Joe Barnett

To one he gave five talents … to another two … to another one … each according to his ability.                             —Matthew 25:15 Do you look at others—whose successes you see and whose failures you don’t—and compare your accomplishments to theirs? Don’t. […]

You do not know on what day your Lord will come.                                 —Matthew 24:42 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father …  So you must be

Many are invited, but few are chosen.                    —Matthew 22:14 God singled out Moses and saddled him with a heavy mission: “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exo. 3:10). God singled out Saul and saddled him with a

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.     —Matthew 20:28 If you need a mission-statement, you can do no better than adapt and adopt Jesus’ words. Put it down this way: I am not in this world to be served; I am in this world to serve. Today

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin.                  —Matthew 18:7 St. Bernard of Clairvaux resolved that his actions must pass three tests: First, is it lawful? Can I do it and not sin? Second, is it becoming in me as a Christian?

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.                       —Matthew 16:18 The church is God-built and God-sustained. Therefore it will not fail. Some fret that its preachers and teachers have gone mushy, that they don’t stand for anything. Even

Don’t you remember?     —Matthew 16:9 “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened,” wrote Montaigne. Is your happiness being sabotaged by fretting over things that may never happen? Jesus’ disciples were grumbling because their stomachs were growling. They had taken a hike without packing a lunch. “Don’t you

When evening came, he was there alone.                         —Matthew 14:23 Moses was alone when God spoke to him (Exod. 3:1-5). Joshua was alone when God commissioned him (Josh. 1:1-5). Gideon was alone when God recruited him (Judg. 6:11-12). Cornelius was alone when God charged

Whoever does the will of my Father … is my brother and sister and mother.                  —Matthew 13:50 “Blood is thicker than water” goes the old German proverb. It doesn’t get much better than being part of a family whose greatest joy is being together. It didn’t work