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

Christian Augustus was born in Sulzbach, an area in today’s Germany, in 1622 as the eldest son of Augustus, Count Palatine of Sulzbach. He succeeded his father in 1632. Christian Augustus was a tolerant ruler. He granted his citizens the right to choose their Christian denomination and introduced the Simultaneum, whereby churches had both Protestant and Catholic services. In 1666 he permitted Jews to settle in the Duchy of Sulzbach. Under his rule, Sulzbach also became an intellectual center and the site of a regionally significant printing industry. He came to the throne as a 10 year-old boy and reigned for 75 years and 253 days. He is the sixth longest reigning monarch in recorded history. Many of the people who lived in Sulzbach during his lifetime, he was the only ruler they ever knew.

There is 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 2015, 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

Pastor Charles Swindoll relates a story when he and his wife Cynthia were flying from Portland to Los Angeles after a pastors’ conference.

“After the flight reached cruising altitude, meals were being served. Suddenly the plane banked sharply. The flight attendants quickly put away the food, and even took trays back from people as they quietly whispered among themselves. Swindoll realized they were in for trouble.

The pilot came on with ice water in his veins. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We have a little mechanical difficulty. We’re going to drop back in on the Portland airport. We’ll be there for a little while, then we’ll be back on course.”

As soon as they touched down, the flight attendant said, “Listen very carefully everyone. As soon as we come to a stop, you’ll hear a sound; you’ll hear a bell. At that moment, take the closest escape route you can. Some of you will go out the front. Some of you will go out the tail. We may even have to use the slide.” As the plane pulled to a halt, she added, “There’s a bomb threat. Take nothing with you. Get off!”

Would you believe, people stopped and opened the overhead bin? “Is this your bag? Did you bring a briefcase?” We were supposed to get out! The attendant was saying, “It’s a bomb threat, men and women! Get off the plane!”

Some people, even when facing death, still want to cling to earthly possessions.”

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 2015, 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

Al Fadi was proud to be a son of Saudi Arabia. “Growing up in a country like that made me feel really privileged that I born in the center of Islam,” Al remembers.

“I began to realize at a very young age that there is no hope for me as a Muslim to attain any acceptance from my god that I’m worshipping unless I do and accumulate a lot of good deeds that are worthy.”

Daily prayers, giving to the poor and fasting were thought to increase one’s chances of getting into heaven. But the only sure way to get into heaven was through the ultimate gift to Allah. “I knew that if I were to go die for the cause of this fight to promote Islam and justice for Islam, that’s the only time my sins will be forgiven,” Al says. “I will go straight not just to heaven, but to the highest level of heaven which is paradise. Why not go with what is guaranteed and that is to die?”

But everything changed after September 11, 2001. Al recalls, "To watch people willing to go that far to take with them hundreds of lives... these are innocent people who have nothing to do with a war."

For a time, Al stopped practicing the rituals of Islam. He decided to visit a Christian church to disprove the claims of Christianity. “Knowing full well that it’s a huge sin for a Muslim person to go to a church, I began a comparison process,” Al remembers. “I looked at the Quran, compared it to the Bible. I looked at the person of Christ, and after six months I fell in love with this Jesus. I could not resist the compelling evidence, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit in my heart and the Gospel message that I heard over and over again. The God of the Bible loved me and sent His Son to die for me. The god of the Quran never did that for me. The Holy Spirit just gave me the courage to get down on my knees and pray, and ask Him to become my Lord and Savior. What a huge relief because never had I felt that freedom inside of me as I felt at that moment, that 'I love You Lord to follow You, but I don't feel any pressure on me from You to do things, because You obviously have done it already for me.’”

Today, Al Fadi has a new mission: to tell other Muslims about Jesus Christ.  Al shares. “I want my fellow Muslims to just please give the message of Christ a chance. Pray and ask the real God, the true God, to reveal Himself to you. And I assure you that He will do that if you are seeking Him with all your heart.”

No one is beyond the grasp of God’s love. Today in prayer, praise Jesus and remember God’s love and faithfulness 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 2015, 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

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship said the following: “Did you know that you were prewired for hope? There is a restlessness in the human heart for something more than this world can offer.

