“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?” – James 4:1

Alisa D. Bowman describes the daily “bathroom counter war” she had with her husband. He liked a completely cleaned counter, she liked two objects on the counter: her toothbrush and facial cleanser: “Every morning, I woke up, walked to the bathroom, and groggily looked around for my toothbrush and cleanser. I’d look all over the counter. I’d close my eyes and open them again.

“I must be losing my eyesight,” I’d mutter. “They were right there. There. Right there.”

After much searching, I’d eventually find them stashed in one drawer or another — where my husband had put them. When I confronted him about it, he insisted my stuff took up too much space. When I pointed out his stuff got to stay on the counter, he said he needed it. I told him I needed my stuff. We would go around and around the topic, never getting anywhere. Each morning I started a search and rescue mission for my soap and toothbrush.

One day, exasperated, I complied. I took everything off the counter. All toothbrushes, all soaps, his razor, everything — and put it in a drawer. I did this every morning. I don’t think he liked it. He never mentioned it, but I’m 99 percent sure he didn’t like it. I know this because one morning, I woke and found my toothbrush and cleanser on the counter. They were there the next morning, and the morning after that.”

We need to control our anger and not argue over inconsequential things in life. Today in prayer, give any anger you have to the Lord and pray that you may treat others with the love and respect you desire from them.

“Argument is the worst sort of conversation.” – Jonathan Swift

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

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” – James 3:18

In the book “The Magnificent Story”, James Bryan Smith writes: “From 1992 to 1995 the world witnessed one of the worst civil conflicts, the Bosnian War. Three factions, each tied to a religion (Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats, and Muslim Bosniaks), began attacking one another in a struggle for power after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

The Serbs, backed by the Yugoslavian army, attacked the Croats and Bosniaks, but the latter two united and fought back. In the end no one was innocent of the bloodshed. Over 100,000 people were killed, 2.2 million people were displaced, and it is estimated that over 12,000 women—mostly Muslim—were raped. In the midst of the ugliness and the suffering, beauty emerged to offer a different story.

As the mortar shells rained down on Sarajevo, a musician from Bosnia and Herzegovina named Vedran Smailović did the only thing he knew to do: he played his cello. In the midst of the destruction of buildings and the killing of his family and friends, Vedran played his cello—in full formal attire—alone in the ruins and in the streets, even though there was relentless sniper fire.

Vedran Smailović playing the cello in Sarajevo during the conflict no one knew when or where he would play, but as soon as someone heard him playing, the crowds grew. Grieving and starving, the people gathered to listen. Why? As Smailović said, “They were hungry, but they still had soul.”

In the midst of tragedy, his music echoed from another world, a place where beauty, goodness, and truth reside. Through Smailović—an instrument of God, I believe—the people found hope and healing. As he played his cello in the ruined city during the forty-four-month siege, Smailović inspired people around the world. Singer Joan Baez sat in solidarity with him as he played on the streets. Composer David Wilde wrote a piece for cello in his honor: “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” played by Yo-Yo Ma. Smailović became a symbol of how beauty stands in resistance to the madness of war.”

We all desire peace, but peace does not just happen; it is not the absence of war. Sowing peace is an action. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is the ultimate example of sowing peace and in Him we can have peace in our hearts and share that peace with others.

“Peace reigns where our Lord reigns.” – Julian of Norwich

God’s Word: “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” – Isaiah 32:17

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.” – James 3:14

Pastor Douglas Twitchell wrote the following about envy: “Every morning my mom would toast up and butter a big old stack of toast and put it on the breakfast table. Right in the middle of the table. I had two older brothers, and the Battle of the Toast was a war to see who would get the most toast for breakfast. It was a silly thing; none of us needed more than a couple slices of toast with jam or peanut butter, but none of us ever thought about what we needed, or even what we wanted. Instead we only thought about what "the other guy" was getting. And our desires were defined by what "the other guy" had. Thus, if my brother ate four pieces of toast, then I just had to have four pieces of toast. Didn't matter if I was already full; I had to keep up.

