Free Christian Devotional:

“For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.” – Ezra 6:22

In their book “Does God Really Like Me?: Discovering the God Who Wants to Be With Us” authors Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw write:

“On a trip to France during college, I (Cyd) was walking through a historic garden in Paris with my older sister. Rounding one of the reflecting pools, we both caught a familiar scent and stopped dead in our tracks. “Grandpa and Grandma’s backyard in Washington!” Joy swept over us.

We had no idea what the smell was or where it was coming from, but in a split second we were transported from a thriving metropolitan city in Europe to a quiet backyard in the northwestern corner of the United States. All by a smell.

When we were with our grandparents, we were sure we were loved because of the delight they took in being with us. And in response we experienced the joy that came from being with people who were glad to be with us. This delight, this joy, is what home is all about.”

There is joy when we know Jesus. Today in prayer, give your heart to Jesus and receive His joy.

“You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace,

The mountains and the hills will break forth before you.

There’ll be shouts of joy and all the trees of the field

Will clap, will clap their hands.” – Steffi Karen Rubin

God’s Word: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:46-47

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER †

“But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.” – Ezra 5:5

When Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint the Last Supper on the chapel wall in Millan, Italy, he decided to break artistic conventions of the time and try new techniques and compositions. In addition to choosing to paint in tempura, rather than traditional fresco, Leonardo also focused on the facial expressions of each of the 12 disciples, at the exact moment when Christ announced that one of them would betray him, to depict Judas.

Leonardo used one point perspective, which involves all the lines in the painting converging in one place, known as the vanishing point. This strategy was used to emphasize the importance and central position of Christ. The lines all converge in His right eye, drawing the viewers gaze to this place. 

The Lord is not only watching but He actively is in control.  Today in prayer, praise Jesus that His eye is upon you.

“Faith is the gaze of the heart at God it is but the raising of our inward eyes to meet the all-seeing eyes of God.” – A.W. Tozer

God’s Word: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9a

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail    

DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER †

“Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.” – Ezra 4:4

Nicknamed the “Iron Nun,” Sister Madonna Buder in 2012 became the world record holder in her age group and the oldest person, 82 years old, to complete the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run that makes up the Ironman Triathlon. Now in her 90s, Sister Madonna continues to race.

On the subject of discouragement, she said: “Tomorrow, when things get tough out there, remember, you were loved into existence. If you get discouraged and want to quit, if you get injured and can’t finish, if things don’t go the way you hope even though you have trained for this day for months or even years, even then remember: You were loved into existence.”

“I love being outside, in nature,” she said. “And every time I’m tempted to discontinue competing, inspiring others keeps me going.”

Be encouraged! In Jesus Christ we have victory. Today in prayer, give Jesus your discouragement and follow Him in all that you do.

“A clear cut vision of what God wants you to do can survive under the pressures of discouragers.” – Marilyn Murphree

God’s Word: “Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” – 1 Chronicles 22:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER †

“With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” – Ezra 3:11

In his book, “Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes”, Jonathan K. Dodson provides a wonderful analogy of what happens when we cultivate the virtues in our lives:

“When goodness becomes who we are, not just what we occasionally do, we become virtuous. When I was a kid, I ate sticks of rock candy that had the word Brighton stamped on the end. No matter how much I licked, the word didn’t disappear. The letters seeped all the way through. Virtue is like that. No matter how far down you go, goodness still shows up.”

God is good. Today in prayer, let the goodness of God be part of your life.

“The great gift of Easter is hope - Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake.” – Basil Hume

God’s Word: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” – Psalm 145:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER †

All Belongs To God                                   Thursday – June 2, 2023

“When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 drachmas of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.” – Ezra 2:68-69

Pastor John Maxwell tells the following story: “My friend James Crocker, a successful entrepreneur, recently shared a story with me…James and a few of his friends went out on a boat trip to fish for lobsters and had succeeded in gathering a massive catch of 125 lobsters.

When he got home, he had a freezer full of lobsters—more than enough to last him an entire year. The day after James got home, his friend Jeff dropped by the house, and James offered him a lobster. Jeff was delighted. This interaction prompted James to ask himself, ‘Who else do I know who might like to have a lobster?’ James got so excited by the idea of giving friends lobsters that by the end of the week, he had given away 122 lobsters, leaving only three for himself. He had such a great time giving, he didn’t even mind that his supply had dwindled from enough for a year to enough for a meal.

A few days later, James went into his garage and was assaulted by a terrible stench. He followed his nose to the freezer and opened it to find that the electricity had gone out, and his remaining three lobsters had spoiled. As he cleaned up the mess, he felt sorry for himself. But then he remembered all the lobsters he had given away, and it gave him great joy. If he hadn’t shared his bounty with others, all of it would have been wasted.”

All that we own belongs to God; we are His stewards. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He has given you charge of some of His wealth and give to others as He would give.

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” – Amy Carmichael

God’s Word: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6:38

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER †

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing” – Ezra 1:1

An old shoemaker’s awl is on prominent display in the French Academy of Science. That awl fell from the shoemaker’s table one day and put out the eye of his 9-year-old son. Soon, the child became blind in both eyes and had to attend a school for the blind. At this school, the child learned to read by handling large, carved, wooden blocks.

When the shoemaker’s son grew up, he thought of a new way for the blind to read. It involved punching tiny dots onto paper, and Louis Braille devised this new method using the same awl that had blinded him in his youth.

When Patricia Houch Sprinkle told that story in Guideposts in 1978, she suggested that there would be a falling awl in each of our lives. She added, “When it strikes, some of us ask, ‘Why did God allow this to happen?’ Others ask, ‘How will God use it?’”

The Lord calls each of us to do his work. In Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah responded to God’s call by saying "Here am I. Send me." Today in prayer, consider how you answer the Lord’s call and then follow Him in all that you do.

"I would rather walk through a mile of burning brimstone every night than spend over again those midnight hours when I fought against the call of God." - Dr. Robert Bruce

God’s Word: “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing” – 2 Chronicles 36:22

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail   

DEVOTIONS IN EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER †