quickly laid on a pallet, his arm swabbed with alcohol, and a needle inserted in his vein. Through this ordeal Heng lay stiff and silent. After a moment, he let out a shuddering sob, quickly covering his face with his free hand. His occasional sobs gave way to steady, silent crying, his eyes screwed tightly shut, his fist in his mouth to stifle his sobs.

The medical team was concerned. Something was obviously very wrong. At this point, a Vietnamese nurse arrived to help. Seeing the little one's distress, she spoke to him rapidly in Vietnamese, listened to his reply and answered him in a soothing voice.

After a moment, the patient stopped crying and looked questioningly at the Vietnamese nurse. When she nodded, a look of great relief spread over his face.

Glancing up, the nurse said quietly to the Americans, "He thought he was dying. He misunderstood you. He thought you had asked him to give ALL his blood so the little girl could live."

"But why would he be willing to do that?" asked the Navy nurse.

The Vietnamese nurse repeated the question to the little boy, who answered simply, "She's my friend."

That's a glimpse of the kind of incredible, incomprehensible love God has for us.

God deeply loves each of us. Today in prayer, praise Jesus and remember God’s love for you throughout your day.

"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: “But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” – Psalm 86:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.” – Jeremiah 50:6

In December 2015, Sheila the sheep, was found after being lost in dense forest near Hobart, Tasmania for six years. "When the sheep were rounded up, she got left behind and that was it ... she just decided to go it alone!" said her owner farmer Derek Turvey.

Sheila was found on the side of the road, unable to get up due to the sheer weight of her fleece. She was returned to Derek, and a shed full of people looked on as she was sheared. Her fleece was full of debris from the years on the run, according to the outlet.

"Down her spine, she had a lot of vegetable matter in there; a lot of gumnuts, sticks, bark and that type of stuff - dirt even - and that's from the conditions that she's been in," shearer John Alomes said.

The sheep was otherwise healthy and her fleece weighed 21.79 kilogram (48.03 pounds) after being sheared. Experts were surprised that the sheep was able to survive so long in the wild.

People are like sheep, we are prone to wander and very vulnerable. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that He is the Good Shepherd and pray for those who do not yet know Him. 

“Like sheep that get lost nibbling away at the grass because they never look up, we often focus so much on ourselves and our problems that we get lost.” – Allen Klein

God’s Word: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” – Luke 15:4-7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” – Jeremiah 33:3

Dr. Charles Stine was for many years Director of Research for the E. I. duPont company. As an organic chemist with many degrees and honors, he developed many new products and patents for his com­pany. He was a man of top eminence in his field, but also a simple believing Christian. He frequently spoke to scien­tific and university audiences concerning his faith and also wrote a small book entitled “A Chemist and His Bible”. Once, after a stirring exposition of the gospel and an appeal to accept Christ, Dr. Stine gave this testimony of the Creator:

“The world about us, far more intricate than any watch, filled with checks and balances of a hundred varieties, marvelous beyond even the imagination of the most skilled scientific investigator, this beautiful and intricate creation, bears the signature of its Creator, graven in its works.”

Jesus desires us to develop a special dependence on Him. Today in prayer, humbly come before the Lord, call on Him and trust in Him by faith.

"Never does he who clings to God despair, because he is never without resources." - Jacques B. Bossuet

God’s Word: “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” – Jeremiah 29:12

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

"great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve.” – Jeremiah 32:19

In the mid 1990s, Israeli inventor Gavriel Iddan launched a transformation in the field of gastroenterology by pioneering the idea of wireless capsule endoscopy. In 2001, his invention was officially released.

Capsule endoscopy is a small camera that is approximately 25mm in size. It is used by doctors to record internal images of the gastrointestinal tract for use in medical diagnosis. The capsule is similar in shape to a standard pharmaceutical capsule, although a little larger, and contains a tiny camera and an array of LED lights that are powered by a tiny battery. After a patient swallows the capsule, it passes along the gastrointestinal tract taking a number of images per second which are transmitted wirelessly to an array of receivers connected to a portable recording device carried by the patient.

