You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. | “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not allow myself to be dominated by anything. |
How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! | Blessed are all those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. |
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Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. | Make your ways known to me, O Lord; teach me your paths. |
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. | The grass may wither and the flower may fade, but the word of our God will endure forever. |
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! | I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. |
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. | If we claim that we have fellowship with him while we continue to live in darkness, we are lying and do not live in the truth. |
And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. | We also know that the Son of God has come and given us understanding so that we can know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, since we are in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. |
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. | Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in accord with the law of the Lord. |
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. | Remember this, my beloved brethren: everyone should be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to anger. |
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. | They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. |
And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. | And now, dear children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. |
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” | He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” |
If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. | And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. |
So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. | Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. |
The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. | The Lord is slow to anger but great in power, and he will never allow the guilty to escape punishment. He makes his way in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust beneath his feet. |
Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. | All those who keep his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And the proof that he abides in us is the Spirit that he has given us. |
And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. | Jesus said to him, “Go on your way! Your faith has made you well.” Immediately, he received his sight and followed him along the road. |
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. | Bear with one another, and forgive one another if anyone has reason to be offended with another. You must forgive just as the Lord has forgiven you. |
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. | However, if we live in the light as he himself is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from all sin. |
People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed. | Anyone who leads an honorable life walks in safety, but whoever pursues wicked ways will be found out. |
Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. | Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts in accordance with them will be like a wise man who constructed his house on a rock foundation. |
And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. | This is the commandment we have received from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. |
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. | And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a sacrificial offering whose fragrance is pleasing to God. |
When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. | When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill the vow you have made. |