Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end. 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. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 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. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. What a person desires is unfailing love;
better to be poor than a liar. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy. A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Better a patient person than a warrior,
one with self-control than one who takes a city. 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. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely. Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 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. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 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. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.