- Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will persist in their evil ways.
- The one who leads a blameless life
and does what is right,
who speaks the truth from the heart
and does not slander anyone,
who does not harm a friend
and does not scorn a neighbor. - For I know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.
- Banish grief from your heart
and ignore the sufferings of your body,
for youth and the prime of life are fleeting. - Examine me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and understand my thoughts.
See if I follow an evil way,
and guide me on the way to eternity. - Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness clothing you, and with your feet shod in zeal to proclaim the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold in your hand the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- The prudent man perceives danger and seeks shelter,
while the simple continue forward and pay the penalty. - It is the will of God that you should lead a life of sanctity. You must refrain from sexual immorality. Each of you must learn to acquire a wife from pure and honorable motives, not to gratify passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.
- For the Lord loves the just,
and he will not forsake his faithful ones.
Those who follow evil paths will be destroyed,
and the children of the wicked will be cut off. - By these he has given us his precious promises, great beyond all price, so that through them you may escape from the corruption with which evil desires have infected the world and thereby may come to share in the divine nature.
- Remember your Creator in the days of your youth
before the bad times come
and the years draw near when you will say,
“I take no pleasure in them”. - Let the wicked abandon their ways
and those who are evil their thoughts.
Let them return to the Lord
so that he may have mercy upon them;
and to our God,
for he is rich in forgiveness. - Love is patient;
love is charitable.
Love is not envious;
it does not have an inflated opinion of itself;
it is not filled with its own importance.
Love is never rude;
it does not seek its own advantage.
It is not prone to anger;
neither does it brood over setbacks. - If it seems wrong to you to serve the Lord, then today you must choose whom you will serve, whether it be the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites who dwell in the land. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
- So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.
- Therefore, rid yourselves of everything sordid and of every wicked excess, and welcome in all humility the word that is implanted in you and is able to save your souls.
- For the carved images of the nations are powerless;
they are nothing more than wood cut from a forest,
fashioned with a knife by craftsmen
and embellished with silver and gold.
Then they are fastened with hammers and nails
to prevent them from toppling.
Like scarecrows in a cucumber field
they are unable to speak,
and they must be carried from place to place
since they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
for they can do no harm,
nor do they have any power to do good. - The labors of the wicked man produce little profit,
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. - Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may show yourselves blameless and beyond reproach, children of God without spot in the midst of an evil and depraved generation, among which you shine like lights in the world as you hold fast tenaciously to the word of life.
- He will never be swayed;
the righteous man will be remembered forever. - For everyone born of God
conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world
is our faith. - The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
but destruction for evildoers. - Nevertheless, do not rejoice in the knowledge that the spirits are subject to you. Rejoice rather that your names are inscribed in heaven.
- Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices in the truth.
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things. - Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and allow no opportunity for the flesh to gratify its sinful desires.
Related topics
Righteousness
Whoever pursues righteousness and...
Evil
Do not be conquered...
Life
The LORD will protect...
Sin
Are you not aware...
Truth
The one who leads...
Body
Do you not know...