Joe Barnett

Let us come before him with thanksgiving.                                    —Psalm 95:2 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love it because, of all holidays, it is the most restrained: less commercialized than the rest. Shopping centers jump from spooks to Santa, […]

[Be] watchful and thankful.             —Colossians 4:2 We will never be content until we’re thankful. There is no contentment where gratitude is absent, and no absence of contentment where gratitude is present. The process is simple: be “watchful and thankful.” In other words, be aware of your blessings, and be

Give thanks in all circumstances.           —1 Thessalonians 5:18 “It would be just my luck if . . .” Have you ever heard anyone start a sentence with those seven words and end it with something positive? Not likely. It usually ends with something negative. Really, is the deck stacked against

We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.                  —1 Timothy 6:7 I counted the ads in a glossy regional magazine: 266 in this one issue. Ten touted vehicles. Thirty-one advertised residential properties and furnishings. Forty-four promoted a variety of things: vacation

Jesus . . . has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light.                       —2 Timothy 1:10 Jesus doesn’t guarantee a trouble-free life. But he does promise that, however rough the road, you have “life in all its fullness” (Jn 10:10 NCV). He

A man had two sons.    —Matthew 21:28 Dad said the same thing to both of his sons: “Go work in the vineyard.” The first said, “I won’t.” The second said, “I will.” The difference between the two was the “afterward.” The first son said, “I won’t go, but afterward changed his mind and went.”

My times are in your hands.             —Psalm 31:15 Corrie ten Boom, in her book The Hiding Place, recalled looking forward to her first railway journey. She kept pestering her father, asking him if he had her ticket. He repeatedly assured her that he did. Corie later confessed that her

Without faith it is impossible to please God.                                  —Hebrews 11:6 Take a stroll through Hebrews 11, a portrait gallery of remarkable people who left inspiring legacies. Their circumstances were widely different: an unimaginable flood, an unthinkable pregnancy, an unlikely

Fulfill your ministry.      —2 Timothy 4:5 Paul’s life was coming to an end: “The time for my departure is near” (2 Tm 4:6). He wanted Timothy, his protégé, to live responsibly, reminding him of legacies, both harmful and helpful. He mentioned Phygelus, Hermogenes, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Demas, and Alexander, who left legacies of desertion,

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship.                                  —Acts 2:42 Are you acquainted with the word koinonia? Fourteen-year-old Karthik Nemmani was. As a Spelling Bee contestant in 2018, Karthik nailed the spelling of koinonia and eliminated the