Joe Barnett

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.    —Matthew 5:6 We pursue happiness, and it eludes us, for happiness is not found by striving for it directly but as a byproduct of seeking something else. Jesus said it comes from seeking righteousness. The blessedness of this beatitude doesn’t […]

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.            —Matthew 5:5  In some versions, “The meek” is translated “the humble” or “those of gentle spirit.” In a world of too much “It’s-all-about-me” aggressiveness, “Blessed are the meek” comes across as weak. However, it is the opposite of weakness. It

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.            —Matthew 5:4 The promised comfort of this beatitude doesn’t relate to mourning the loss of a loved one but to mourning the loss of innocence and self-respect because of sin. It is the second stage of spiritual blessing: from acknowledging

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                   —Matthew 5:3 Tevye, in Fiddler on the Roof, said, “It’s no shame to be poor . . . but it’s no great honor either.” Financial poverty isn’t proof of poverty of spirit, nor

His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.          —Matthew 5:1–2 Jesus pinpointed eight character traits and said, “Blessed” are those who have them. Some translations say “Happy” rather than “Blessed.” Barclay notes that in Aramaic, the language in which Jesus spoke the beatitudes, the word “Blessed” was an

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.                          —John 15:13 Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. These well-known words first appeared in Anna Warner’s novel Day and Seal in

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.                 —Psalm 115:3 Are you spiritually nearsighted? Has your short-term view blurred your long-term vision? God says he is in control. Some Christians seem to doubt that. “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. . .

Trust in the Lord and do good.               —Psalm 37:3 The graduating class decided to write in their yearbook what they wanted to be doing in twenty years. Entries included playing professional football, practicing medicine in Hawaii, and being a foreign news correspondent. How about you? What do you

The unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.                                 —Proverbs 11:3 Political campaign promises rarely survive the first term in office. It must be contagious, because broken promises seem to be epidemic: deceptive advertising, shabby maintenance, unreliable pledges. Time for a

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.                 —James 4:14 Among his many compositions were 41 symphonies, 18 sonatas, and 6 partitas. He lived most of his life in poverty and died in obscurity at the age of thirty-five. His official name