As Augustine said, "You made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You."

As believers, our hope is built on a sure foundation, and that is the hope of heaven. The apostle Paul spoke of faith that springs from this hope: "For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven" (Colossians 1:4).

It is a bit like the Golden Plovers. Native to Hawaii, these little birds migrate during the summer to the Aleutian Isles, some 1,200 miles away. There they mate and lay their eggs. Then, after their little fledglings are born, they return to Hawaii. Even more amazing is that their little fledglings, which are too young to return with their parents, fly to Hawaii once they have grown a little. God has given them a homing instinct that makes this possible.

In the same way, God has given us a homing instinct for a place we have never been. We have never been to heaven, but we long for it, because heaven is our home. C. S. Lewis calls it the inconsolable longing. This is what the Bible means when it says that God has set eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). Like the Golden Plovers, we have a heavenly GPS.”

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 2015, 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 August 2014, Farmers Peter and Netty Hazell found a six-year-old ram in scrubland in Tasmania, Australia. The ram had been living in the wild all of that time and had an extremely thick coat of wool.

“He couldn't see very well because of the wool over his face, so I snuck up behind him and grabbed him,” Mr Hazell.

They nicknamed the ram Shaun after the Wallace and Gromit cartoon character.

Shaun's tag suggests he is from a farm hundreds of kilometres away on Tasmania's east coast, meaning he has been wandering across the state for years.

Shaun was well overdue for a sheering. The sheep produced over 50 pounds of wool, more than enough to make 40 sweaters.

“It is the heaviest sheep I've ever lifted,” said Netty.

“I just couldn't believe it, I just could not believe a sheep could have so much wool.”

Experts were stunned 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 2015, 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

Gregor Mendel was the first to lay the mathematical foundations of genetics, in what came to be called "Mendelianism". He began his research in 1856, some three years before Darwin published his Origin of Species, in the garden of the Monastery in which he was a monk. Mendel was elected Abbot of his Monastery in 1868. His work remained comparatively unknown until the turn of the century, when a new generation of botanists began finding similar results and "rediscovered" him. An interesting point is that the 1860's was notable for formation of the X-Club, which was dedicated to lessening religious influences and propagating an image of "conflict" between science and religion. One sympathizer was Darwin's cousin Francis Galton, whose scientific interest was in genetics. He was writing how the "priestly mind" was not conducive to science while, at around the same time, Mendel was making the breakthrough in genetics. The rediscovery of the work of Mendel came too late to affect Galton's contribution.

Though he didn't make references to God, religion or theology in his scientific papers, there are at least two surviving sermons where he expressed his religious views and faith in the sacrifice of Christ. There is no doubt that Mendel depended on the Lord for wisdom and insight in the field of genetics.

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 2015, 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 1956 Texas Instruments began research on infrared technology that led to several line scanner contracts and, with the addition of a second scan mirror, the invention of the first forward looking infrared camera in 1963.

Today, Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) cameras are typically used on military and civilian aircraft. Law enforcement and other professionals use this technology to see in the dark.

FLIR can be used to help pilots and drivers steer their vehicles at night and in fog, or to detect warm objects against a cooler background. With FLIR cameras, no one can hide in the dark.

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 2015, 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

During the 1930’s through the 1950’s, the Rev. Ira Gillett was a Methodist missionary to Portuguese East Africa, in today’s Mozambique.

Ira acquired a 2,000-acre farm that was developed as a mission farm-school for the training of young men. Twenty-acre plots were assigned to young Christian Africans and their families. They resided on them and farmed according to modern methods taught by the Reverend Gillet and his associates. The mission also had a hospital.

He told the story of a group of natives who made a long journey and walked past a government hospital to come to the mission hospital for treatment. When asked why they had walked the extra distance to reach the mission hospital when the same medicines were available at the government institution, they replied, "The medicines may be the same, but the hands are different."

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 2015, 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

Charlie Riggs came to the Lord in the late 1940’s. He was discipled by a young man named Lorne Sanny, who himself was being discipled by Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators.

