Joe Barnett

Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs.        —Ecclesiastes 5:15 There are only two things we can worry about: things we control, and things we don’t. It’s unreasonable to worry about things we control because if we control them we can change them. It’s equally

These are the names of the twelve apostles.                        —Matthew 10:2 There was Peter the rock, Judas the traitor—and ten others named between those two (Mt 10:2–4). Jesus left his church in the hands of these twelve, minus one. We know almost nothing about most

Repent and be baptized . . . for the forgiveness of your sins.                —Acts 2:38 Here’s the sequence: sin . . . guilt . . . punishment. Guilt follows sin; punishment follows guilt. Then there’s this: forgiveness follows obedience. The Greek word for forgiveness means “sending away.” When

You have put all my sins behind your back.                                  —Isaiah 38:17 Read the following and rejoice . . . As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Ps 103:12).

Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.      —Hebrews 10:17 “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer 31:34 ESV). Thank God we live on this side of that promise. The sacrifices of the old covenant “were not able to clear the conscience,” but were

Teach us to number our days aright.                          —Psalm 90:12 A guy named Albert perched on the same barstool in a Pub in Buffalo, NY, every night the last twenty years of his life. Even though he was there every night, no one really

Say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”            —Hebrews 13:6 The author of Hebrews is big on the Christian living confidently . . . He urges us to “hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (3:6). He exhorts us to

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                                —Matthew 5:10 It’s a jarring jump from peacemaking to persecution. But there is an unavoidable clash when irreconcilable value systems intersect. An anything-goes culture

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.               —Matthew 5:9 It is appropriate that “Blessed are the peacemakers” follows “Blessed are the pure in heart,” for “the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure; then peaceful” (Jas 3:17 NCV). In country,