Joe Barnett

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.            —Matthew 6:21 In Matthew 6:19–20, Jesus contrasts the durability of two treasures: earthly and heavenly. The earthly is fragile and temporary; the heavenly is rock solid and eternal. Scripture does not forbid ownership of possessions. On the contrary, it endorses […]

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.                             —Matthew 6:20 Faced with a tough decision, perhaps you’ve drawn a line down the middle of a page, listing the negatives on one side and the positives on the other. In Mathew 6:19–20, Jesus

Continue steadfastly in prayer.               —Colossians 4:2 Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Mt 6:8). So, why pray? Well, you don’t pray to inform God of things he is unaware of, but to request his help, seek his counsel, and submit to his

[God] says, “Seek My face.” My heart says to Him, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”                          —Psalm 27:8 “Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father” (Mt 6:6). Your “room” may be a designated place, or maybe not. It’s

You have heard that it was said.                 —Matthew 5:21 Six times in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said . . .” followed by, “But I tell you . . .” Most of those to whom Jesus spoke could not

When he came to Jerusalem, [Paul] tried to join the disciples.                        —Acts 9:26 Paul wasn’t welcomed by Christians in Jerusalem. They were scared of him, suspecting that his reported conversion was a hoax. Barnabas, the only person who believed his story, went to bat

God is our refuge and strength.                 —Psalm 46:1 An old country preacher said, “I may tremble on the rock, but the rock don’t tremble under me.” We have our times of fragility and vulnerability, but as Christians, our foundation is solid no matter what. Psalm 46 has

Encourage one another and build up each other.  —1 Thessalonians 5:11 Paul packs so much in some of his sentences that our eyes glaze over. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:13–22. I’ll wait while you turn to it and read it. Whew! That’s a lot to chew on, right? Maybe it will help to put those

Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?            —Luke 6:46 Mark had blatantly disobeyed his mother. When she came to his room, he expected her to confront him, shame him, and punish him. Instead, she told him how much she loved him and said