Charlie was willing to grow in Christ, but he was a bit rough around the edges and didn’t seem very promising as a Christian leader. When Lorne wrote to Dawson, he told him that Charlie Riggs was the only man he was working with and he felt discouraged by the prospects. Dawson wrote back and said, “Stay with your man. You never know what God will do with him.” So, Lorne continued to work with Charlie Riggs.

A few years passed and a young Billy Graham came on the scene. In 1952, the Navigators “loaned” Charlie Riggs to the Graham team to handle the follow-up in their early crusades. Charlie planned to return to the Navigators eventually, but he worked out so well he made a 50 year career with the Billy Graham Evangelical Association.

In 1957, on the eve of the famous New York City crusade at Madison Square Garden, the crusade director suddenly had to be replaced. Who could they get? The lay chairman suggested Charlie Riggs, but Billy wasn’t sure if he could handle the job. “All he does is pray and quote Scripture.”

The layman insisted, Charlie got the job and the rest is history. The New York campaign became a model for the many crusades that would follow in later years. Billy Graham said, “I didn’t think he could do it. But I had this peace—that Charlie so depended on the Holy Spirit that I knew the Lord could do it through Charlie.”

Charlie attributed his success by following the Lord’s plans for him. He said, “I always asked the Lord to put me in over my head. That way, when I had a job to do, either the Lord had to help me or I was sunk.”

God’s plans are far greater than any plans we may have for ourselves. Today in prayer, praise the Lord and look to Him for 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 2015, 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 1989, it was reported that Maria Panteleyvna was a Christian. This was newsworthy because Maria is the mother of Soviet Priemier Mikhail Gorbachev. The report stated that:

“Maria Panteleyvna does not merely attend services, she is devout. Her son, baptized during Stalin’s terror, worshiped at a time when doing so was an elemental commitment and an act of courage. In what may have been a prophetic metaphor, his paternal grandparents hid religious icons behind portraits of Lenin and Stalin. When President Gorbachev visited his mother each year on his birthday, she served an Easter cake decorated with the initials for ‘Christ Is Risen.’”

For years, Maria had read her Bible and prayed for the end of communism in the Soviet Union. Her prayers were answered when her son brought an end to it.

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 2015, 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 April 2014, former San Diego Community Bible Church (SDCBC) Pastor Barry Minkow, a prolific fraudster whose crimes and claimed rehabilitation landed him on “60 Minutes” and the cover of Fortune Magazine, was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzling more than $3 million from his own parishioners and then concealing the funds from the Internal Revenue Service.

Minkow, who pleaded guilty in January, admitted that he tricked a widower into making a $75,000 donation for a hospital in Sudan to honor his wife after she died of cancer. Only there was no hospital, and Minkow pocketed the money. Minkow also admitted, among others things that he stole $300,000 from a widowed grandmother who is trying to raise her teenage granddaughter.

“It doesn’t get much worse than that in the world of non-violent crime,” said U.S. District Judge Michael Anello in handing down the maximum sentence. The judge ordered that term to be served after Minkow completes the time he has left on his current prison term for another financial crime.

Prosecutor Mark Pletcher wrote the following:

“The facts show a predator from the pulpit ravaging those widowers and elderly, among others, that he convinced to trust him most intimately. This crime went far beyond money and greed, ultimately consuming the congregants of SDCBC physically and emotionally.”

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 2015, 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

In 2004, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bought the rights to the phrases “What Happens here, stays here,” and “What Happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

The ad agency R&R Partners, responsible for the advertisement campaign, explained the slogan:

“The emotional bond between Las Vegas and its customers was freedom. Freedom on two levels. Freedom to do things, see things, eat things, wear things, feel things. In short, the freedom to be someone we couldn't be at home. And freedom from whatever we wanted to leave behind in our daily lives. Just thinking about Vegas made the bad stuff go away. At that point the strategy became clear. Speak to that need. Make an indelible connection between Las Vegas and the freedom we all crave.”

The marketers had exchanged the image of “Sin City” to one of freedom to do anything with no consequences for that sin.

Our hearts are deceitful and sin has made our hearts more 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 2015, 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

In 1517, Martin Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling “indulgences” to absolve sin. His “95 Theses” were nailed on the door of the Cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany. They propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation. Although these ideas had been advanced before, Luther codified them at a moment in history ripe for religious reformation. It was this document that sparked the Protestant Reformation.

