As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 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. Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 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. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom. “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. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ 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. 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. May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor. But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom. If you love me, keep my commands. You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 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. If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
even their prayers are detestable. But test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.Next verse!With image