First United Methodist Church of Barnesville

First United Methodist Church of Barnesville The vision of the First UMC of Barnesville is to reach out, welcome and accept all people into Jesus' circle of love, laughter and salvation.

09/09/2026

Verse of the Day
for Wednesday, September 9th, 2026
Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.
Titus 2:2

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
"Worthy of respect": What a goal for our lives, whether we are a man or a woman!
Don't you want your life to reflect the character of God because your faith expresses itself in a life that is temperate (reverent), self-controlled, faithful, loving, and steadfast? Paul wants Timothy to urge the older men to genuinely display these character qualities as they live in the presence of and have influence over others in the family of God. Such character is the work of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) and manifests only as we dedicate ourselves to pursuing Christ-likeness and offering ourselves to the Holy Spirit for God's transforming work in us (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we grow older, we often worry about securing our financial investments so we can live comfortably in our older years. The apostle Paul's concern as we age is that we are yielded to Jesus, so that God's transformative work in us makes us more valuable for his service and for those around us!

My Prayer...
Father, please strengthen my faith in Jesus as the Holy Spirit does your transforming work in me. Please help me gain better control of my passions, speech, example, temper, kindness, and habits. Help me put to death the things that would rob me of my spiritual passion and poison my influence for good for those around me. Please strengthen my faith as I seek to treat others lovingly and persevere in faith through difficult times. In Jesus' name, and for my transformation to be more like him, I pray. Amen.

08/29/2026

Verse of the Day
for Saturday, August 29th, 2026
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Wouldn't it be great if we could tear down all the walls that divide us — racial, social, economic, gender, and political. The apostle Paul spent his entire life trying to do just that: to tear down the walls that divided people by bringing them to Jesus and the cross. In fact, Paul emphatically proclaimed that Christ "has made us ... one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2:13-14 ESV). There are no positions of superiority or inferiority at the foot of the cross; only a place for those who discover God's might displayed in sacrifice and God's love displayed even when under attack at the hands of human cruelty. While the forces of culture and human selfishness are always trying to divide us, we can remember that in Jesus, and only in Jesus, we can all be truly one.

My Prayer...
Forgive me, O God, for the times when I have let prejudice and suspicion keep me from fully enjoying fellowship with those whom you have claimed as your children. I pray that my life will be an example of redemption and unity as I seek to love your children as you do. In the name of Jesus, whose dying prayer was for unity among his followers (John 17:20-21), I pray. Amen.

07/25/2026

Verse of the Day
for Saturday, July 25th, 2026
I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.
Psalm 119:60

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Obedience is faith put into practice. Without actions and good deeds, Jesus' brother James reminds us that our faith is not genuine — it is false faith (James 2:14, 17, 26). So, without arguing or procrastinating, let's quickly obey — let's "hasten and not delay to obey" — even when we don't fully understand why. We've seen God's love demonstrated to us in Jesus, so we should obey because we know he loves us. Most of us have also seen the blessings that flow from obeying him. So, let's "hasten and not delay to obey" God's commands!

My Prayer...
O God, please give me a heart that is quick to obey and a faith that hastens to express itself in loving actions to you through obedience. I want to please you with my words and thoughts, but even more, dear Father, I want to live a life full of your character, wisdom, grace, and generosity. Help me to obey your voice quickly. In the name of Christ Jesus, I pray. Amen

07/15/2026

Verse of the Day
for Wednesday, July 15th, 2026
Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James 1:21

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Isn't it true! When we find ourselves caught in the clutches of the moral filth of our culture, we can find the Word of God boring and irrelevant. Yet even in those moments when the evil one uses sin to harden our hearts, God's Spirit calls us to change at a level deeper than just the mere understanding of the words of Scripture. James, the brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55; John 7:2-5), reminds us we've got stuff we must get rid of, even though it is all around us in our culture. We need to go back to the seed of faith, the good news of Jesus, that was planted in us. Through the Spirit, this seed calls us back to righteous living, and this repentance can save us! Thank God for his Spirit, who uses the Word that he inspired like a surgeon's scalpel, and does the needed surgery on our hearts (Hebrews 4:12-13).

My Prayer...
Holy God, with the help of your Holy Spirit, today I willingly and decisively give up the immoral habits in my life. I recognize that these not only offend your holiness and grace, but they also harden me to your will, pull me away from your character, and blunt my witness to others. Please forgive me, please sustain me, as I seek to live a life wholly pleasing to you, empowered by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, I promise and pray to get rid of the moral filth that is so prevalent around me, and to humbly accept the message you have given me, and that calls me home to you. Amen.

06/18/2026

Verse of the Day
for Thursday, June 18th, 2026
Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
It seems that many mothers have an inside track with their children because of the bonding that occurs in a child's earliest days and weeks of life with her, both in the womb as they hear her voice and feel her comfort, and after delivery, as she nurses and suckles her child. So, I find it interesting that God commands fathers to be about the work of spiritual nurture with their children, yet they are to do it without exasperating the child with overly harsh discipline. I don't believe Paul means to exclude mothers, but he emphasizes the importance of a strong, gentle guiding hand from a man who is not overly harsh, but still has expectations. No, I think Paul assumes most moms will do their part in training and instructing children. However, the father's influence and intentional training of each child are also essential for the child to know the father's love and see that both parents support the proper direction the child should take in behavior, faith, and life. Dads, we have the awesome opportunity to help our child know a father's love so they can come to know the love of our Father in heaven.

My Prayer...
Abba Father, may my children come to find your love in the way that I instruct, nurture, discipline, and train them. Thank you for providing your church family, which can offer support, love, nurture, and help when a child does not have the blessing of two loving and godly parents. No matter who is raising a child, we pray that they can lead them and love them in the way that points them to you, our Father. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

06/17/2026

Verse of the Day
for Wednesday, June 17th, 2026
Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the Lord — and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
Psalm 68:4-5

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
I can't help but think of what James, Jesus' brother, said:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).