The first of the 95 theses Luther nailed to the door of the Wittenberg church read: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘repent,’ He willed that the entire life of a believer be one of repentance."

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 2015, 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

Christian author M.H. Lount once said, "God's best gifts come slowly. We could not use them if they did not. Many a man, called of God to...a work in which he is pouring out his life, is convinced that the Lord means to bring his efforts to a successful conclusion. Nevertheless, even such a confident worker grows discouraged at times and worries because results do not come as rapidly as he would desire. But growth and strength in waiting are results often greater than the end so impatiently longed for. Paul had time to realize this as he lay in prison. Moses must have asked, 'Why?' many times during the delays in Midian and in the wilderness. Jesus Himself experienced the discipline of delay in His silent years before His great public ministry began."

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 2015, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS

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

One night while conducting an evangelistic meeting in the Salvation Army Citadel in Chicago, Booth Tucker preached on the sympathy of Jesus. After his message a man approached him and said, “If your wife had just died, like mine has, and your babies were crying for their mother, who would never come back, you wouldn’t be saying what you’re saying.” Tragically, a few days later, Tucker’s wife was killed in a train wreck. Her body was brought to Chicago and carried to the same Citadel for the funeral. After the service the bereaved preacher looked down into the silent face of his wife and then turned to those attending. “The other day a man told me I wouldn’t speak of the sympathy of Jesus if my wife had just died. If that man is here, I want to tell him that Christ is sufficient. My heart is broken, but it has a song put there by Jesus. I want that man to know that Jesus Christ speaks comfort to me today.”

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 2015, 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

Christian author Erwin McManus in his book “The Barbarian Way” writes:

“My son, Aaron, was five or six when he began asking me, "What does God's voice sound like?" I didn't know how to answer.

A few years later, Aaron went off to his first junior high camp. In the middle of the week, I went up with another pastor at Mosaic to see our kids. Aaron, I learned, had started to assault another kid but had been held back by his friends. He was unrepentant, wanted to leave camp, pulled together his stuff, and shoved it into the car.

I asked him for a last talk with me before we drove away. We sat on two large rocks in the middle of the woods. "Aaron," I asked, "is there any voice inside you telling you what you should do?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"What's the voice telling you?"

"That I should stay and work it out."

"Can you identify that voice?"

"Yes," he said immediately, "It's God." It was the moment I'd waited for.

"Aaron," I said, "do you realize what just happened? You heard God's voice. He spoke to you from within your soul. Forget everything else that's happened. God spoke to you, and you were able to recognize him."

I will never forget Aaron's dug-in response: "Well, I'm still not doing what God said."

I explained to him that that was his choice, but this is what would happen. If he rejected the voice of God coming from deep within and chose to disobey his guidance, his heart would become hardened, and his ears would become dull.

Aaron chose to stay, I'm grateful to say.”

When we listen to 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 2015, 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:

"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." -- Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies.

"Space travel is bunk." -- Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Astronomer Royal of Britain, 1957, two weeks before the launch of Sputnik  

"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." -- Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.

"I confess that in 1901, I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for fifty years . . . Ever since, I have distrusted myself and avoided all predictions." -- Wilbur Wright, 1908

"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon". -- Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon- Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873

"You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her deck...I have no time for such nonsense." -- Napoleon, commenting on Fulton's Steamship

"Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances." -- Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the Audion tube and a father of radio, 25 February 1967.

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 2015, 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 February 2015, Pastor George Hunley, age 53, of Louisa County Virginia was shot. He reported to police a heroic story of taking two bullets after selflessly stopping to help a family in distress. Hunley claimed that he stopped to help a couple’s seemingly broken-down vehicle. He reported that a black man and white female, with a biracial infant, pulled a large caliber revolver on him shot him and then robbed him of his checkbook and wallet.

During the struggle, Hunley reported that he broke the man’s arm.

But a few days later, police arrested Hunley. His wallet and checkbook were found hidden in his vehicle.

Hunley was charged with knowingly giving a false report of a crime to law enforcement with the intent to mislead.

He was arrested without incident and released on a $2,500 personal recognizance bond.

