Joe Barnett

Do to others as you would have them do to you.                                        —Luke 6:31 “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt 6:12 NRSV). Confession: I am guilty of violating this […]

Do to others what you would have them do to you.          —Matthew 7:12 Before Jesus came, some had said, “Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.” But Jesus said, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” The first form says

In the same way you judge others, you will be judged.                                                —Matthew 7:2 “Judge not.” If the next sentence doesn’t stop us in our tracks when we’re about to throw a judgmental

Judge not, that you be not judged.                     —Matthew 7:1 Judging others is way above our pay grade. We don’t know enough to be judgmental. To fairly judge, one must know all, including the person’s heart and motives—things that only God knows: “The Lord does not

Do not worry about tomorrow.                  —Matthew 6:34 Dale Carnegie advised living in day-tight compartments, refusing to let what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow trash your enjoyment and productivity today. At the end of his message about anxiety (Mt 6:25–33), Jesus said, “Do not worry about

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.            —Matthew 6:21 In Matthew 6:19–20, Jesus contrasts the durability of two treasures: earthly and heavenly. The earthly is fragile and temporary; the heavenly is rock solid and eternal. Scripture does not forbid ownership of possessions. On the contrary, it endorses

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.                             —Matthew 6:20 Faced with a tough decision, perhaps you’ve drawn a line down the middle of a page, listing the negatives on one side and the positives on the other. In Mathew 6:19–20, Jesus

Continue steadfastly in prayer.               —Colossians 4:2 Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Mt 6:8). So, why pray? Well, you don’t pray to inform God of things he is unaware of, but to request his help, seek his counsel, and submit to his

[God] says, “Seek My face.” My heart says to Him, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”                          —Psalm 27:8 “Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father” (Mt 6:6). Your “room” may be a designated place, or maybe not. It’s

You have heard that it was said.                 —Matthew 5:21 Six times in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said . . .” followed by, “But I tell you . . .” Most of those to whom Jesus spoke could not