If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed. No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love. For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,
and humility comes before honor. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. 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. For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God? If you love me, keep my commands. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.