Eventually, Mom put a stop to the Battle of the Toast by carefully counting out how many slices of bread she toasted, and limiting us to two slices apiece. Seems kind of silly now, doesn't it?

But this is the cost of envy -- the cost of looking at the other person and comparing what I have to what they have. I stop thinking about what is good (or even what is healthy) and I just have to have what they have. It makes no difference if I need it, makes no difference if it is good for me. I want it.”

Envy is a sin that hurts oneself and often leads to other sins. Today in prayer, confess any sin of envy and thank the Lord that He is a generous God He has given you all that you need to bring glory to Him.

“Few men have the strength to honor a friend's success without envy.” – Aeschylus

God’s Word: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” – Proverbs 14:30

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” – James 3:13

Daniel Grothe, in his book “Chasing Wisdom” gives an analogy of wisdom and jazz: “All great jazz musicians have at least three things in common: (1) they have gone into the practice room and learned and internalized all the scales, which are simply organized sequences of notes, until they can play them forward and backward; (2) they have put in the time to learn all the standard jazz songs (in jazz parlance, they’ve “learned the book”); and (3) they can play every one of those standards in any key. “Oh, you want me to play Duke Ellington’s ‘Take the A Train’ in C?” No problem! “How ’bout we play ‘A Night in Tunisia’ in D?” You got it.

“Hey, man, you good with playing Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ in E-flat minor?” Sure thing. If these three things are in place—knowing all the scales and all the songs in any key—a great jazz musician can walk into any club, on any night, in any city, and be ready to play. Living a life of wisdom is a lot like becoming a great jazz soloist. As counterintuitive as it may seem, we have to practice for spontaneity. We have to do our homework ahead of time, so we’re able to creatively improvise when the moment arises. A life of wisdom is about learning to think on our feet, about learning to be responsive to the actual conditions of life.”

Do you want to gain wisdom? Then follow Jesus and let your life be flowing with good deeds that glorify Him. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He is our ultimate example. Seek to follow Him closely so you may bring glory to Him.

“Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty... acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.” – J.I. Packer

God’s Word: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness” – Titus 2:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” – James 3:5-6

In his book entitled “Encouragement”, written with Dan B. Allender, Larry Crabb writes: “As a youngster I developed a thoroughly annoying and humiliating problem of stuttering…In the ninth grade, I was elected president of our junior high student body. During an assembly of the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades — several hundred students — I was beckoned by the principal to join him on stage for the induction ceremony. Standing nervously in front of the squirming, bored crowd, I was told to repeat after the principal the words, “I, Larry Crabb of Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High School, do hereby promise …” That’s how the principal said it.

My version was a bit different: “I, L-L-L-L-Larry Crabb of P-P-P-P-Plymouth-Whitemarsh Junior High School, do hereby p-p-p-promise …”…A short time later, our church celebrated the Lord’s supper in a Sunday morning worship service. It was customary in our congregation to encourage young men to enter into the privilege of worship by standing and praying aloud. That particular Sunday I sensed the pressure of the saints (not, I fear, the leading of the Spirit), and I responded by unsteadily leaving my chair, for the first time, with the intention of praying. Filled less with worship than with nervousness, I found my theology becoming confused to the point of heresy. I remember thanking the Father for hanging on the cross and praising Christ for triumphantly bringing the Spirit from the grave. Stuttering throughout, I finally thought of the word Amen (perhaps the first evidence of the Spirit’s leading), said it, and sat down.

I recall staring at the floor, too embarrassed to look around, and solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group…When the service was over, I darted toward the door, not wishing to encounter an elder who might feel obliged to correct my twisted theology. But I was not quick enough.

An older Christian man named Jim Dunbar intercepted me, put his arm on my shoulder, and cleared his throat to speak. I remember thinking to myself, “Here it comes…I then listened to this godly gentleman speak words that I can repeat verbatim today, more than twenty years later. “Larry,” he said, “there’s one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand percent.”

Then he walked away. Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears…Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep into my being. My resolve never again to speak publicly weakened instantly. Since the day those words were spoken, God has led me into a ministry in which I regularly address and pray before crowds of all sizes. I do it without stuttering. I love it. Not only death, but also life lies in the power of the tongue. God intends for us to be people who use words to encourage one another.”

