Joe Barnett

Death has been swallowed up in victory. —1 Corinthians 15:54 Of all the days on our calendar, there is no day like Easter to irradiate our hearts with certainty that death has been swallowed up in victory. The undeniable fact of Jesus’ resurrection infuses us with the assurance of ours as well. “Because I live, […]

Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.                          —Romans 12:1 Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Why are you here? What is the purpose of your

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.               —Psalm 37:5 Remember that tête-à-tête between Alice and Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland? Alice: “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” Cat: “That depends a good deal on

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.         —Matthew 25:35 Discipleship isn’t a big, flashy production. It’s played out in little things, thoughtful things, loving things—a note, a phone call, doing lunch with someone who needs to talk and a non-judgmental friend to listen. It’s found in simple Bible

Let your light shine before others.                  —Matthew 5:16 I left my credit card on the table at the restaurant where I dined last night. As I drove back to retrieve it, I thought about other things I had left behind. I left more than my credit card—I

[God] determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.              —Psalm 147:4 If astronomers’ calculations are correct, there are more than one hundred billion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars. They say our Milky Way galaxy has between two and four hundred billion stars.

Make every effort to confirm your calling and election.         —2 Peter 1:10 This day won’t leave you as it found you. It will leave you stronger or weaker—with faith, hope, and love enlarged or diminished. It will leave you more congenial or more disagreeable, more thoughtful or more inconsiderate, more judgmental

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.          —Hebrews 3:15 I have a sticky note in my Bible with the following words: “This morning I woke up to something that never was before and never will be again. And the me that woke up was never the same

Gossips can’t keep secrets.          —Proverbs 11:13 Renowned preacher Henry Ward Beecher received an anonymous letter with just one word: “Fool!” Reading it to his congregation, he said, “I’ve received quite a few letters from people who forgot to sign their name, but this is the first one I’ve ever received from

You should mind your own business.              —1 Thessalonians 4:11 I resolve that when I think critically of someone, I will remind myself to mind my own business. I resolve to reject fixating on another’s flaws and focusing instead on my own. I resolve to remember that I will be