Joe Barnett

The word of God is alive and active.                     —Hebrews 4:12 Do you think Abraham had an advantage over us because God spoke personally to him? Don’t forget that Abraham lived through long periods of silence. When Jehovah told him he would make him into a […]

It was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us.       —Hebrews 2:17 An article in USA Today described how David Dillard schools his young architects to understand the residential needs of older people. He sends them on twenty-four-hour “sleepovers” in a senior living center. They put on pajamas, wear earplugs

Learning your words gives wisdom.             —Psalm 119:130 Someone defined great literature this way: “When you are done reading, you’re a different person.” J.I. Packer’s Knowing God and A.B. Bruce’s The Training of the Twelve rank high on books that have had that effect on me. I came away from

You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.    —Psalm 139:3 The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the biggest, glitziest, and weirdest tech show in the world. On display at CES this year was a smart refrigerator that will automatically order food items that need to be restocked; and a toilet

He had to go through Samaria.           —John 4:4 The shortest route from Judea to Galilee went through Samaria. But because of their fierce hatred of Samaritans, Jews shunned that short cut, even though the detour took twice as long. On his way to Galilee, John 4:4 curiously says of Jesus,

New every morning. —Lamentations 3:23 After a monumental mess-up, Sarah said, “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” We make our share of mistakes—some of us more than our share. But forgiveness gives us a fresh start. God turns the page and says, “I will

I will not forget you!    —Isaiah 49:15 The bond between mother and child is like no other. She may be sheepish and reclusive—but attack her child, physically or orally, and look out! The endearment lasts a lifetime. We’ve all seen a 350-pound jock, panned by TV cameras, flash a toothy grin and mouth for

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.     —Luke 12:34 At my age, the first thing I do each morning is grab the newspaper and turn to the obituaries. If I’m not in there, it’s a good day. Joking. Most people don’t read their newspaper straight through from front to back.

He has made perfect forever those who are purified from sin.         —Hebrews 10:14 Uncertain about a verb tense in one of these devotionals, I ran it through an online grammar-checker. When finished, I moved the cursor over the article and hit delete. I failed to cover the first letter with the