| If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. | If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. |
| “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.” | But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” |
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| But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. | But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. |
| The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ | 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!’ |
| That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” | However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him. |
| Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. | Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. |
| And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. | And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. |
| No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. | No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. |
| This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! | Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! |
| Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. | Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. |
| So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. | Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. |
| He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. | As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. |
| This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. | The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. |
| For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. | For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. |
| And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. | This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. |
| Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. | Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death. |
| Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! | Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. |
| Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” | Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” |
| For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. | Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. |
| God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? | God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? |
| The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! | Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. |
| Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” | Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” |
| Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. | He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. |
| Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. | Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. |
| And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. | And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. |