It is your choice to have an untamed tongue or a tamed one. Today in prayer, confess any sin to the Lord and ask Him to use your tongue to glorify Him.

“God doesn't listen to gossip except to judge it.” – Leonard Ravenhill 

God’s Word: “Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'” – Matthew 15:10-11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” – James 3:1

Anoop Shankar is a former West Virginia University and Virginia Commonwealth University medical professor. He allegedly provided false information to immigration authorities, forged signatures of professors in fake recommendation letters, used fake credentials to claim the university job, and misused his university purchasing card.

Shankar taught at WVU from 2008 to 2014.

Federal agents believe that he left the United States in 2014 and started living in the United Arab Emirates, while Interpol recently said that he traveled to India.

The investigation began in 2015 when Homeland Security Investigations Pittsburgh and authorities in West Virginia initiated investigations against him on suspicion of defrauding WVU of about $617,000 in salary paid to him. Shankar is also allegedly

submitted false expenses of travels, took false ownership of various medical articles, and lied about his medical degrees.

Detectives said that Shankar lied about possessing a doctorate degree in epidemiology and medical statistics from Mahatma Gandhi University and that he had undertaken medical residency at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The Lord was a teacher and He has a high expectation for teachers. Today in prayer, pray for those who teach and ask the Lord to look after them.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Brooks Adams

God’s Word: “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” – Ephesians 4:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” – James 2:18

Ulrich Zwingli was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. He attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel. He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln, where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus. During his tenures at Basel and Einsiedeln, Zwingli began to familiarize himself with many criticisms Christian institutions were facing regarding their reform guidance and garnered scripture which aimed to address such criticisms.

In the area of good works, Zwingli stated in his work “The Christian Education of Youth” the following: “Our confidence in Christ does not make us lazy, negligent or careless, but, on the contrary, it awakens us, urges us on and makes us active in living righteous lives and doing good. There is no self-confidence to compare with this.”

We need to put our faith into action which performs works. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to strengthen your faith into action so you may follow Jesus Christ in all areas of your life.

“Faith must always have an accompanying action.” – Diane Benze

God’s Word: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES  †

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” – James 2:12-13

In her book “In His Image”, author Jen Wilken writes: “My husband, Jeff, is an excellent driver. He has never had an accident, excepting two incidents in high school which hardly bear mentioning— Several years ago, I was driving across town to get to a speaking engagement during Friday rush hour traffic. Having waited three cycles to make a left turn at a busy intersection, I accelerated through a yellow light and continued on my way. A couple of weeks later a ticket came in the mail with photo evidence of my depravity. I had run the red light. Justice dictated that it would take two hundred dollars to clear my good name.

Or so I thought. Let’s just say we didn’t have an extra two hundred dollars lying around, and my embarrassment over the whole thing caused me to stall on paying the ticket. Jeff noticed that the deadline to pay was upon me and gave me a gentle reminder.

I was leaving town, and he generously agreed to get online and handle the payment. That’s when he discovered that it was not, in fact, my good name that was at stake, but his. Because the car I was driving was registered to him, my ticket had been put on his driving record—his excellent driving record.

His response? “It’s taken care of.” Mercy. He paid my ticket without grumbling, and my guilt was assigned to his record. In the eyes of the great state of Texas, the demands of justice had been met, albeit by another. I did not receive what I deserved, but Jeff did in my place.”

The Lord is merciful. Today in prayer, praise Christ for His mercy and seek to be merciful to others.

“Do you wish to receive mercy? Show mercy to your neighbor.” – John Chrysostom

God’s Word: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” – James 2:2-4

Fannie Lou Hamer was born in Montgomery County, Mississippi, in 1917. She was the youngest of twenty children, and her mother and father were sharecroppers. She was a devoted Baptist who believed that fighting for justice was her calling. 

In the 1960s, Hamer worked for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to demystify the political process for southern blacks and register thousands to vote—a dangerous endeavor in the Jim Crow South. Her faith in God was key to her ability to withstand police brutality, disenfranchisement, and involuntary sterilization while refusing to hate her oppressors. She was one of the most skilled orators and organizers in the civil rights movement and was known to have a powerful effect on audiences with her speeches and songs.

