Joe Barnett

You were bought at a price.      —1 Corinthians 6:20 Sir Winston Churchill ran World War II from a heavily bunkered underground fortress in London dubbed The War Rooms. Visitors today can view the chair in which the Prime Minister sat, the desk at which he worked, and the pen with which he wrote. […]

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  —1 Corinthians 3:6 Machines moved through the field, harvesting a bumper crop. Admiring the immaculately manicured acreage, the crop insurer said to the farmer, “God sure built a beautiful farm here, didn’t he?” “You should have seen it when God had it by

The Lord has assigned to each his task.                    —1 Corinthians 3:5 You are exactly who God wants you to be—you! You are the only you in the world. There is no one else like you. Never has been. Never will be. You are an original. One

She has been a great help to many people, including me.            —Romans 16:2 Paul wanted to visit his brothers and sisters in Rome. That trip was put on hold, so he wrote them a letter. But Paul was in Corinth, 1500 miles from Rome. No USPS, UPS, or FedEx. How

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.            —Romans 15:2 There are some people whose company we enjoy … and some we don’t. We prize the companionship of those who build us up, encourage us, see the best in us. We treasure the friendship

Let us stop passing judgment on one another.                                —Romans 14:13 Finding fault with those with whom we live, work, and worship doesn’t require special insight or superior intelligence. Jesus’ charge to yank the plank out of our own eye before

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.                 —Romans 12:6 “You can be anything you want to be.” “You can do anything you want to do.” Neither of these overused statements is true. Some things are beyond the reach of your knowledge and skills. But

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.             —Romans 12:3 Political campaigns bring out the worst in people. Truth is abandoned. Slander is routine. Reputations are demolished. Families are fractured. Win at any cost—that’s the way the game is played. The campaign trail is elbow-to-elbow with little

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.        —Romans 8:37 According to a well-worn story, a member of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet said at the beginning of the Civil War, “I hope, Mr. President that the Lord is on our side.” Lincoln allegedly replied, “My concern is to make sure that

Who is he that condemns?       —Romans 8:34 The first and last verses of Romans 8 bracket the chapter with two breath-taking promises: 1) there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ; 2) nothing can separate us from the love of God. No condemnation! No separation! The chapter peppers its reader