Joe Barnett

Choose for [yourself] this day whom you will serve.    —Joshua 24:15 There’s an invisible line between youth and adulthood, where we say, “He’s on his own now.” Is it true? Yes and No. As Christians, we are a part of the body, the church (Rom 12:3–8). We are responsible to each other and for […]

Have mercy on us, Son of David!                  —Matthew 9:27 Here is a trio of verses that display the compassion of Jesus: “He had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Mt 14:14). “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man” (Mk 1:41). “When

Let me know how fleeting my life is.                          —Psalm 39:4 There’s nothing like aging to awaken us to the shortness of life. By the time realization hits us, there may not be much life left. There are many things that steal our minutes

All things work together for good to those who love God.    —Romans 8:28 You’re not happy about the way things are going, are you? Me neither. Pain. Loss. Terrorism. Violence. Fraud. Corruption. There’s nothing on that list that can be labeled good. But Bible believers are convinced that God is in control and can

The memory of the righteous is a blessing.                               —Proverbs 10:7 John the Baptist had been dead for two years, but his influence lived on. No one could cite any miracle he performed, for he didn’t perform any. But his words

I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.      —Revelation 20:12 What’s the name of the kid who shared his lunch, from which Jesus fed a multitude? What’s the name of the guy who loaned his donkey to Jesus for his last ride into Jerusalem? What are the names of those

Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake.      —Matthew 8:24 When a hurricane makes landfall, an earthquake rearranges the furniture, or a tornado hurls bullet-speed shards of glass, you’re a hostage of Mother Nature. You are equally helpless when personal storms waylay you. The biopsy is positive. Your son is in

Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.                              —John 5:24 Do you remember GM’s early boast that they had built a “safety car” that would keep an occupant from being killed in a 100-mph crash? I

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.                           —1 John 2:17 Today’s news will hype politicians who puff and pontificate and financial tycoons who compete for power and prominence. Most of these chest pounders

Listen to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.                           —Proverbs 1:8 This morning, I gazed at a 125-year-old photograph on my bedroom bookcase—my paternal grandmother. Twenty-eight steps away, in my home office, I stared at a picture of my