The doctor will be able to view these pictures at a later time and might be able to provide the patient with useful information regarding the small intestine.

The primary use of capsule endoscopy is to examine areas of the small intestine that cannot be seen by other types of endoscopy such as colonoscopy or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).

It is good to know that nothing escapes the Lord’s eyes. The whole world is continually in His focus. Today in prayer, give thanks to Jesus that sees you and knows you like no other person can.

"Wherever you are, the eye of God will be upon you - as much on you as if there were not another person in the whole world." - Charles H. Spurgeon

God’s Word: “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” – Jeremiah 17:10

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’” – Jeremiah 31:3

In his book “When All Else Fails…”, Pastor James Moore who writes about a man named George. George was a peacemaker with a big heart and wonderful sense of humor. Everyone loved George at church, and he was respected at the hospital where he worked. The reason why so many people loved George was because he was always kind and respectful to everyone he met.  George’s children clearly remember the days George spent in the hospital before his death. The administrator of the hospital paid him a visit. They spoke as though they were old friends. A few minutes later one of the janitors came to visit George. They too had a nice visit.  When the janitor left, one of George’s children said to him, "Dad, did you realize that you treated the president of the hospital and the janitor just alike?" George smiled, chuckled and then said, "Let me ask you something: If the administrator left for two weeks and the janitor left for two weeks, which one do you think would be missed the most?"  Then George called his children around his bed. "Let me show you something I carry in my pocket all the time," he told them, "even when I mow the lawn." George pulled out a pocket-sized cross and a marble with the golden rule on it. George said, "On the cross are written these words, ‘God Loves You,’ and on the marble are these words, ‘Do unto Others as You Would Have Them Do unto You.’ The cross reminds me of how deeply God loves me. And the marble reminds me of how deeply God wants me to love others.”

God loves you and desires His loving kindness to work through you and to bless others. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for His loving kindness to you.

"By the cross we know the gravity of sin and the greatness of God's love towards us." - John Chrysostom

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 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11

In an article entitled “What Is God's Plan for Me?” Christian author Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez writes the following:

“God has a plan for each of us. We may not always understand his plan, but we still need to be obedient as we try to fulfill it.

How do we do that? The prophet Micah asked the same thing: "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

God's plan is for us to be faithful to him in everything we do. The plan is not that you become a doctor, a missionary, a singer or even an astronaut. Those are just the details. The big plan is to follow Him in all we do.

I have a friend who plays basketball. I told him, "You know what? It doesn't matter how many three-pointers you hit. God doesn't look at that. What matters is how much you seek God and how you share his love with the people you meet, no matter where you are or what you're doing."

That's what I'm trying to do with my life—to trust God completely, and walk with him every single day.”

God’s plans are far greater than any plans we make for ourselves. Today in prayer, praise the Lord and walk with Him to discover the wonderful plans He has for your life.

"God hath a work to do; and not to help Him is to oppose Him." - John Owen

God’s Word: “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” – Psalms 40:5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” – Jeremiah 23:29

In an article entitled “God’s Hammer,” Pastor R.C. Sproul Jr. wrote the following:

“The Word of God consists of the words of God. Their meanings tell us what His meaning is. They are little mirrors that build the big mirror. They are also, however, little hammers that together make up the sledgehammer God uses to smash our recalcitrant hearts. Because our hearts are hard, we insist on soft words. When alone with our Bibles, we soften our Bibles, translating our hammers into pillows. When in the pew on Sunday morning, we insist on preaching that does not offend, that does not confront, that does not strike, that rests lightly on our stony hearts.

God’s hammer smashes not just the icons of the world around us; it also smashes the idols of my heart. It is hard, heavy, even painful, precisely because of the love of the One who wields it. He has promised to forgive me for my hard heart but has also promised to soften it. He has promised to beat it into submission. As He pounds my heart, He, in turn, opens my ears. Thus, we move from grace to grace, from life to life, from faith to faith.

When our stony hearts are beaten, they do not merely turn into gravel. Instead, they turn to soil—soft, welcoming soil. And then the Word no longer comes as a hammer but as seed. The soft ground of our hearts welcomes that Word, and soon it bears fruit, multiplying thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.”

