In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.” For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 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. Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. For the Lord is our judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us. Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word! Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
but through knowledge the righteous escape. Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.Next verse!With image