Gleanings From The Word: April 2020

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Gravity Wins

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT)

I am seventy-four years old, and a few years back, I had an epiphany of sorts. I realized that gravity wins.

In recent decades, I have tried to live a healthy lifestyle. I used to jog, and now I walk. I ride my bike in the warmer seasons of the year. I have tried to eat a healthy diet, with a few exceptions.

I have never met a doughnut I didn’t like. Diet and exercise can slow the process, but as the preacher in Ecclesiastes tells us; eventually, we all go the way of all flesh.

In verses 2-7, the writer of the book describes to us the decline that takes place in our advanced years. You have probably heard about the octogenarian who once said, “there are three things that happen to you when you get old. You lose your eyesight and hearing; I can’t remember what the third one is.” No one wants to talk about their mortality, but what the Bible speaks about, we should be able to converse about also.

The reason we may not like to think about our mortality is that we do not really believe what the Bible says about our immortality. Jesus said that if we believe in him, we will never die (John 11:16). This verse ends with a question, “Do you believe this?” If we trust Christ, why do we cling to this life more than we should?

Gravity does win, yet, our eternal spirit never ages. If we refuse to believe in the words of Jesus, we will neither live well nor die well.

The image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: Ken Barnes' Book Site
Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com
http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Thursday, April 16, 2020

The Pilgrimage

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. (Psalms 84:5 NLT)

Those who have their mindset on a pilgrimage are able to come through the ups and downs of the Christian life stronger than ever.

Our Spiritual Journey

The life of a believer in Christ is not a sprint, but a marathon. Someone once said that the problem with the Christian life is that it is every day. The victorious life in Christ is not won primarily on the mountaintop, but in the consistent and faithful decisions we make in our everyday lives. God provides us with mountaintop experiences to motivate us onward, but it’s the mundane and almost imperceptible choices that keep us on the path to our eternal reward.

I once had a friend who owned a small airplane who told me he always took off into the wind. He said it was the thrust of his engine against the wind that gave the lift to make his aircraft airborne. In ancient Israel, people made pilgrimages to Jerusalem. They often experienced danger and hardships on their journey. It will much the same for you and me in our spiritual journey. We will sometimes pass through the “Valley of Weeping” (v.6), yet, God promises to make us stronger (v.7) if we keep our eyes on the prize.

Israel desired to arrive at Zion, their Holy City, which enabled them to endure the perils of the journey. Perceptive is everything. If you and I keep our minds and hearts inclined toward Christ, the mountains will seem less daunting and the valleys less imposing. God will grant us the strength and endurance for the pilgrimage to Heaven, our Eternal City.

The image used with permission by Microsoft.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

He Is Risen

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. (Matthew 28:1 NLT)

The Tomb Couldn't Hold Him

Where were his disciples? They were locked behind closed doors to ensure the same thing that happened to Jesus would not happen to them. They were weak and afraid.

Peter, who had boldly proclaimed that he would not forsake Christ even unto death, had just denied him three times. His closest followers, people like you and me, at times lacked courage and strength. Yet, I must remind you that all his disciples, save John who was exiled to an island and Judas who betrayed him, were martyred for their faith in Christ.

What brought about these bold transformations? I suggest to you it was Christ’s resurrection. Through Christ’s death and his resurrection, He defeated sin and death. With these two things eliminated, for a believer in Christ, there nothing left of any significance to fear.

This Easter Sunday, we proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!

The image used with permission by Microsoft.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Faith Overcoming Fear

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life evenwhen faced with death.

(Revelation 12:11 NASB)

We live at a time, because of COVID-19, that fear is everywhere. We are afraid that we might lose our livelihoods or even our very lives. Christians are not exempt from fear, but through the word of our testimony we can overcome it.

COVID-19

At the time that the Apostle John wrote this Biblical passage, Christians were losing their lives because of their refusal to renounce Christ. Due to the coronavirus, though in a different manner, we are facing the same enemy, death. The first-century believers overcame the attacks of the Devil. We, as believers today, will overcome in like fashion.

How were they victorious? First, it was because of the blood of the Lamb. They knew that no matter what happened to them, they were covered by the blood of Christ. As the old song says, There is Power in the Blood. Furthermore, their testimony remained firm in the face of death because they loved Christ more than there very lives. When Christ remains supreme in our lives, even above death, there is no way the Devil can defeat us.

Am I ready to die for my faith in Christ? Honestly, I am not sure. A crisis does not make us who we are, but it does reveal who we are. Anyone who says they have no fear is either a fool or a liar. There is a difference between having fear, and fear having you. Many today, even Christians. seem to be controlled by anxiety because of coronavirus. If our testimony remains strong, our faith will overcome our fear.

The image is used with permission by Microsoft.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

The Fear of Death

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

(1 Corinthians 15:55 NLT

Some say that all fear comes from the fear of death. Whether you are rich or poor, great or small, we all have to deal with the last great enigma, death. Jesus Christ gave us victory once and for all over the fear of death.

COVID-19

2020 has brought the scourge of COVID-19 on the whole Earth. Non-religious people are praying. The fear of death has changed the way that we live. Our mortality, which in normal times we often ignore, now is impossible to escape. We awaken in the morning, thinking it is only a bad dream, and realize that it is not.

The solution to our dilemma is not to deny reality. The Bible says, “it is appointed for men to die once” (Hebrews 9:27 NASB), but that is not the end of the story. The Bible also says that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so shall we be (1 Corinthians 4:14). This is our great hope, not avoiding death, but victory over it.

I do not consider myself a courageous person. In this life, I have some anxieties, but the fear of death is not one of them. Death is not the enemy for a Christian. Fear that takes away our peace is the enemy. The Apostle Paul told us that neither life nor death could separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38). The only remedy for our fear is the love of God.

I am seventy-four years old with some underlying health conditions; If I were not a believer in Christ, I would be terrified. If you have placed your trust in Christ for his saving grace, when your head hits the pillow tonight, you might want to say. “O death, where is your victory. O death, where is your sting.”

The image is used with permission by Microsoft.

Thursday, April 2, 2020

A Divided Heart

“Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” (Exodus 32:5 NLT)

Aaron tried to have God partake in their idolatry. He took what was unholy and wanted to give it a semblance of being holy. He thereby would divide their hearts.

We behave in like manner today. We take what is unrighteous and make it appear righteous. It can then seem to be Christian when it is not. Christ is either our Lord, or He is not Christ at all. When anything rivals our devotion to Christ, like success, prosperity, or fame, it becomes an idol. Instead of renouncing one and following the other, we try to make the two compatible. In doing so, we make neither one of them our God. Matthew 6:24 (NASB) says that “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon is more than just money; it is anything that money can buy. If we cling to both God and mammon, we will have neither.

From the Garden of Eden to Aaron’s day, until today, the Devil has been working to divide our hearts. If the Evil One cannot get us to abandon God totally, he leads to believe that we can have God and the world equally and simultaneously. It is not that mammon, in itself, is sinful, but mammon above or equal to God is. As Joshua chided his people, “Chose who you will serve.” Are you trying to serve God and mammon? Do you have a divided heart?

The image is used with permission by Microsoft.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Gravity Wins

Thursday, April 16, 2020

The Pilgrimage

Sunday, April 12, 2020

He Is Risen

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Faith Overcoming Fear

Saturday, April 4, 2020

The Fear of Death

Thursday, April 2, 2020

A Divided Heart

Ken's Bio