Joe Barnett

Give thanks in all circumstances.            —1 Thessalonians 5:18 He was just a small child, but when he bumped into me I had a full glass of water and got drenched. There’s a disposition lesson here: if you have a full glass of bitterness, anger, and complaint, it won’t take much […]

Make the best use of your time.      —Ephesians 5:16 JBP A study from Reviews.org provided a snapshot of how often Americans reached for their smartphones and how much time they spent staring at screens in 2025. According to the study, they averaged checking their phones 200 times per day, about once every five

Such were some of you.   —1 Corinthians 6:11 There are some people in your church who once lived on the dark side. The Corinthian church had some members like that. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul inserted a long, ugly list of offenders: idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, and

Take captive every thought.       —2 Corinthians 10:5 Thoughts. You can’t always predict their arrival. Sometimes they pay a sudden, unwelcome and unwholesome visit. You may not be able to avoid their knock at the door. But you can refuse to invite them in. If you let them, they will take residency and

[Forgive] one another, as God in Christ forgave you.        —Ephesians 4:32 Paul set the bar high when he wrote, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” The most profitable construction here is to take ownership of the last six words of the sentence first.

I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.                       —Hebrews 8:12 It’s a mind-blowing, breathtaking, invigorating promise: the twice-repeated promise in Hebrews that when God forgives your sins, he forgets them (8:12; 10:17). How can that be? This way: “We have

I have learned to be content.            —Philippians 4:11 Contentment is a learned attitude. You don’t have to learn how to complain—you arrived on this planet with that aptitude. But you do have to learn how to be content. Some never do. Paul did: “I have learned to be content whatever

What do you have that you did not receive?                          —1 Corinthians 4:7 While he was away, he left his business in the custody of his servants. On his return, he called for accountability of their stewardship. Two had doubled his assets; one had

Well done, good and faithful servant.                      —Matthew 25:21 Picture this. It’s Judgment Day. Your name is called. You step forward. The Lord looks at you, smiles, and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” You desire approval. We

The one who endures to the end will be saved.      —Matthew 24:13 They were beautiful young ladies: sparkling smiles, sunny personalities. Their university dorm room was their evangelistic center, the site of numerous conversions. They kept our baptistry busy. At an event a few years later, I spotted one of them in the