If we are to be partial, be partial toward the poor. Today in prayer, ask the Lord how you can best use your gifts and talents to better serve the poor.

“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.” – Rose of Lima

God’s Word: “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” – Proverbs 29:7

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.” – James 2:1

On March 12, 2020, Rose Wakefield stopped for gas at Jacksons Food Store in Beaverton, Oregon when Nigel Powers, the attendant on duty at the time, was pumping gas for other drivers but refused to offer her service.

When she asked for assistance, Powers told her, "I don’t serve Black people.”

"I went to a gas station to get gas and service, and I wasn't served," Wakefield said about her experience. "I was actually humiliated and disrespected."

In late-January, 2023, a jury agreed in her favor. After successfully suing the corporations involved, Wakefield was awarded one million dollars in damages.

The damages were so high because the behavior Wakefield encountered was so egregious. This was not only from the gas station attendant, but also from the representatives at the corporate complaint line who failed to take her report seriously.

During closing arguments, Wakefield’s attorney Greg Kafoury convinced the jury that a large judgment would force the corporate defendants to explain their failure to respond appropriately. This included failing to record Wakefield’s initial phone call (and subsequently deleting a follow up voicemail), and doctoring the employee personnel file to make it appear as though he was fired for different, unrelated conduct.

Her attorney added, “A cop who erased evidence would go to jail for it.”

In all that we do, we should not show favoritism. Today in prayer, confess any sin of prejudice and seek to love others as the Lord loves you.

“It is never too late to give up your prejudices.” – Henry David Thoreau

God’s Word: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” – Leviticus 19:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

"but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." - James 1:14-15

In their book “The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It” authors Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel write: “For years Kyle and I [Jamin Goggin] had no trouble looking critically upon others in their quest for power. We bemoaned the rock-star pastors who were in the spotlight, whose churches appeared to be more concerned with growing their brand than proclaiming the gospel. This is the first temptation of power: We view the problem as “out there.” We recognize it in other churches, pastors, fellow Christians, or political and cultural leaders, but we ignore the problem in our own hearts. For Kyle and me personally, this remains a strong temptation. 

As men with a calling to teach and lead, we can often default to analyzing the error of others without honestly assessing the truth about ourselves. Accordingly, it is easy to allow the word power to trigger a mental list of tyrannical and narcissistic leaders. Likewise, it can be much harder to find examples of those who have embraced power properly. 

Mother Teresas are rare. In a fallen world, this is reality. In contrast, our first inclination should not be to identify the problem of power as somewhere “out there,” but as “in here,” within our own hearts. Jesus says, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye”. We find it much easier to become burdened and angered by sins that are not our own. 

When those sins are committed by those in leadership, we find it even easier. Notice, Jesus is not saying the solution is to ignore the sins of others. We should name sins, just as Jesus did. However, we must recognize that only after naming the truth of our own sin can we come in grace and truth to name the sins of others. 

Only when we see the truth of ourselves can we have mercy to address others in God’s grace. As those forgiven by God, we pray, ‘Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us’”.

When temptation approaches, you do not necessarily have to fall into sin. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to keep you away from temptation and to deliver you from all evil.

"The devil tempts that he may ruin; God tests that he may crown." - Ambrose

God's Word: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." - Hebrews 4:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22

Author Colleen Strachan writes: “Dallas Willard gave a series of lectures on the kingdom of God. In one, he discussed the popularity of the phrase, ‘The truth will set you free’ by putting it in its proper kingdom context:

The whole passage from John 8 is this, ‘When Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ It’s amazing how people will just start at the end and come back and chop off what they want.

We have an elevator at USC [where I teach philosophy] in the humanities building that just says ‘The truth will make you free.’ Apparently, you don’t even have to know [the truth]. It just works, right? Jesus really said, ‘If you continue in my word.’ That means ‘If you put in practice what I do, if you walk in it.’”

