Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long. Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze. How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity! “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.