God’s Word can change our lives. Today in prayer, give thanks to Jesus for His Word and spend some extra time reading His Word this weekend.

“Every word of the Bible rings with Christ.” - Martin Luther

God’s Word: “Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.” – Psalm 119:91

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.” - Jeremiah 17:11

In June 2017, a Georgia pastor was sentenced to 28 months in prison after stealing more than $200,000 in donations from his former church in Savannah, Second African Baptist Church. 

Corey Megill Brown, 47, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to mail fraud in December 2016. The fraud case led authorities to the embezzlement, which occurred between 2008 and 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Georgia’s Southern District said.

Authorities said that Brown deposited the stolen funds in an account labeled “Romans 12 Ministries” over a 10-year period that he used for his personal expenses: buying everything from lingerie to making mortgage payments. 

In addition to his prison sentence, Brown also was ordered to pay Second African Baptist Church more than $178,000.

Brown previously was a chaplain for the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department.

In its arguments, the prosecuting attorney stated that Brown “lined his pockets with money from hard-working parishioners, causing financial, spiritual and emotional damage. ... What was done by the defendant cannot be undone.”

The Lord hates gain through unjust means. Today in prayer, praise Jesus that He is the giver of all things and seek to follow His will in all that you do.

“Temporal prosperity is very unfavorable to spiritual development.” – Charles Simeon

God’s Word: “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” – Proverbs 23:5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9

Manama, the capital of Bahrain, is the place to be for Saudis and liberal Muslims seeking to escape the rigid laws of their countries. Like America’s Las Vegas, this sin city offers a range of debauched pleasures, including drinking, clubbing, and prostitution. Despite being a largely Muslim city with only one third of foreign residents, Manama is a liberal culture well within the reach of rich Arabs who book flights into the city every weekend.

The city has gained a reputation in the Middle East as major destination for sex tourism. In 2007 that there were more than 13,500 prostitutes in the country and that the number was growing.

Bahrain is also the only country in the region that allows alcohol.

There are no official statistics on alcohol contribution and its impact on Bahrain’s national economy, but research shows that the alcohol industry generates in excess of $52 million USD, annually.

Sin has made our hearts deceitful. Today in prayer, confess any sin in your life to Jesus and give your heart to Him.

“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.” - Scott Alexander

God’s Word: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” – Psalm 139:23

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“Therefore this is what the LORD says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.” – Jeremiah 15:19

Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended. During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ and be forgiven. One of the first persons to walk down the aisle was a well-known prostitute. She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her. Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her, and wanted to become a member of the church.

For a few moments, the silence was deafening. Finally, Samuel Colgate arose and said, “I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn’t understand that she’s not the type we want him to rescue.”

Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation.

Sin separates from the Lord, but repentance and a return to Jesus brings life. Today in prayer, confess any sin in your life and return to following Christ.

"Only through repentance and faith in Christ can anyone be saved. No religious activity will be sufficient, only true faith in Jesus Christ alone.” – Ravi Zacharias

God’s Word: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” – Mark 1:14-15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” – Jeremiah 12:1

Charles Simeon was a pastor in the Church of England from 1782 to 1836 at Trinity Church in Cambridge 54 years. He had been appointed to this church by the bishop but it was against the will of the congregation. They opposed him not because he was a bad preacher but because he was an evangelical preacher. In other words, he believed the Bible, and he called for conversion and holiness and evangelism.

For 12 years the people refused to let the Reverend Simeon give an afternoon Sunday sermon. And during that time the congregation boycotted the Sunday morning service and locked their pews so that no one could sit in them. For those who did not own pews, he preached to people in the aisles for 12 years! How did he last? This is what he wrote:

“In this state of things I saw no remedy but faith and patience. The passage of Scripture which subdued and controlled my mind was this, “The servant of the Lord must not strive.” It was painful indeed to see the church, with the exception of the aisles, almost forsaken; but I thought that if God would only give a double blessing to the congregation who were attending, there would on the whole do as much good as if the congregation were doubled and the blessing limited to only half the amount. This comforted me many, many times, when without such a reflection, I should have sunk under my burden.”

