Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens. Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 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. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans. So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?” Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory.