….They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out to me, ‘Come and save us!’ (Jeremiah 2:27 NLT) Jeremiah was speaking about the fickle nature of Israel of his day. His words should teach us that even our repentance can have a self-serving character to it. In my […]
Author Archives: kenbarnes
Thus says the Lord, “As the new wine is found in the cluster…” (Isaiah 65:8 NASB) Everybody wants a bigger church or a more significant ministry. The expansion of God’s purposes on this earth is never bad. But sometimes in His Kingdom least may be the best. What was Jesus’ strategy for […]
Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. (Isaiah 59: 15 NLT) In the world today it is not a real fabulous time to stand for righteousness. Neither was it in Isaiah’s day either. But we should not forget that […]
“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new…”(Isaiah 43:18-19A NLT) Isaiah was encouraging Israel that God was on the move and about to do a new thing. But before they could receive the new they had to forget […]
Fight the good fight for what we believe….( I Timothy 6:12 NLT). The famous words of the title, spoken by Patrick Henry in 1775 were the fuse that ignited The Revolutionary War. Today the church is in a struggle. This conflict is not being fought with bullets and cannons as in Henry’s day, but with […]
Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. (II Corinthians 5:12 NLT) Are we giving people the right reason to be proud of us? The […]
It is easy in the light of the present cares of this world to become overwhelmed and lose our hope. The antidote for this is seeing the unseen God. It is what we gaze upon that shapes us. If we dwell only on the temporal or transitory aspects of life, the things that we […]
When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses. (II Chronicles 34:14 NASB) During the reign of King Josiah, Hilkiah the priest, happens upon the Book of the Law of the […]
For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” (II Chronicles 30: 18b-19 NASB) At my college there was a professor named Major Minor. I couldn’t remember […]
Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. (II Chronicles 24:2 NLT) The affects of having just an outward religion can be devastating. Joash became king when he was seven years old and he had Jehoiada the priest at his side as his […]