Reading and listening to the Bible is good. Following the Lord’s teaching is even better. Today in prayer, spend some extra time today reading God’s Word. Then ask the Lord how you can better live out the Bible in your life.

“Let us receive nothing, believe nothing, follow nothing which is not in the Bible, nor can be proved by the Bible.” – J.C. Ryle

God’s Word: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:11

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12

In his book “A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future”, Os Guinness writes: “The day after Christmas would normally have been a quiet day in Washington, D.C., above all on Capitol Hill. But December 26, 1941, was different. It was only nineteen days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and both the Senate chamber and the overflow gallery were packed to hear British Prime Minister Winston Churchill address a joint session of the United States Congress.

With the Capitol ringed by police and soldiers, the lectern bristling with microphones, and the glare of unusually bright lights in the chamber for the film cameras, Churchill started his thirty-minute address with a light touch. "If my father had been an American," he said, "and my mother British, instead of the other way around, I might have gotten here on my own. In that case this would not have been the first time you would have heard my voice."

Churchill then rose to his central theme. Britain was standing alone, but reeling. Most of Europe lay prostrate under the Nazi heel. Hitler was well on his way to Moscow. Half of the American Navy was at the bottom of the Hawaiian harbor, and there was little or no air force to rise to the nation's defense. He therefore delivered a stern denunciation of the Japanese and the German menace, and warned about "the many disappointments and unpleasant surprises that await us" in countering them.

At the heart of the prime minister's address was a famous question to his listeners in light of the Japanese aggression: "What kind of a people do they think we are? Is it possible that they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?"”

As Christians, we are called to persevere in Christ. Are you feeling pressured or persecuted for your faith? Today in prayer, give the trials you are facing to the Lord and seek to persevere in Him in all that you do.

"Our motto must continue to be perseverance. And ultimately I trust the Almighty will crown our efforts with success." - William Wilberforce

God’s Word: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:3-4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES  †

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” – James 1:6

In his book, The Enormous Exception, Earl Palmer tells about a pre-med undergrad at the University of California, Berkley, who became a Christian after a long journey through doubts and questions. A bout with the flu kept him out of classes for 10 days. During that critical absence from his organic chemistry class, a Christian classmate carefully collected all his missed lectures and assignments. The person took time from his own studies to help his friend catch up with the class.

Years later, the pre-med student, now a committed Christian, told Palmer, “You know that this just isn’t done, and I probably wouldn’t have done it, but he gave that help to me without any fanfare or complaints. I wanted to know what made this friend of mine act the way he did. I found myself asking him if I could go to church with him.” Palmer wrote, “I think the best tribute I ever heard concerning a Christian was the tribute spoken of this student. ‘I felt more alive when I was around this friend.’”

Doubts dispel and our faith grows strong as we yield are hearts to God’s Word. Today in prayer, look to the Lord and place every area of your life in His hands.

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” – Oswald Chambers

God’s Word: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:24

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES †

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” – James 1:2-3

Pastor Ray Johnston, in his book “The Hope Quotient”, wrote: “David Letterman’s old late-night segment “Will It Float?” once inspired our staff to fill a huge water tank, place it at the front of an auditorium, and ask three thousand people to vote which of a series of items would float. We collected a bunch of unusual objects: a can of Spam, a five-pound bag of flour, an egg, a gallon of milk, a Shaq bobblehead doll. It was pretty funny. 

After everyone voted, we threw in the objects, one by one, and then asked everyone to stare at the tank to see what would happen. 

• Egg: floated. 

• Spam: sank. 

• Gallon of milk: floated. 

• Shaq bobblehead doll: the body sank but the head floated. 

• Five-pound bag of flour: fell apart and turned the whole tank white. 

I turned to the audience after the results and said, ‘Nobody does very well in marriage, in relationships, at work, psychologically, or in life in general if they’re not buoyant. Getting down is part of life. Staying down is what will kill you.’”

Through testing our faith can be strengthened. Today in prayer, thank the Lord that when we face trials, we do not have to face them alone. In Christ, we can endure them and preserve in our faith. 

"Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now?" - Oswald Chambers

God’s Word: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” – 1 Peter 1:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2025, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN JAMES  †