Jesus demonstrated the Father's heart for the marginalized in his ministry by making time to love, serve, heal, welcome, and bless widows (Luke 21:1-4), lepers (Mark 1:40-45), children (Matthew 19:13-15), the afflicted (John 5:3-8), and the oppressed (Matthew 4:24). Now it is up to us, his people, his disciples, to continue the work of Jesus as his people, his bodily presence in our world today.

My Prayer...
Father, may our lives, our compassion, and our ministries reflect your heart for those who need care, protection, and love. Give us eyes to see these needs more clearly and hearts that respond more certainly so that we can demonstrate your love to people more fully. We pray that as we respond, the Spirit will lead us to do things that bless others, and we ask that you give us wisdom to know how best to demonstrate your love to all people. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

06/16/2026

Verse of the Day
for Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
Psalm 103:13

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Compassion!
Not pity, not anger, not shame, not impatience, not intolerance, not rejection, none of this is what God, our Father, longs to share with us. We know this because today's verse declares it. We know it even more by the way Jesus treated children in his busy and overly-scrutinized ministry:

He welcomed them and placed his hands on them to bless them (Matthew 19:13-15).
He took the children into His arms, placed His hands upon them, and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16).
He welcomed little children, and held them up as examples for us to follow (Luke 18:15-17)
God cares for our pain, loneliness, emptiness, abandonment, and mistreatment. God cares for us when we are overlooked, neglected, minimized, and pushed aside. God loves us and longs to share his compassion with us. He chose to enter our world and demonstrate his love for us in Jesus.

My Prayer...
Father of mercies and God of all compassion, we thank you not only for knowing and caring about our struggles, but also for sending Jesus to us and for living in us through the Holy Spirit. Because of your mercies, we know your love, grace, and forgiveness. Because of your compassion, we know your might and power released to us and in us through your gentle presence. May your Spirit of compassion be found in our relationships so others can recognize that this grace comes from you. Through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, and through Jesus our Savior, we pray. Amen.

06/09/2026

Verse of the Day
for Tuesday, June 9th, 2026
Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Matthew 7:13-14

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Most people in the world want a Savior but not a Lord. The New Testament is clear, a Savior who is not Lord is no Savior and no friend. If the Old Testament showed us anything, it is that God's truth was written not for his fascination but for his people's preservation. Many people today, maybe even most, believe they are saved because they think their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. Jesus, however, is very clear: Most are lost and will not find their own way to salvation (Matthew 7:13-27). Only Jesus is the way to God (John 14:6), and no one can be saved except through Jesus (Acts 4:12). While Jesus longs to be the Savior of all people (John 4:42), he emphasizes that for him to be our Savior, we must also choose to live with him as our Lord. That means we are bearing fruit that displays his righteous character, gracious compassion, and faithful lovingkindness in our lives (Galatians 3:22-23). So, let's live that kind of life, enter through that narrow gate, and produce Jesus' style of holy fruit as we trust in him as our Savior and Lord!

My Prayer...
Holy Lord Jesus, please take control of my life and my will. I long to be wholly yours. I want you as my Savior and my Lord. I want to honor you, not just in word, but also in thought, word, and deed. Trusting you as my Savior and Lord, I offer you my heart, my life, and my all as I confess this before the Father and pray through you, Lord Jesus. Amen

06/06/2026

Verse of the Day
for Saturday, June 6th, 2026
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Love that surpasses knowledge is truly powerful, but difficult to explain. However, when you have loved your spouse for decades, and he or she is as close to you as any bodily organ, you experience what this means. Love that surpasses knowledge. You know each other, and each other's faults and weaknesses, but your love is deeper than when you first fell in love. When you love a child and do for them what you never dreamed you could do for another human being, you understand this phrase. Love that surpasses knowledge. And when you stand before God, adopted as a full heir of all his great riches (Romans 8:14, 16-17), a full sibling to Jesus Christ the Lord (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-2), and Jesus presents you to the Father as holy, without reproach, and blameless (Colossians 1:22), you begin to understand this phrase. Love that surpasses knowledge.

My Prayer...
Holy and incredible God, help me to know in my soul the love that is greater than words and greater than knowledge, so that I may not only be like you, but that I may know you in experience just as I know you in faith. Thank you for loving me first, now use me to love others with a love that surpasses knowledge. Through Jesus, and by his authority, I pray. Amen.

06/04/2026

Verse of the Day
for Thursday, June 4th, 2026
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Praise is the direct address of God that lets him know we recognize him for who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing. But more than informing God of his greatness, praise is rejoicing before him in his greatness, while recognizing that not only is his grace without comparison, his majesty and might and holiness and faithfulness and righteousness and mercy and love and forgiveness and justice... are all without comparison. The Lord God is God. My praise is my thankful celebration and recognition of him as God, my God, the one and only true God, and let's him know I rejoice in him!

My Prayer...
Great and gracious God, the Holy One who is without anyone to compare. You and you alone are truly worthy of my best words, deepest thoughts, and greatest imaginings. I not only worship and submit to you, but I also rejoice that you are who you are, and that you have revealed yourself to us, your creations. I celebrate what you have done. I long for what you are yet to do. You are magnificent, my Father and my God. In the name of Jesus, and because of your matchless love, I praise you for all you are to me, and what more of you I have yet to discover. Amen.

Address

123 W Church Street
Barnesville, OH
43713

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12pm
Tuesday 9am - 12pm
Wednesday 9am - 12pm
Thursday 9am - 12pm
Friday 9am - 12pm
Sunday 9:30am - 11:30am

Telephone

+17404253245

Website

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