"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." - Galatians 2:10

John of Kronstadt was the Nineteenth Century Russian Orthodox priest. From 1855, he served as a priest in St. Andrew's cathedral in Kronstadt. Here, he wholly committed himself to charity, especially for those who were remote from the church. He established a factory to provide employment for the poor, and endlessly gave away his money to the needy.

During this time when alcohol abuse was rampant, none of the priests ventured out of their churches to help the people. They waited for people to come to them. John, compelled by love, went out into the streets. People said he would lift the hungover, foul-smelling people from the gutter, cradle them in his arms and say to them, “this is beneath your dignity. You were meant to house the fullness of God.”

We need to continually remember the poor and help provide for their basic needs. Today in prayer, ask Jesus how you can tangibly serve others this week.

"When we serve the poor and the sick, we serve Jesus. We must not fail to help our neighbors, because in them we serve Jesus." – Isabel Flores de Oliva

God's Word: "After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings." - Acts 24:17

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2024, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN GALATIANS  †

"But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man" - Galatians 1:15-16

In his book “Just Do Something” author Kevin DeYoung writes: “God calls His people to lots of different things. Sometimes you feel a sense of calling to your job and, you know what, sometimes you don’t. You just work. I’m extremely thankful that I love what I do for a living. I feel badly for people who only tolerate their jobs, or worse. But we must all serve the Lord with heart, soul, strength, and mind wherever He’s placed us. Unfortunately, we’ve turned the idea of calling or vocation on its head. The Reformers emphasized calling in order to break down the sacred-secular divide. They said, if you are working for the glory of God, you are doing the Lord’s work, no matter whether you’re a priest or a monk or a banker. But we’ve taken this notion of calling and turned it upside down, so instead of finding purpose in every kind of work, we are madly looking for the one job that will fulfill our purpose in life.”

The Lord calls each of us to follow Him and to do His will.  Today in prayer, thank Christ for calling you and be faithful in following the Lord’s will.

"The responsible person seeks to make his or her whole life a response to the question and call of God." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's Word: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." - Ephesians 4:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2024, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN GALATIANS †

"I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." - Galatians 1:11-12

In 1968, Paul Erdmann, a former television salesman from California, moved to Seattle. The Love Family began in October 1968 as a communal household on Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, with their charter being written in 1971. Shortly after its founding, Erdmann renamed himself Love Israel; many of his followers adopted the "Israel" surname and biblical or virtue first names.

The group practiced meditation with the use of hallucinogenics and believed that life was eternal and all people were one. Because life was 'eternal', the group did not observe birthdays or perform marriages. They placed personal revelation above traditional doctrine. The group was committed to living in the present to the point that they avoided making appointments or incurring debt.

Additional prohibitions including smoking, owning clocks, mirrors, or watches, and reading books or magazines other than the Bible. The group did not use driver's licenses and was predominantly vegetarian.  

"Love Israel" is a play on one of the fundamental affirmations of the group, "Love is real". Equally important to the remaining members are three other commonly used affirmations: "We are one", "Love is the answer", and "Now is the time".

Man continues to make up his own false religions. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for revealing Himself to you through the Gospel.

"The true message of good news, that salvation from sin can be found in the sacrificial death of Christ through faith alone, is not a man made message. It is at once too simple and too magnificent for man's wisdom. It is a transcendent message, a message from beyond our mortal limitations. It is a message from God." - Guy Caley

God's Word: "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute." - 2 Peter 2:1-2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2024, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN GALATIANS †

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." – Galatians 1:6-7

In an article entitled “What Does a Faith Crisis Feel Like?”, author Jon Bloom discusses the steps of a faith crisis and its remedy is to run to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Jon summarizes his article by writing:

“So, as we seek to care for those in a faith crisis, we’re wise to remember that (1) the crisis is often the sudden explosion of doubts that have accumulated over time, (2) the crisis is often ignited by a catalyst event that may itself not be fueling their doubts, and (3) their most pressing initial need may not be our immediately addressing their doubts, but experiencing through us the sheltering mercy of Jesus, who extends this invitation to all strugglers: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).”

The road to loss of faith happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. Today in prayer, pray for those who began in faith following Christ. Pray they may focus on Jesus and His redeeming work on the Cross.

"This would be the first step in apostasy; men first forget the true, and then adore the false." – Charles H. Spurgeon

God's Word: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." - 2 Timothy 4:3-4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2024, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN GALATIANS     †

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" - Galatians 1:3

In his book “The Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance”, Christian author Randy Alcorn writes the following:

“Before I spoke at a conference, a soloist sang one of my favorite songs, “Amazing Grace.” It was beautiful. Until she got to the tenth word. “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a soul like me!” My heart sank. The word wretch had been edited out! I thought about John Newton, the songwriter. This former slave trader, guilty of the vilest sins, knew he was a wretch. And that’s what made God’s grace so “amazing.” Mind-boggling. Knockdown awesome. If we’re nothing more than morally neutral “souls,” do you see what that does? It guts grace.”

It is by God’s grace that we are saved. And it is by His grace we face today and tomorrow. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for His grace and love towards you.

"Between here and heaven, every minute that the Christian lives will be a minute of grace." – Charles H. Spurgeon

God's Word: "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:6-7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2024, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN GALATIANS  †