Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. I, even I, am he who comforts you.
Who are you that you fear mere mortals,
human beings who are but grass. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” 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. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy. He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” I can do all this through him who gives me strength. By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off. For we live by faith, not by sight. 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. The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 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.Next verse!With image