Joe Barnett

Worship the Lord with gladness.                    —Psalm 100:2 Psalm 100 is a call to worship. It is not a call to be a pew-sitter, but a participator. “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. . . . give thanks to him and praise

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.              —Psalm 51:2 Psalm 51 is another of David’s penitential chants. David’s tawdry balcony and bedroom misbehavior is disturbing, disappointing, and disgusting. Could God forgive and use a person of such reprehensible conduct? He could, he did—and he still

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them.                       —Psalm 32:2 Psalm 32 opens with this invigorating promise: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not

The heavens declare the glory of God.                         —Psalm 19:1 In Psalm 19, God is revealed as Creator (vv. 1–6), Law Giver (vv. 7–10), and Redeemer (vv. 11–14). God’s general revelation (vv. 1–6) is the witness of nature, made to all people everywhere: “The

(This week let’s explore a few psalms) The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.                                        —Psalm 1:6 Psalm 1 makes a clear distinction between the righteous

He does not treat us as our sins deserve.                          —Psalm 103:10 “Adulteress!” they shrieked. “We caught her. The law says to stone her. What do you say?” “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.” Squinting through swollen eyes, she

They bowed down and worshiped him.                           —Matthew 2:11 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, his arrival was met with three identifiable reactions: hostility, indifference, and worship. King Herod was hostile, willing to kill babies to ensure that there would be no rival

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.                               —1 Corinthians 15:50 By new birth we have entered the kingdom spiritually (Jn 3:1–8). But our present perishable bodies are not suited for the future imperishable kingdom. We must be changed.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.                  —Psalm 27:14 We want our desires to be met on our timetable. But if we find it difficult to wait, we’re going to find it difficult to walk by faith. We marvel at

God sent his Son, born of a woman.                     —Galatians 4:4 When angel Gabriel told Mary she would conceive and give birth to a son, she asked a reasonable question: “How?” After all, she was a virgin. Gabriel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,