Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, (2 Peter 1:5 NASB) Knowledge without moral excellence is a train ride to disaster. I was a public school teacher for many years. On the walls of the hallways in one of the […]
Author Archives: kenbarnes
28
Nov
Nov
Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. (Jonah 2: 8 ESV) Vain idols always lie to us. They tell us that we know better than God what is best for us. Early in my missionary career, I was working in Hawaii. I was doing what I wanted and […]
22
Nov
Nov
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:11 NASB) In numerous places in the Old and New Testament, it is prophesied that Jesus Christ will […]
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire: and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods nor worship […]
06
Nov
Nov
Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. (Psalms 37:3 NASB) Christians love mountaintop experiences, but faithfulness grows in the valley. In the early 1970s, I came to faith in Christ. Speakers came through our Church to share their mountaintop experiences. It appeared they were jumping from one peak […]
01
Nov
Nov
I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. (Psalms 119:15-16 NKJV) We note October 31 as Halloween, but on the last day of October, Protestants celebrate what is known as Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed […]
25
Oct
Oct
I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” (Daniel 3:15 NLT) […]
16
Oct
Oct
Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s Cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the […]
23
Sep
Sep
While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors who lived in Giloh. Soon many others also joined Absalom, and the conspiracy gained momentum. (2 Samuel 15:12 NLT) Ahithophel’s betrayal of David was rooted in David’s sin. David was reaping what he had sown. An insidious web spun […]
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. (Psalms 90:12 NLT) The brevity of life is a reality, but we often view it as a fantasy. Most deal with the brevity of life by just ignoring it. I had an epiphany a few years back: Gravity wins. You […]