Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples. You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.” Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Next verse!With image