The Lord is patient and desires all men and women to come to a saving knowledge of Him. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His patience toward the wicked and pray for those who have not yet come to know Jesus.

“God bears with the wicked, but not forever.” – Miguel de Cervantes

God’s Word: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” – Isaiah 55:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“O my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.” – Jeremiah 8:18

Christian author Zig Ziglar wrote the following about the God’s comfort:

“The longest 24 hours of my life were those after my daughter's death. When making the funeral arrangements with her husband and his parents, I had to listen to a salesman who was an incessant talker and who told us 30 times he wasn't a salesman. Twice while we were making decisions about her casket and burial, I had to leave the room; I simply couldn't handle him.

The night before I had hallucinated. Half asleep, half awake, I kept thinking my daughter was wondering when her daddy was going to come get her. The next morning I took a walk and was praying and crying the whole way. When I returned, the Lord spoke in such a distinct way: ‘She's fine. She's with me. And you're going to be fine, too. I'm all you need. You just keep walking. Keep talking. Keep praying. Keep crying.’”

God is the Great Comforter who is always present and can comfort us in our sorrows. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is a God of Comfort.

“Most of our comforts grow up between our crosses.” – Edward Young

God’s Word: “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” – 2 Corinthians 1:5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.” – Jeremiah 6:10

Jonathan Laurie wanted to be like every other kid. He wanted to blend in. However, teachers would single him out because of his famous father Pastor Greg Laurie.

As a teenager living in Southern California, he wanted to be his own man.

At 16, a friend persuaded Jonathan into smoking marijuana. Soon he began spending a lot of time at the beach getting high on pot and drinking alcohol. As his new friends spent time with him, they would introduce him as “Greg Laurie’s son,” the very thing Jonathan was trying to escape.

At 17, Jonathan was arrested for marijuana. He confessed to his parents that he had been living a double life. His parents put him on restriction including taking away his car. Jonathan also confessed his sin to his older brother Christopher. Chris prayed for him and counseled him to get new Christian friends. Chris also confessed that he had tried drugs and found it to be a life of lies and only temporary fulfillment.

But after a few months of gaining his parents’ trust, Jonathan returned to his partying ways. For the next six years, he lived a life of deceit and lies. He became more lonely and depressed. “I had too much of the world to be happy in the church and I had too much of the church to be happy in the world” Jonathan remembers.

In 2008, Christopher then challenged him “What’s it going to take to give your life to Christ?” Jonathan did not have an answer.

Then a few weeks later, Christopher died in a car accident. Jonathan felt vacant; he had lost the only person he had been truly honest with. Soon Jonathan remembered his brother’s words: “What’s it going to take?”

This time Jonathan was sincere, he asked Christ into his life and he gave up the drugs.

Today Jonathan is a fervent follower of Jesus, sharing his testimony with others.

When we follow the Lord, our lives go so much smoother.  Today in prayer, ask Jesus to give you an attentive ear to hear His Word and to act upon it.

“God never ceases to speak to us, but the noise of the world without and the passions within bewilder us and prevent us from listening to Him.” – Francois Fenelon

God’s Word: “You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing.” – Isaiah 42:20

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“I thought, "These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God. So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God." But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.” – Jeremiah 5:4-5

Nothing shows the foolishness of man more than wrong predictions. Here are a few of those wrong predictions:

"Louis Pastueur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." - Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." - Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.

"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'" - Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer.

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." - Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

Though the world may be foolish, as Christians we are called to be wise in our actions. Today in prayer, look to the Lord and ask Him to for wisdom and guidance in all the decisions you face this day.  

“Wise men learn more from fools than fools from wise men.” – Marcus Cato

God’s Word: “A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.” – Proverbs 18:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” – Jeremiah 4:22

In 2017, three Ohio pastors were indicted on federal child sex trafficking charges.

