Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless. If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him. Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.Next verse!With image