Tag: JOHN D. BARRY

  • SHOWING KINDNESS TO A STRANGER

    Connect The Testaments2 Samuel 9:1–10:19; 1 Peter 5:1–14; Psalm 138:1–8 When I was a teenager, I became serious about showing unsolicited kindness while working through a 30-day intensive devotional. The devotional required me to record an act of kindness each day. My efforts included things as mundane as taking out the trash before being asked…

  • TRUTH AND HONESTY CAN BE PAINFUL

    Connect The Testaments2 Samuel 7:1–8:18; 1 Peter 4:12–19; Psalm 137:1–9 A commitment to honesty and truth often puts us in unexpected spiritual situations—something David experiences in 2 Sam 7. David thinks he will build God a great house—a temple—but instead God plans to build a house for him—a legacy. Because David seeks God, God does…

  • WHEN KINGS MOURN

    Connect The Testaments2 Samuel 1:1–2:32; 1 Peter 3:1–7; Psalm 133:1–134:3 No one can tell you how to mourn. You have to mourn as you see fit, making sure you don’t introduce sin into the grieving process. Several people who were dear to my heart have died. Each time, I processed it differently—immersing myself in work,…

  • EMOTION VERSUS LOGIC

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 30:1–31:13; 1 Peter 2:18–25; Psalm 131:1–132:18 Reacting is easy. What’s difficult is overcoming emotions in a time of adversity. Although emotions are not bad, they can lead us astray. At the same time, when we stray too far in the other direction and rely entirely on reason, we risk using logic…

  • REFRAME IT

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 26:1–27:12; 1 Peter 2:1–12; Psalm 128:1–129:8 “ ‘Too often they have attacked me from my youth.’ Let Israel say, ‘Too often they have attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me’ ” (Psa 129:1–2). As these verses show, sometimes problems can be solved by simply reframing the issue at…

  • UNITY IN ADVERSITY

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 22:1–23:29; 1 Peter 1:13–19; Psalm 123:1–124:8 Distress can unite people. In difficult moments, in shared pain, we discover our true friends. When David fled from King Saul, his divided family was suddenly supportive of him, as was every man in the region who was distressed or indebted (1 Sam 22:1–2; compare…

  • MOVING FORWARD

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 16:1-23; James 4:1-17; Psalm 119:137-152 Moving on after a person, a hope, or a dream has died can be one of the most difficult challenges of life. It certainly was for Samuel. The prophet Samuel believed that God had chosen Saul as king, but Saul failed God and His people (1…

  • RECASTING FAITH

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 14:1-52; James 3:1-12; Psalm 119:97-120 Faith is often cast as a type of intellectual pursuit: It’s something our minds rise up to, conform to, or simply agree with. But in the Bible, faith is often portrayed as rather mystical: Jonathan somehow knew that God would act on his behalf if his…

  • DISCERNMENT, KNOWLEDGE, AND ACTION

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; James 2:14-18; Psalm 119:65-80 We often wonder whether God hears our prayers. Even when we acknowledge that God deals with each petition we send His way, we experience doubt because we don’t understand how He has handled our plea. Yet instead of asking “Is God hearing me?” we should be…

  • GOD’S UNSEEN WORK

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; James 1:19-27; Psalm 119:33-48 We often fail to discern when and how it happens: God will work something out in our lives that seems virtually impossible. We get an unexpected insight into the workings of God in 1 Sam 5. After defeating Israel in battle, the Philistines stole the ark…