He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. (Psalms 37:6 NLT) We often worry about our reputation more than we should, rather than being concerned with a clean conscience that produces godly character. It is effortless in this sinful world to invert our […]
Author Archives: kenbarnes
Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1: 27a CSB)Paul wrote these words from a Roman prison. He found a way of framing all his life experiences, good or bad, by his vision for heaven that furthered the Gospel of Christ. The Eternal Kingdom Life is all […]
You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. (Psalms 66:10 NLT) The Refiners Fire For every Christian, there is a testing process. Similar to the purification of silver the process involves fire, expressed in our lives as trials. Though the process is never pleasant, in the end, it produces the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews […]
The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. (Psalms 33:10-11 NASB) Many things happen in this life that seems to be incomprehensible. Christian die seemingly too young in what appears to be in the midst of their usefulness. Occurrences […]
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had[a] the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives […]
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15 NKJV) The Apostle Paul The great evangelist, the Apostle Paul, viewed himself as the chief of all sinners. Identification with the transgressor will lead many to Christ. In my days as a […]
For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Samoset at Plymouth Colony (2 Corinthians 4:15 NASB) God often helps his people in unexpected ways. The first Thanksgiving may never have happened if the Pilgrims had […]
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.(John 10:3-4 NASB) In the world today, followers of Christ are deemed somewhat strange when […]
The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. (Psalm 145:17 RSV) Justice and Mercy Have you ever tried to be just and yet kind and merciful at the same time? Humanly speaking, it is a tall task. In the Cross of Christ, God has found a way of being just and […]
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence [a]so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, (Hebrews 6:11 NASB) There are times in our Christian walk that we can just get tired and spiritually lazy. Paul reminds us that the good works we did, in the beginning, should continue to the end. Diligence […]