| So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. | If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. |
| And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. | And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. |
| Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good. | Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. |
| Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. | For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. |
| God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. | Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. |
| God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. | While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent. |
| And do everything with love. | Let all that you do be done in love. |
| Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. | In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that will come after them. |
| But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike. | To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles. |
| For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. | For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well. |
| Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. | Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. |
| Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” | What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” |
| Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. | Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. |
| You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. | Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. |
| I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear? | I, I am he who comforts you; why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die, a human being who fades like grass? |
| They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. | Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. |
| They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. | For they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. |
| My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. | My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. |
| If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him! | If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. |
| But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. | As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him. |
| Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. | Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. |
| Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. | In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. |
| Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! | Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. |
| Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. | But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. |
| Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. | He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. |
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Bible verse of the day
Better to be patient than powerful;better to have self-control than to conquer a city.