Joe Barnett

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.                —Romans 15:13 The calloused hands of a tough-as-nails dad turn tender in brushing away the tears of his child. Though God has all power, he is a Father of gentleness. He […]

[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.      —Ephesians 3:20 Enter today with positive expectations. Your power is limited; God’s isn’t. Your abilities are limited; God’s aren’t. “[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine . . .” Don’t stop there—the rest of

Teach me to do your will.        —Psalm 143:10 It’s difficult to succeed without a plan. If the Lord is in your plan, you up your chances of success: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Prv 16:3). But shouldn’t there be more to it than asking him

Cheer up! . . . He’s calling you.                   —Mark 10:49 Jesus was just seventeen miles from Jerusalem, where he would be denied, tried, and crucified. How could he think of anything else? Yet, when a blind beggar shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

He heard my voice.     —Psalm 116:1 Maria Rameriz’s genius at voice recognition blows my mind. She recognizes my voice and calls my name before I finish “hello”—and was doing so long before the invention of Caller ID. I’ve been in her office and marveled as she answered call after call, and said name

They kept quiet.   —Mark 9:34  “What were you arguing about on the road?” Jesus asked his disciples. They were zip-lipped because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. William Barclay called it “the silence of shame.” Do you sense their embarrassment? They had nothing to say because there was no

Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet.         —Mark 9:27 Jesus attracted crowds of thousands. He hiked to Jerusalem to die for the wide, wide world. But he also stopped along the way to give total attention to the needs of a single individual: a father, a

A quick-tempered man does foolish things.                       —Proverbs 14:17 Some beefy athletes are amazingly coolheaded in the game and savagely hotheaded in the home. Do you face major crises calmly? How about minor agitations? Some handle heavyweight disaster serenely but come unhinged if their plane

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.                 —Proverbs 3:5 Are you uptight? Edgy? Tense? Maybe that’s because you’re trying to run your world on your own. Today get God in the picture. In every situation—every situation—whisper, “I trust you, Lord.” Put all your trust in the

In my Father’s house are many rooms.                             —John 14:2 “You’re not wanted!” Do you know of a sentence that cuts more deeply? “You’re not wanted in our club.” “You’re not wanted in our restaurant.” “You’re not wanted in our church.” “You’re