Cordell Jenkins, pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he and two other pastors, 38-year-old Anthony Haynes and 37-year-old Kenneth Butler, conspired to recruit at least three teen girls to have sex with them and shared photos and videos of the girls, the youngest being 14.

According to police documents, Haynes is accused of engaging in sexual relations with a then-fourteen year-old girl beginning in 2014 and of coercing the teen "into continued secrecy by implying revealing the sexual activity between them would ruin his family and church." Haynes reportedly paid the teen "hush money" to keep the encounters to herself.

Celia Williamson, director of the University of Toledo's Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute, said it's not surprising if the three men were acting together.

"It says to me what we already knew, that sex trafficking is a business," she said. "Of course they worked together. That's how it thrives."

Our sin nature makes us inclined to become skilled in doing evil. Today in prayer, give thanks to Jesus that He has overcome the world and our sin nature.  Pray for those who are practicing evil that their eyes and heart might be opened to Jesus Christ.

"Punishment for evil will be administered, and the final dimension of eternal life will be granted to all who have responded to God's loving offer." - Millard J. Erickson

God’s Word: “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” – Genesis 6:5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.” – Jeremiah 2:11

Melissa Jefferson was born in Houston, Texas in 1988. She was raised in a Pentecostal Church. When she was 10 years old, her family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she became both a rapper and a singer. She wrestled with her weight and body image until she began preaching feminism, black power and embracing self-love.

She took the name “Lizzo” and she has referred to herself as her audience’s “self-help guidance counselor.”

Her songs belie her Pentecostal past, they are anything but hymns to Jesus. One of her most famous songs is entitled “Worship.” It embraces her new idol of self-worship with lyrics such as:

“Hands to the sky, show me that you're mine

Hands to the sky, show me that you're mine

And baby, worship me

Worship me

On your knees

Patiently, quietly, faithfully, worship me.”

The song is so popular that the carmaker Cadillac has adopted it in their commercials to sell its cars.

Idolatry is anything that pulls you away from worshiping Jesus. Avoid idolatry. Today in prayer, confess any sin of idolatry and worship Jesus, the one True God.

"You don't have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol." - D.L. Moody

God’s Word: “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” – Galatians 4:8-9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5

Pastor, author, and professor Eugene Peterson wrote the following:

“Several years ago one of my students who lived a distance away and rode a crowded bus to the college each day said to his wife as he went out the door one morning, ‘I'm just going to go out and immerse myself in God's creation today.’ The next day his parting words were the same. On the third day, she called him back, ‘Don't you think you ought to go to class today? A couple of days walking in the woods or on the beach is okay, but don't you think enough is enough?’

He said, ‘Oh, I've been going to class every day.’

‘Then what,’ she said, ‘is all this business about immersing yourself in creation?’

‘Well, I spend forty minutes on the bus each morning and afternoon. Can you think of a setting more thick with creation than that—all these people created, created in the image of God, created male and female?’

‘I never thought of that,’ she said.

Peterson concludes, ‘[We need to embrace] the people around us with the same delight as we do the hawks soaring above us and the violets blooming at our feet. Men and women, children and the elderly, the beautiful and the plain, the blind and the deaf, amputees and paralytics, the mentally impaired and the emotionally distraught—each a significant and sacred detail of nature, of God's creation.’”

The Lord has known you before you were born and desires you to follow His calling for your life. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for His everlasting love for you and seek to follow His call for your life.

"If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer - His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable." - John Newton

God’s Word: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” – Psalm 139:15-16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” – Revelation 1:18

Max Lucado, in his book, “Six Hours One Friday,” tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily. A hospital was not too terribly far away — across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death. The missionary explained how he had crossed the river & was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank & placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist & splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and escaped. It was then that the Indians broke into a cheer and followed him across. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He entered the river of death and came out on the other side so that we might no longer fear death, but find eternal life in Him.

Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He has conquered death. 

“The best news of the Christian gospel is that the supremely glorious Creator of the universe has acted in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to remove every obstacle between us and himself so that we may find everlasting joy in seeing and savoring his infinite beauty.” – John Piper

God’s Word: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” – Acts 3:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2018, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTION FOR EASTER