Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. | Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. |
Because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. | So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. |
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If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. | But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! |
So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. | I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. |
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. | Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. |
So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. | So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. |
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). | So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. |
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. | The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words. |
Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want. | “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” |
For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God. | No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. |
For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. | The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. |
But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated. | But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. |
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? | That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? |
For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. | Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. |
But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. | As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. |
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? | Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? |
For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? | And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? |
He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.” | He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” |
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” | 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.” |
With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? | The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? |
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. | But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. |
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. |
Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. | That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. |
You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. | You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. |
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. | 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. |