Category: JOHN D. BARRY

  • LANGUAGE, LETTERS & LIES

    Reflections on 2 John What does God have in common with Romeo? When I first started dating my wife, I wanted to speak like Romeo, but without the tragedy part. What I didn’t realize is that the way we write and speak is already influenced by Shakespeare. Every language is a product of its great…

  • FOR IT IS BETTER

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 31:1-32:33; 1 John 2:15-17; Psalm 104:16-35 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you! For it is better for you that one of your limbs be destroyed than your whole body go into hell” (Matt 5:30). We might struggle to relate to this…

  • THE DANGER OF SUCCESS

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; 1 John 2:1-6; Psalm 103:15-22 Western culture is obsessed with success. Society places successful people on a pedestal, as if they’re somehow smarter or better than everyone else. Christians certainly aren’t immune to this trend, as is demonstrated by the growing celebrity-pastor following. The need to succeed can tilt a…

  • WHEN GOD DOESN’T ACT

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; 1 John 1:5-10; Psalm 103:1-14 When Jehoram ascended to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and murdered all his brothers with the sword, and even some of the princes of Israel.… And he did evil in the sight of Yahweh. But Yahweh was not willing to destroy the…

  • THE FORGOTTEN CHRISTIAN VIRTUE

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34; Titus 3:8-11; Psalm 99:1-100:5 An unfortunate effect of our emphasis on God’s grace is our dwindling focus on the connection between obeying God’s will and receiving His blessings. If we’re not living in the primary will God designed for us, then we will not be in the right place at…

  • WHEN WORDS ARE ENOUGH

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22; Titus 2:9-2:15; Psalm 96:1-13 It’s not often that words change the course of history. But Shemaiah, a little-known prophet, was given such an opportunity. We can easily pass over these life-altering moments if we’re not looking for them. Rehoboam had assembled 180,000 chosen “makers of war” to fight against Israel…

  • SEARCHING FOR JUSTICE

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 6:12-8:18; Titus 1:10-16; Psalm 94:1-23 “Do you favor justice or mercy?” Trick question. Both responses are technically incorrect: God’s ways require mercy and justice. Mercy cannot be fully known without perfect justice, and justice without mercy is harsh and graceless. God’s mercy is a regular topic in Christian communities, but we…

  • WHAT WEALTH REVEALS

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 1:1-3:17; Titus 1:1-4; Psalm 91:1-16 “What would you do if you won the lottery?” This question always seems to generate the same responses: There’s the person who devises an investment strategy, the dreamer who envisions ending global poverty, the individual who would travel the world, and the person who would buy…

  • FIGHTING LONELINESS

    Connect The Testaments1 Chronicles 28:1-29:2; 2 Timothy 4:9-21; Psalm 90:1-17 Loneliness is one of the most disheartening feelings a person can know. Being alone in a time of pain is even worse. Several recent surveys suggest that lonely people—especially teenagers—subtly reach out through their social networks, desperately looking for someone who cares. In a world…

  • TURNING OUR LIVES FROM NOISE TO MUSIC

    Reflections on 1 Corinthians “Focus on your relationship with Jesus.” When my friend—whom I had traveled several thousand miles to see—said this, I knew it was the answer to all of my questions. I had been so focused on God’s calling that I had neglected my relationship with the caller, Jesus. My pastor had warned…