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 2015, 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

On January 29, 2015, Louis Jordan planned to do some fishing and then return to his home in Conway, South Carolina. He and his sailing boat vanished into the Atlantic Ocean. A search was begun February 8, but the Coast Guard abandoned its efforts after 10 days and presumed dead. Despite reports from other sailors claiming to have seen Jordan's sailboat, none of the sightings were confirmed and the case was suspended.

Then on April 2, some 66 days after he had disappeared, he was found 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina. His boat had capsized and had a broken mast. A helicopter brought him safely home.

"I had many moments where I thought I was going to die." said the 37-year-old Louis. He survived those many days on fish, rainwater, and prayer. "Every day I was like, 'Please God, send me some rain, send me some water,'" he said.

His mother Norma Davis, who also was praying for his safe return, was overjoyed about her son’s return from the dead.

"We do plan on having a wonderful Easter celebration with family, and I can't wait to get him back," she said.

Easter is a celebration of Christ’s triumph over the grave. 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

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Devotion For Easter

“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. – John 19:17-19

Carl Scholz was a Nazi soldier in World War II, but he deserted, was captured, and thrown into prison.

After the war, he was freed but he did not have any place to go, so he drifted from one bombed out village to another. After years of losing hope and drinking heavily, he went down to a near-by river hoping to drown his sorrows by throwing himself into the river. As he was about to jump he heard soft singing coming from a near-by wooden building. He could well remember the words...

"When Jesus comes the tempter’s Pow’r is broken,

When Jesus comes, the tears are wiped away;

He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,

For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay."

Hearing such sweet words, he came closer to the building wanting to hear more about this Jesus. As he approached the door, he read those gentle words which have meant so much to millions of individuals throughout the ages...

"Gott Ist Liebe - God is Love;

Gott Ist Leben - God is Life!"

He went inside, and there for the first time he heard the wondrous love that God had for him by dying on the Cross. He gave his life to Jesus.

Carl has been preaching and helping at the Berean Missionary Fellowship in Erzhausen, Germany, and bringing others to Christ with his wondrous testimony of salvation.

The Cross is a horrible death, but it is good news to all who accept God’s love. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His acceptable sacrifice on the Cross so we may become God’s children.

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

God’s Word: “The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. – John 19:32-33

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DEVOTION FOR GOOD FRIDAY

“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

The tallest statue in the world can be found in the town of Zhaocun in Lushan County, Henan Province, China. Completed in 2002, the 128-meter high Spring Temple Buddha took about 11 years to complete and depicts Vairocana Buddha. If the pedestal on which the statue stands is added, the total height becomes a massive 153 meters!

The cost of the statue alone was $18 million. It was originally estimated to consist of 1,100 pieces of copper cast, with a total weight of 1,000 tons. Beneath the statue is an unfinished Buddhist monastery.

The plan was to have tourism fund the construction of the monastery, but the remote location of the statue only produces a few visitors a day with even fewer western visitors wanting to see the idol.

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 2015, 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

Christian psychologist James Michaelson once counseled a woman who felt lonely and abandoned. As she explained how she felt, he couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying, because a scripture kept running through his mind: “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (Ps. 100:3). This verse had no apparent connection with her problem, but he couldn’t quit thinking about it.

After she finished talking, she sat in silence waiting for a response. Dr. Michaelson didn’t know what to say other than quote the verse, although he realized it might sound foolish since it seemed unrelated to her dilemma.

“I think God wants you to know something,” Dr. Michaelson said. “‘It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.’ Does that mean anything to you?”

The woman immediately broke down and cried.

After composing herself, she explained what it meant.

“I didn’t tell you this, but my mother got pregnant with me before she was married. All my life I believed that I was a mistake—an unplanned accident—and that God didn’t create me.

“When you quoted that verse, I pictured in my mind God forming me in my mother’s womb. Now I know that God created me and that I’m not a mistake. I’ll never be the same again! Thank you, Dr. Michaelson. I’ll never forget this day as long as I live!”

God knew this woman needed to know she was His marvelous creation and not an accident. Her perspective changed dramatically once she understood that God had crafted her in the womb

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 2015, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS