Category: JOHN D. BARRY

  • LEARNING FROM ENEMIES

    Connect The TestamentsEzra 3:1-4:24; 1 John 3:11-18; Psalm 106:16-29 If a new venture is really worth pursuing, it will probably be opposed. Some people will refuse to get on board, and others will intentionally get in the way. While these people may be trying protect their own interests, it’s more likely that they don’t like…

  • ENCOURAGEMENT AND POSITIVITY

    Connect The Testaments2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23; 1 John 2:28-3:4; Psalm 105:23-45 If we were to make encouragement one of our main strategies, we’d see positive results in most situations. If we made providing for others one of our goals, the world would be a kinder place. King Josiah epitomizes both of these attributes in 2 Chr…

  • 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…